Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) recently awarded over $40,000 to up-and-coming entrepreneurs during its 20th annual PowerUP! Business Plan Competition.
This year’s grand prize went to Hemp Thyself, a local CBD health and skin company that was selected from a field of more than 350 business proposals by an esteemed judges panel.
During the PowerUP! award ceremony, Noel Gaskin, Jovon Browne, and Cheryl Culpepper — the trio behind Hemp Thyself — were presented with the $20,000 grand prize by the contest’s lead sponsor, Dime Community Bank.
Jessica Hartman, the founder of Brooklyn Click and Connect (second-hand Lego retail shop), was the recipient of second place and $10,000; while the third place prize of $5000 went to Ashely Marrero and Charles Asante for Kente Cones, a pop-up ice cream shop that utilizes fairtrade ingredients from Africa.
Other winning ventures included New York Narratives (walking tour company), Empress by Emicia (art print company), Gina Andremise (jewelry brand), Eat the Invaders (artisan food company), and more.
BPL’s PowerUP! initiative originally launched back in 2003, as a way of providing support to businesses post 9/11.
Since then, the PowerUP! contest has given more than $600,000 to over 200 entrepreneurs throughout the borough, including some of Brooklyn’s most successful businesses like Bogota Latin Bistro, Brooklyn Tea, Greenlight Bookstore, and Tinsel Experiential Design, among others.
“For 20 years, Brooklyn Public Library’s PowerUP! contest has served as the foundation for Brooklyn’s innovators and entrepreneurs. From Brighton Beach to Bed-Stuy, you can see the positive economic impact of PowerUP! businesses in every neighborhood in the borough,” said Linda E. Johnson, president and CEO, Brooklyn Public Library. “We extend our gratitude to Dime Community Bank for their support and a hearty congratulations to the 2023 winners.”
