Apple launches its Entrepreneur Camp for Black Founders and Developers

Apple Launches Ecamp For Black Founders And Developers 021621 Full Bleed Image.jpg.large 2x
Apple Launches Ecamp For Black Founders And Developers 021621 Full Bleed Image.jpg.large 2x (Image credit: Apple)

What you need to know

  • Apple has launched its inaugural Entrepreneur Camp for Black Founders and Developers.
  • The camp pairs thirteen app companies with different experts and leaders at Apple.

In a press release, Apple has announced the launch of the company's inaugural Entrepreneur Camp for Black Founders and Developers. The first camp will include companies from thirteen different apps.

In 2019, Apple held its first-ever Entrepreneur Camp, an immersive tech lab for app-driven companies founded and led by developers from underrepresented backgrounds, with a class of women founders and developers. Program participants have gone on to secure major funding rounds, garner numerous awards and accolades, and significantly expand both their teams and app users worldwide.

The program will pair the companies up with different experts and leaders at Apple in order to help take their apps to new heights for their users.

The program is designed to give developers the opportunity to take their existing app experience to the next level by mastering new technical skills, applying a critical lens to the user experience, and more through hands-on technology labs, one-on-one code-level guidance from Apple experts and engineers, and mentorship, inspiration, and insights from top Apple leaders.

Apple Launches Ecamp For Black Founders And Developers B3am David

Apple Launches Ecamp For Black Founders And Developers B3am David (Image credit: Apple)

In addition to the Entrepreneur Camp for Black Founders and Developers, Apple is also partnering with Harlem Capital as part of the company's $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative.

In addition, Apple is partnering with Harlem Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm based in New York that invests in diverse founders, to offer guidance and mentorship to the participants. This new partnership is part of Apple's $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI), which builds on the company's work to advance racial equity in education, the economy, and the criminal justice system. These commitments aim to expand opportunities for communities of color across the country and to help build the next generation of diverse leaders.

Apple Launches Ecamp For Black Founders And Developers Nailstry Aurelia

Apple Launches Ecamp For Black Founders And Developers Nailstry Aurelia (Image credit: Apple)

Lisa Jackson, Apple's Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, says that these thirteen app companies "embody the entrepreneurial spirit that runs so deep in the Black community."

"These incredible app creators and business leaders embody the entrepreneurial spirit that runs so deep in the Black community," said Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, who leads REJI. "Their work already demonstrates the power of coding to build a better world, and we're honored to support them as they blaze a trail we know so many more will follow."

You can read more about all thirteen app companies on the press release.

Joe Wituschek
Contributor

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.