Today, Atom Factory CEO Troy Carter announced plans to host a second season of Smashd Labs from September 6 to November 18. For the inaugural class, there were over 200 applicants in two weeks, six startups in the inaugural cohort, 30 mentors, founders as young as 19 years old, and over $2M raised from investments within six months of the lab’s concluding Demo Day.
“We’re proud of the success the participating startups have had to date, and look forward to growing the Smashd Labs family by adding an additional set of startups led by talented founders with platforms and tech that can disrupt entertainment and culture,” stated Atom Factory CEO Troy Carter, who most recently served as a guest shark on the latest season of ABC’s hit prime-time show Shark Tank.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7817451-atom-factory-smashd-labs-startups/
The holiday season provides the perfect opportunity to give thanks and to give back to youth who are facing challenges within our communities. In days of uncertainty, there are still people who are providing direction and mentoring to high-risk youth to help them succeed in spite of the unfortunate circumstances they may have encountered. Many studies indicate that a young person’s success can be greatly enhanced by an advocate or mentor — an adult who consistently helps a young person stay on track to graduate and make better life choices. Goodwill’s GoodGuides program is the source of many modern-day mentoring success stories.
The GoodGuides program provides mentoring to youth, ages 12–17, who are at risk of dropping out of school and/or falling into delinquency. The program helps them finish school, transition into the world of work and prepare for success by pairing them with trusted adult volunteer mentors. Mentors help youth overcome disadvantages such as failure in school due to poor grades or low attendance, or avoid delinquency due to issues such as abuse, disability, drug or alcohol dependence, family violence or gang membership.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7057252-goodwill-givegoodwill-campaign/
Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company, has given two modular homes to Blazing Hope Ranch, a nonprofit organization in Dayton, Tenn. that aids victims of human trafficking.
Vanderbilt Mortgage donated two four-bedroom/two-bathroom modular homes to Blazing Hope Ranch. The homes will be used to house survivors and live-in mentors while they go through the organization’s program.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/77164510-vanderbilt-mortgage-donates-to-blazing-hope-ranch/
Junior Achievement USA® (JA) today announced the launch of its JA Heroes PSA campaign. The goal of this campaign is to connect volunteer mentors with young people to give kids the power to see their future, unleash their potential and let their dreams take flight.
Positive role models in the lives of young people are shown to help inspire them to overcome difficult circumstances. Yet today, millions of kids live in situations where they do not have access to mentors who can give them the guidance or insight they need to rise above negative peer pressure, economic uncertainty or simply a lack of direction.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7553451-ja-heroes-psa-campaign/
General Mills (NYSE: GIS) today launched the General Mills Feeding Better Futures Scholars Program, which asks youth to share their ideas to help solve the challenge of feeding a growing world population. Feeding Better Futures will serve as a catalyst in addressing hunger relief and sustainable agriculture issues by championing the bright ideas of today’s youth. Young innovators are invited to pitch their in-action solutions for the opportunity to present at the Aspen Ideas Festival, be partnered with industry mentors, and earn up to $50,000 to further their program and education.
Today, 842 million — nearly 12 percent of the world’s population — struggle with hunger, including 13 million kids and teenagers in America. By 2050, it is projected there will be 9.2 billion people on the planet and recent estimates suggest food production will need to increase by 70 percent to feed everyone. With this clear need to find solutions now to feed more people today and for generations to come, General Mills has launched Feeding Better Futures — as recognition that many small steps equate to big change.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8255651-general-mills-feeding-better-futures-scholars-program/