19 Jun Miami Youths Determined to Democratize Business Lessons Learned from Moms – USAToday.com
Local Miami high school sophomores Luca Benito and Andrew Ajmani, the sons of two female entrepreneurs, were disillusioned after completing an entrepreneurship class because it failed to deliver the value that they had become accustomed to by simply listening to conversations around their respective kitchen tables. They realized that their mothers, Sylvia Benito, a CEO and Chief Investment Officer, and Karin Ajmani, a healthcare CEO and start-up company investor, provided invaluable lessons in business by explaining their typical days that a textbook simply couldn’t match. Understanding the unique advantage that they had, these two students sought to create a program for underserved youth without access to business role models, focused on lessons in entrepreneurship and mentorship.
Andrew and Luca teamed up with their mothers and several other sponsors to create ICON, an after-school program they designed for high school students, which is celebrating its second year providing youth with access to mentorship. Sponsored by Overtown Youth Center (OYC), Green Spoon Marder LLP, and Tyson Pro, ICON is building a bridge between underserved youth and highly experienced entrepreneurs.
ICON, which stands for Investment Community Opportunity Network, is offered as an after-school program through Overtown Youth Center (OYC), a well-respected organization that helps students maximize their full potential through education, enrichment, and exposure. OYC Miami students had an opportunity to engage in a 12-week entrepreneurship program, where students were able to engage with local business leaders and gain valuable insights into what it takes to start a business, the risks and challenges, and most of all, the rewards of becoming an entrepreneur. The program culminates with students formally presenting their business plans for the chance to win scholarships.
Luca began discussing the idea of starting a youth business mentoring program with the professional boxer Mike Tyson, and his wife Kiki, who have a personal dedication to mentorship. “Once Mike and Kiki signaled that this would be a worthwhile idea and volunteered to be sponsors, I knew we were onto something.”
A key goal of the program is to create business mentors for underserved youths, who otherwise may not have relationships with business mentors in their daily lives. ICON believes that mentorship is critical for nurturing the next generation of business owners, thought leaders, and change makers. “I didn’t realize how much knowledge I have gained by simply listening to the daily business conversations between my parents, both entrepreneurs. I grew up being asked which logos I liked best and to help them come up with tag lines,” said Andrew Ajmani, a sophomore at Miami Country Day School.
Miami is a vibrant, multicultural place with thousands of talented minds capable of initiating national change. The city is quickly becoming one of Florida’s biggest startup hubs and a contender with larger cities well-known for their disruptive ventures. Miami has over 3,000 startups and 20+ unicorns and represents 59% of Florida’s total venture capital deals.
While Miami-Dade County has the potential to become a commercial powerhouse rivaling Silicon Valley, many groups are struggling to get by. According to a recent report, over 60% of children in Miami-Dade County are growing up in households experiencing financial hardship. In addition to community outreach initiatives, youth development programs have become an effective way to ensure that children are given resources for building a bright future. Many of these focus on providing educational support. ICON works similarly by exposing youth to the wisdom of successful entrepreneurs via mentorship.
“At OYC Miami, we are grateful for partners who invest their time and talents in helping us to inspire greatness within our youth by igniting their passion. It is our goal to provide students in the urban core with opportunities & pathways for economic sustainability for themselves and their families for generations to come,” says CEO Ms. Tina Brown.
This year, ICON’s finalists are Alana Johnson and Reyniesha Williams. These students designed a unique business plan that enabled them to win scholarship money. Youth participating in ICON elevate their knowledge of business, and public speaking, and gain one-in-a-lifetime chances to connect with empathetic business leaders who can act as future mentors.
With only two previous competitions in the rearview, ICON’s founders and sponsors plan to expand ICON’s reach in the coming year. “We are pleased to have Henry Elkus, founder, and CEO of Helena, advise on the next competition. Helena is a problem-solving institution founded in 2015 that addresses urgent societal issues through for-profit, non-profit, and legislative action,” states Sylvia Benito.
Henry founded the firm in his dorm room at Yale during his sophomore year when he realized a critical link in solving problems was getting the right people together. Henry began to put together a group that is now comprised of Nobel Laureates, Academy Award winners, former CIA Directors, Olympic athletes, NGO leaders, technology entrepreneurs, explorers, and more. Teens will have the chance to form competitive teams to pitch start-up ideas to Henry addressing societal issues. This combination of nonprofit thought leadership and for-profit business ideas is an important and effective model for future generations who believe that impact matters in business.
This article originally appeared on USAToday.com
https://www.usatoday.com/story/special/contributor-content/2024/06/19/miami-youths-determined-to-democratize-business-lessons-learned-from-moms/74149505007/
by Tyler Shepherd
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