{"id":3000008911,"date":"2020-02-18T14:20:51","date_gmt":"2020-02-18T19:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/?p=3000008911"},"modified":"2020-09-03T05:53:24","modified_gmt":"2020-09-03T09:53:24","slug":"black-entrepreneurs-bringing-clarity-to-public-systems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/community-stories\/member-spotlight\/black-entrepreneurs-bringing-clarity-to-public-systems","title":{"rendered":"Black entrepreneurs bringing clarity to public systems"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are more than 2.5 million black-owned businesses in the United States\u2014and according to the most recent statistics, they\u2019re booming, generating over $150 billion a year collectively. This Black History Month, we\u2019re celebrating some of those boundary-pushing black business owners<\/a> who also happen to be WeWork members.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technology is a versatile problem solver, particularly in the labyrinthine realm of public policies and systems. Whether it\u2019s untangling a wonky tangle of bureaucratic red tape or fostering a sense of connection between loved ones fractured by incarceration, innovation can help entrepreneurs clear seemingly insurmountable hurdles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meet two business owners who are doing just that: Marcus Bullock of Flikshop<\/a>, an app offering a groundbreaking method of connecting inmates with their family and friends; and Yemi Adewunmi of Civic Eagle<\/a>, a platform making it easier for policy professionals to access and interpret legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sending love with letters<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Flikshop founder and CEO Marcus Bullock understands the connective power of mail\u2014and not just because that\u2019s the principle behind his company. Based on his own experience in prison, Bullock created the mobile app, which allows users to send postcards to inmates in correctional facilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mail call\u2014which takes place in prisons and jails throughout the country every day around 4 p.m.\u2014is a huge deal when you\u2019re incarcerated, he explains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat’s the moment when you and your cell partner are secretly hoping and praying that someone took the time to send you anything in the mail,\u201d he says. \u201cBecause that’s the only way to know that you’re actually cared about and loved while you’re in prison. It\u2019s like, \u2018My family didn’t denounce me\u2014they believe that I made a mistake, and they do care.\u2019 It\u2019s someone acknowledging that you exist in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prison mail system is often sluggish, due in part to limited technology. So, after his release in 2004, Bullock started a side project developing a much-needed technology that would allow him to connect more efficiently with still-incarcerated friends. The app allows families and friends of inmates to purchase and create personalized postcards in the app that can then be physically mailed to inmates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/tv\/B00tiMnFvPg\/?hl=en\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the time, Bullock had already founded a successful painting business that evolved into a construction firm. But his side project eventually became his full-time job. He started meeting with corrections facility administrators to show them his app and soon realized its full potential.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had a huge win because we were able to involve the Arizona Department of Corrections,\u201d he says. \u201cTwenty families in Arizona were able to use this product. And then 50 families in Maryland were able to use it, and 150 families in California were able to use it. That’s when we were like, \u2018Wait a minute. There are millions of people who are incarcerated around the world. We’re onto something.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2012, Flikshop landed in the Apple App Store, and over the years it\u2019s flourished. Today, Flikshop (a member of WeWork 80 M Street SE<\/a> in Washington, D.C.) has four full-time employees, many of whom, like Bullock, have a personal connection to the mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Receiving mail is \u201cthe only way to know that you\u2019re actually cared about and loved while you\u2019re in prison,\u201d says Flikshop founder and CEO Marcus Bullock.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThink of a mom who\u2019s sitting in prison right now, who hasn’t seen her son since he was three years old,\u201d says Bullock. \u201cHer son’s now 10, and he’s sending her pictures of his report card. And she\u2019s thinking that she has something to live for when she leaves that place.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Bullock\u2019s mother is Flikshop\u2019s relationship manager (\u201cShe used to write me those letters when I was in prison,\u201d he says). \u201cAs we continue to grow, we want to be intentional about hiring other people who are returning citizens,\u201d he says. \u201cWe’re going to create a wave. I want to build an environment where fair-chance hiring is inclusive of people with a felony on their record.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Alhough Flikshop has seen a great deal of success, the journey came with challenges. \u201cI’m still a young black man, with my last grade completed being ninth, and here I am wanting to rumble with the Stanford grads who look similar to [the people] typical VCs would fund,\u201d Bullock says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m walking into those offices looking completely different than what they typically see, and then on top of that, they’re like, \u2018So you’ve been to prison and you want me to help you fund a business that helps people in prison? I can’t relate to this.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Bullock\u2019s determination hasn\u2019t flagged\u2014he attributes it to having enough tenacity \u201cto outlast the expected failure\u201d and collaborating with partners who \u201csee the value in the work we do.\u201d In 2017, Flikshop received an investment from John Legend\u2019s FREEAMERICA Unlocked Futures Fund, a moment he sees as a major turning point for the company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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John Legend with a Flikshop postcard. In 2017, Flikshop received an investment from Legend\u2019s FREEAMERICA Unlocked Futures Fund.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bullock says the most rewarding part of his work is being able to bridge gaps between loved ones. \u201cThere’s no way for me to articulate how much joy it brings me to know that there are hundreds if not thousands of people who are going to receive love simply because of something that I invented,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s indescribable.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Policy pros<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Deciphering byzantine legislative materials can be a daunting task, even for seasoned public policy professionals who deal with them on a daily basis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[Legislative] bills are updated\u2014sometimes our users are aware of the updates, and sometimes they\u2019re not,\u201d says Yemi Adewunmi, cofounder of Civic Eagle<\/a>. \u201cAnd that makes a difference in whether a company can fully operate or whether a community can get their budget passed. Our tool helps them do their job better and faster.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adewunmi and her cofounder, Damola Ogundipe, launched their software platform Enview, which serves nonprofits, for-profit organizations, trade associations, and any organization that has a policy department or role. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 Yemi Adewunmi of Civic Eagle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Adewunmi and Ogundipe, both Nigerian-Americans, met as college students studying abroad in London. They stayed in touch, and their paths converged again in 2014, when Ogundipe, now working in healthcare IT, was frustrated by how the opaqueness of legislative policy impacted his job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was trying to figure out how technology can help everyday people understand politics and policy and who represents them in government,\u201d says Adewunmi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Adewunmi had built a career in the sphere\u2014earning a master\u2019s in public administration and having worked as a policy analyst in the New York State Legislature\u2014so Ogundipe reached out to her, hoping to collaborate. After assembling a team that included engineers and programmers, they built an early version of the software that became Enview. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Civic Eagle\u2019s relatively young life, its founders have already seen success. In 2019, they were accepted into the prestigious Techstars startup accelerator program, which Adewunmi sees as one of their most significant milestones. Today, the company has 11 employees in several locations, including Washington, D.C., at WeWork 80 M Street SE<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEmployees care about contributing to community and doing tech for good,\u201d says Adewunmi. \u201cWe think carefully about our contribution to the larger political landscape, because that is a civic duty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n