Three Arizona entrepreneurs are joining the Journey Venture Studio’s inaugural founder-in-residence cohort.
The studio, a nonprofit that supports entrepreneurs who are starting health care-related companies, selected Imen Maaroufi Clark, Terrance Range and Ekene Nkem-Mmekam for the eight-month program, which is slated to begin in September.
The entrepreneurs will receive leadership coaching and venture development training, in addition to $100,000 to help build their companies.
“These three founders are embarking on their entrepreneurial journey in hopes of launching a business at the forefront of healthcare innovation with the potential to improve lives here in the Valley and across the country,” Mark Moeremans, managing director of the Journey Venture Studio, said in a statement.
Clark, born and raised in Tunisia, specializes in human-centered design and UX research methodologies. She co-founded Point Motion, a digital health platform that engages patients in interactive music and movement-based activities.
Range, born and raised in Plant City, Florida, is a venture partner at Republic and director for the Kirchner Foundation's HBCU Impact Investing initiative. He previously founded Myndful, a fintech platform that democratizes financial wellness for college students.
Nkem-Mmekam, who was born in Nigeria and raised in Baltimore, is a software engineer passionate about social impact. He co-founded Womentum, a nonprofit micro-lending platform that supports female entrepreneurs worldwide. Nkem-Mmekam is a creative technologist at Athletics, where he has built digital experiences for NYU, The Nation, and Guild Education.
The cohort participants will research, prototype and test venture concepts, ensure a “data-informed path” toward product-market fit and manage an allocated budget to validate and grow their startups, according to the Journey Venture Studio.
At the end of the eight-month residence program, founders will pitch their startups in front of the Journey Venture Studio's board, sponsors and partners for a chance to secure additional funding for their companies.
Journey Venture Studio received more than 50 applications and conducted 20 rounds of interviews prior to selecting the three entrepreneurs for its inaugural cohort based on their talent, tenacity, ambition and potential to build new venture opportunities within the health care industry, according to the organization.
About Journey Venture Studio
Moeremans, along with Justin Bayless, founded Journey Venture Studio to close racial and gender opportunity gaps by providing support to diverse founders wanting to pursue entrepreneurship.
Bayless, who is president of the studio, is the former CEO of Bayless Integrated Healthcare, a family business that he helped scale from six to 600 employees and nine locations prior to selling a majority stake to a Fortune 25 health care company, according to a company release.
The Journey Venture Studio will occupy a building at 3620 N. Third St., which is also the home of Ten Figures, a consulting and venture capital firm founded by Bayless.
“Our goal with the founder-in-residence program is to identify, inspire, educate, and empower diverse entrepreneurs," Bayless said in a statement. “In our tailored eight-month venture program, these entrepreneurs will receive intensive hands-on experience and will walk away with the skills and resources needed to be successful in the venture space.”
