Daymond John's Black Entrepreneur Day is in its third year, and he's just handed out $25,000 in grants to eight entrepreneurs as part of his efforts to "build businesses instead of burning them," per a press release.
The eight recipients, who were chosen from responses to a call for applications, will use the money to expand their businesses, create more diverse products, or work with other black-owned businesses, the release notes.
John, who's a Shark Tank investor, started the show in the wake of George Floyd, the first black man to nab a reality show on TV, the New York Daily News reports.
"I want to give back to the community that gave me so much," John says.
"I'm here to tell you that I'm here to give back."
The recipients, who appeared on the show Thursday night at Harlem's World Famous Apollo Theater, include: Mandi Masden, owner of Apostrophe Puzzles in Brooklyn; Demetrius Walker, owner of Meek's Vegan Pizza in Houston; Niani Tolbert, owner of HireBlack; Tara Darlyng, owner of Darlyng & Co., a tech-enabled, eco-lifestyle brand for children; and Doreen Gardner, owner of Papas Peanut Brittle.
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When Hannah Davis traveled to China to teach English, she noticed how Chinese workers and farmers were often sporting olive green army-style shoes. Those shoes served as her inspiration to create her own social enterprise, Bangs Shoes.