CareFirst and the American Heart Association Host Pitch Competition for Maryland Black Farmers
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) proudly hosted the American Heart Association’s pitch competition for participants of their first-ever EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator™ focused exclusively on Maryland Black Farmers. Five participants pitched their ideas to a panel of judges in a grand finale event at CareFirst’s Canton Crossing headquarters for a chance at additional grant funding to grow and scale their businesses.
CareFirst Vice President and Chief of Staff Lester Davis hosted and led the day’s activities, welcoming participants, guests and the competition’s judges, including Janet Currie, President of Bank of America Greater Maryland; Larry L. Johnson, Chairman of the American Heart Association Baltimore and Greater Maryland Division Board of Directors; and Dekonti Mends-Cole, Head of DE&I for Corporate Responsibility, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Ultimately, Ali Simeto of Geb-ra Organics won first place and $35,000 in grant funding through the accelerator. The other finalists also received funding, including:
- Crystal Levine, CodaBax—won second place and received $25,000.
- Ashley Drakeford, The Capital Market—took home third place and received $10,000.
- Doug Adams, New Brooklyn Farms, and Richard Francis, Plantation Park Heights—received a $1,000 stipend each for participating in the business accelerator, which began in November 2023.
The goal of the American Heart Association’s EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator™—Maryland Black Farmers is to address physical health through nutritious food and create economic opportunities for underserved and under-resourced areas. By empowering the people who grow our food with the skills to cultivate their businesses, CareFirst and the American Heart Association are helping to drive equitable health and advance positive outcomes for everyone.
As one of the region’s leading healthcare organizations, CareFirst is proud to support the American Heart Association’s business accelerator for Maryland Black farmers. We’re excited to see what these amazing individuals can accomplish and look forward to supporting the American Heart Association’s vital research on heart health and collaborating with them on future events to help create positive change and enhance health equity in the communities we both serve.
of Maryland farmers are Black
of Maryland (or two million acres) is farmland
of total Maryland farm sales are from Black farmers
Read more about the American Heart Association’s EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator™—Maryland Black Farmers here.