N.C. A&T Accepted into Pharrell Williams’ So Ambitious Pre-Accelerator Program

N.C. A&T Accepted into Pharrell Williams’ So Ambitious Pre-Accelerator Program

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Sept. 17, 2024) — Jeremiah Smith, a mechanical engineering student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, has been accepted into Black Ambition’s So Ambitious Pre-Accelerator Program to develop his esports start-up venture. 

So Ambitious is a branch of Black Ambition, a non-profit initiative founded by Pharrell Williams that works to close the opportunity and wealth gap through entrepreneurship. So Ambitious, an eight-week virtual program, equips historically Black college and university (HBCU) students and recent alumni with education, leadership development and networking opportunities. 

Smith, a junior in the College of Engineering, will represent N.C. A&T in So Ambitious with his venture, BLKHRZN, pronounced “Black Horizon.” 

BLKHRZN aims to create opportunities for Black professionals in gaming and eSports. BLKHRZN encourages creativity in digital entertainment by offering a space for development and education to Black storytellers, artists, musicians, voice actors, graphic artists, game developers, players and others.  

“Having grown up gaming, I wanted to create something that people can come together and enjoy and love,” said Smith. “That’s really why I built BLKHRZN.” 

Smith’s focus is on the population of aspiring esports professionals who are limited in resources, either outside of higher education institutions or from disadvantaged communities. By offering resources and support to these populations, he hopes to address the wealth and access gaps in esports education within the Black community. 

Smith has dedicated himself to the gaming and esports industry, particularly in creating equity for Black gamers and esports contributors. His most recent work was with Cxmmunity, a nonprofit devoted to increasing access and offering resources to diverse communities in the digital entertainment industry. This organization founded the HBCU Esports League, the nation’s first competitive gaming league for HBCUs. 

Over the past year, Smith has competed in pitch competitions and accelerators including HBCUFI, Pitch HU, and SXSW’s inaugural Student Startup Pitch Competition. 

In addition to his acceptance into So Ambitious, Smith has been named a 2024-25 HBCU Startup Scholar by The Howard University & PNC National Center for Entrepreneurship. As a Startup Scholar, he will participate in business development workshops and receive funding toward BLKHRZN. 

Smith said he is looking forward to getting more experience, expanding his network and securing investment funds for his venture through the So Ambitious Program.