BIG START — IT’S BIG. REALLY BIG.

BIG is a 26 week incubator program for high potential Black and Latinx women founders of tech enabled startups.

BIG ideas.
BIG dreams.
BIG ambition.
BIG minds.
BIG community.
BIG support.
BIG innovation.
BIG growth.

And grit. Resilience. Curiosity. Creativity. All of this is what I experienced at the BIG START invite-only weekend on May 5–7, one of pitching, ideation, feedback, iteration and networking, all in hopes of being accepted into the BIG ATL Incubator program. To say I was blown away by the 40+ Black and Latinx women who had it going on and brought it doesn’t quite capture the magic that happened over the course of the three days.

As a long-time fan, advisor and friend to digitalundivided founder, Kathryn Finney and the digitalundivided/BIG team, I was honored to be included in the weekend, as mentor and coach to the teams pitching. I arrived in Atlanta Friday night, just in time to catch the opening pitches summarizing the business problems these women were trying to solve, through tech and innovation. Coming in from as far away as San Salvador and London, as well as from all over the country, these women came in on their own dime for a chance to be part of something spectacular, the BIG ATL Incubator program. Some had the germ of an idea; others, a product built, users and customers, and in some cases, revenue. The businesses were as varied as the women: finance and investments, retail, health and wellness, media platforms, gifts and entertainment, books and publishing, travel, real estate, community engagement. And every single one of them pitched with passion and enthusiasm, providing windows not only into their businesses but also, into who they were and how and why they chose the problems they were solving, often from a very personal perspective.

The BIG START weekend also exemplified BIG ATL’s experiential “learning and doing.” After the initial pitch and over the course of the next to days, the BIG ATL team provided structured learning as well as many opportunities, formal and informal, for feedback, networking and connections. Importantly, the women were encouraged to do customer development and engage with one another, just as much as with the mentors and BIG ATL team. And engage they did. The only thing greater than the collective curiosity and desire to learn was their ability to synthesize and incorporate the feedback they received into their pitches and business roadmap. By Sunday, when the women pitched again, it was clear how much growth had happened over the course of two days. It was intense — and invigorating — to talk with these founders, individually and in groups.

I didn’t envy Kathryn and team’s work ahead to determine which of these women would be accepted into the 26-week program. What I do know is that the team knows their stuff: they know what it takes to be a founder. They know which ideas should stay ideas, and which ones have potential. They are THE experts on what will likely make a Black and Latinx women founder successful, whether as an entrepreneur, an innovator and intrapreneur, a leader and a team contributor. And they know the warning signs of might cause them to flounder and fail. They are kind and tough and savvy and smart and supportive and no nonsense — and tell it like it is. They build success stories. They ARE a success story. They make magic happen.

This weekend reminded me, once again, of the incredible Black and Latinx women who exist in tech and entrepreneurship and innovation. And of the importance and value that Kathryn Finney and the BIG team have in supporting, celebrating and developing these women. BIG ATL.

It’s big. Really big.