Pitch Black 2025 celebrates BIPOC entrepreneurship and fifth anniversary of Midlands African Chamber
The Midlands African Chamber (MAC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with its Pitch Black 2025 conference, business expo and pitch competition on June 27 at the Embassy Suites in Omaha’s Old Market. Attendees experienced expert-led panels, live startup presentations for a grand prize of $15,000 and a proclamation by Mayor John Ewing to honor the event.
Founded in 2020, MAC is a member-based organization dedicated to strengthening and supporting African and African American businesses in Nebraska and the larger Midwest region. Pitch Black gives BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) entrepreneurs a platform to showcase their businesses, compete for funding and network with local investors.
MAC CEO Karine Sokpoh said that over the past five years, MAC has impacted 418 businesses through $1.14 million in direct investments in the ecosystem. She said that over the years, participants in Pitch Black and the MAC Xcelerator enterprise accelerator program have generated a total of $4.9 million in revenue and 86 new jobs.
“When we uplift Black and immigrant entrepreneurs in this community, we are not just cutting checks,” Sokpoh said. “We’re building businesses, sparking innovation and creating jobs — planting the seeds again of generational wealth that uplift the entire ecosystem.”
Sokpoh said MAC narrowed its five Pitch Black 2025 finalists from 36 competitors.
The five finalists in the order that they placed by judges’ scores:
- Orlanda Whitfield, Ed.D., Still Poppin Gourmet Popcorn — an Omaha-based gourmet popcorn brand.
- Basi Affia, Sensiil Studios — a veteran-owned animation and publishing company with a presence in both Iowa and Nebraska and a goal of producing stories with authentic Black characters.
- Destiny Atkins and Shantell Girres, Gimme the Scoop — an Omaha-based small-batch Italian ice company.
- Tiffany Gamble, Gamble Tech Firm — an Omaha-based workforce development company seeking to empower Black women and girls through tech training and career coaching.
- Haji Salad, Patron Senior Living — an Omaha-based in-home care company centered on maintaining a sense of independence and dignity for clients.
On top of varying fund amounts depending on where they placed, finalists received additional support in the form of varying access to technical services worth a combined value of over $55,000, such as marketing, legal and accounting expertise.
Whitfield took home the top prize of $10,000. Atkins and Girres won the $5,000 investors’ pick prize along with their third-place prize of $2,500 due to receiving the most votes from the general audience. Affia received $5,000 for second place, and Gamble and Salad each received $1,000 for placing fourth and fifth place, respectively.
“We don’t invest in diverse founders because it’s fashionable,” Sokpoh said. “We do it because it’s strategic. It’s smart. And when they succeed, we all succeed.”
Finding a community when dealing with obstacles
Sokpoh began the conference by identifying roadblocks faced by BIPOC entrepreneurs. These included disproportionate distributions of VC funding and concerns surrounding national policies, such as cuts to DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) policies and the enforcement of travel restrictions and tariffs.
Panelists and keynote speakers throughout Pitch Black 2025 also addressed these struggles as well as general obstacles faced by entrepreneurs. They also shared tools and strategies to encourage success.
Agenda highlights included:
- Keynote speaker Allegra Stennett, co-founder and managing partner at New Majority Capital, who spoke on opportunities available for aspiring business owners by pursuing entrepreneurship through acquisition, or buying existing small businesses and scaling.
- A panel of representatives of three local organizations, Nebraska Enterprise Fund, ONEBiz and Urban League of Nebraska, who spoke on the importance of building a community of support, reaching out to business resources and sharing learned experiences with fellow entrepreneurs.
- A panel of local business and organization leaders who discussed the significance of establishing inclusive work cultures where team members feel engaged and encouraged to share their ideas.
- A panel that included Nebraska Deputy Secretary of State Cindi Allen that highlighted participating in state trade missions to other countries, finding international customers and researching cultural and political differences when marketing abroad.
The final keynote speaker, Hypland Founder and Creative Director Jordan Bentley, led a presentation showcasing his journey growing his clothing brand in Los Angeles. He also offered his views on how businesses can adapt policies and cultures as DEI declines.
“At the end of the day, we run businesses, so you want to find the best person for the job,” Bentley said. “But what really gives you that diverse perspective and gives that equity and inclusion is embracing new perspectives and including those in your brand.”
“You should be intentional about embracing community in the beginning,” he added.
A proclamation from the mayor
Omaha Mayor John Ewing spoke at the end of the conference on MAC’s impact. He also helped hand out awards to the pitch competition winners. Ewing said Pitch Black is an opportunity for the city to spark entrepreneurship, technical innovations and business collaborations. He proclaimed June 27, 2025, to be Pitch Black Day.
Ewing said he sought to be a “great partner” with attendees in the room and asked Omahans to tell him how he could help them and the city succeed. He said he would improve public transportation and make sure economic development reached North and South Omaha, adding that his actions would demonstrate his desire to be “the most inclusive mayor that this community has ever seen.”
“What we need to do is ensure that we give people access to opportunity,” Ewing said. “When we do that … that’s when we become the greatest city in America.”
Event outcomes and the future
Sokpoh said she hoped attendees and competitors expanded their business networks and would walk away with a sense of empowerment to follow their ambitions and lean on support systems. She said the goal of MAC is to provide “more capital, more coaching, more connections and more scholarships” — all to keep local small businesses alive and thriving.
Sokpoh said MAC has experienced extreme growth over the past five years from its nine original small business members to 298 members, ranging from mom-and-pop shops to conglomerates.
In her victory speech, Whitfield of Still Poppin Gourmet Popcorn said she was thankful for all the encouragement and training she received from MAC.
“If you’re interested in pitching, do it,” Whitfield said. “They’re going to stretch you, and that is what needs to happen.”
“We cannot grow in comfort zones,” she added.
