Omi Bell was a computer scientist who grew up middle-class and held good jobs but having her first child at 17 and second at 21 led her to rely on Section 8 housing and government assistance. While taking on various roles to support her children, Bell discovered a turning point: selling t-shirts.
She shared her experience on the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast with AfroTech, explaining how it transformed her situation.
“America’s not built for a person, a single person with children. That’s just the reality,” she said on the podcast.
“But I had good jobs. I was a K-12 educator. I worked at a patent and trademark office … but I still couldn’t afford to live. Entrepreneurship was really my way out. I had gotten laid off twice. Me and my fiancé broke up. I realized I’m not going to get married. Now I have three children, and I’m not going to go back to anywhere where anybody can ever come to me and say ‘I’m laying you off,” Bell continued.
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Bell transformed her living room into a teepee, which she then rented out on Airbnb. She also ventured into T-shirt printing, launching a successful line that garnered deals with major companies like Google and Amazon.
According to Forbes, she established two apparel printing businesses: MsPrint USA and Made By A Black Woman.
“I worked myself off of poverty, paid for my kids to go to school, all those kinds of things,” Bell said.
Bell, having transformed her own life and understanding the hurdles of entrepreneurship, established Black Girl Ventures in 2016. This social enterprise focuses on providing capital to under-resourced businesses, specifically those led by Black women founders, with less than $1 million in revenue. Black Girl Ventures offers a range of resources, including crowdfunded pitch competitions, one-on-one funding assessments, and consultations.
Since its inception, Black Girl Ventures has empowered over 20,000 entrepreneurs and facilitated funding for more than 550 under-resourced companies.
Looking ahead, Black Girl Ventures plans to host “Pull Up and Pitch,” a 60-second live pitch competition. Three judges will evaluate entrepreneurs using a thumbs-up system, with awards ranging from $200 for one thumbs-up to $500 for three thumbs-up. According to Bell, founders who advance to the next round, depending on the partners involved, will have the opportunity to compete for $10,000.
The next competition is scheduled for November 18 and will be broadcast on TikTok.
“We’ll work with them to help get some amplification on a platform so the live goes bigger and we’re going to see what does it look like to live stream and give out capital,” Bell remarked.
“If we could make this work, I could see the partnership evolving into matching dollars, evolving into what could happen with TikTok Shop, shop the competition kind of stuff is what we’re looking forward to,” she added.
According to her website, Bell has received numerous accolades for her entrepreneurial achievements. Entrepreneur Magazine recognized her as one of the Top 100 Powerful Women in Business, and she was named DC Entrepreneur of the Year. The U.S. Minority Chamber of Commerce honored her as Minority Female Professional of the Year. Bell also received The Spectrum Circle Award for Innovative Women in Business. In 2018, Adweek DC included her in their “24 Rising Brand Stars” list. DCA Live acknowledged her as one of the Top 40 Power Women in Tech, and the Washington Business Journal featured her in “Washington’s New Guards.” Most recently, in 2024, the US Black Chambers presented her with the Power 50 Award.
