Cami Thomas has a bachelor’s degree in marketing, but she has relied on her personal connections and word-of-mouth referrals to build up the client roster of her video production company, My Friends and I.
“I’ve never had an actual marketing budget or a campaign or formal outreach to get other companies to know what we’re doing in St. Louis,” said Thomas, founder and owner of My Friends and I.
That’s about to change, thanks to a $50,000 grant awarded to My Friends and I from the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Accelerator. On Thursday, the DEI Accelerator named My Friends and I and five other St. Louis-based companies as members of its third cohort. Each firm receives a $50,000 nondilutive grant and will participate in an eight-week business development program.
In addition to My Friends and I, the other cohort companies are:
- JAKAPA: The startup has developed what it describes as an “assessment and self-development platform” that helps individuals with soft skills.
- B Juiced: The company develops and sells juice products, including cold pressed juices, juice cleanses and wellness shots.
- FYSIQ: The company provides fitness courses that use elastic bungee cords to train individuals. It provides its courses at facilities in St. Louis and St. Peters.
- Mr. Fresh: The startup, with a 13-year-old founder, has developed a line of air fresheners.
- Posie Pots: The business creates and sells flowerpots it describes as a “luxury custom self watering planter.”
Thomas said the $50,000 grant, as well mentorship provided through the DEI Accelerator, will help My Friends and I achieve its growth goals. The company provides video production services for commercial clients, documentaries and narrative films. Its clients have included St. Louis City Museum and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri.
Thomas said she’s previously done film work for UMSL and its DEI Accelerator, making her aware of the opportunity of the business incubator program and how it could impact her own company if she applied for it.
“I would just watch as these companies were growing and getting all this helpful knowledge from the program. I hoped one day my company is in a position in which I could apply for something like this and be able to have a good shot,” she said.
With its $50,000 from the DEI Accelerator program, Thomas said My Friends and I plans to target marketing efforts on recruiting companies in higher-cost markets, like Chicago, to come to St. Louis to complete their video projects. She said the funding also will help with key operations costs, such as securing a dedicated studio and office to work on its projects.
UMSL Accelerate, the entrepreneurship program of UMSL, launched the DEI Accelerator in 2020 in an effort to support St. Louis-based companies founded and led by individuals from underrepresented communities. It aims to address the inequity that exists both locally and nationwide in startup development and funding for underrepresented entrepreneurs.
For its third cohort, the DEI Accelerator said it received more than 200 applications for the program. It initially planned to fund five companies in its third cohort, but said a $100,000 commitment from the Anheuser-Busch Foundation allowed for a sixth company.
“Anheuser-Busch and its foundation are proud to support underrepresented founders who are improving their neighborhoods, creating new jobs, and strengthening local economies,” said Anheuser-Busch Vice President for Community Impact Colleen Lucas. “Our team is eager to support the DEI3 Founders in whatever ways we can, leveraging our networks and engaging members of our team to participate in the program as mentors and advisors.”
In addition to Anheuser-Busch, sponsors of the DEI Accelerator include Ameren Corp. (NYSE: AEE), Edward Jones, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and private donors.
