My Design Management Capstone from Pratt Institute was a pivotal moment in my career where I was shaping the direction I wanted my solopreneur to continue to thrive. My collaborative team project will ultimately bridge the gap between community and finance providers by conveying informative skills such as sources of strategic marketing, funding management, and sponsorship opportunities through various channels. Our project had five representatives from diverse backgrounds and international (Tanzania, Haiti, Thailand, India, and South Korea), all-female entrepreneurs, with a specific interest in community development. Tanzania is not only home to the highest mountain in the continent of Africa, or rich with natural resources, but home to my tribe. Kilimanjaro is my home. Swahili is my culture. 

We were awarded a Pratt Institute Graduate Student Engagement Fund grant for our efforts in community development and workshop. The project was able to broker two partnerships. One was the International Women’s Coffee Alliance chapter in Tanzania and the other Tanzania Women in Coffee Association, a local chapter. Our workshop was created to utilize methods from our professional experiences and various courses from the Pratt Institute Design Management Masters Program. With research and needs and attitude, assessment surveys our three-day design thinking workshop focused on Marketing, Finances, and Writing Grant Proposals. Those methods are designed to strengthen entrepreneurs and independent businesses through the management and understanding of their target audiences.

Our research and innovative processes allow us to highlight the importance of equality by addressing women’s overall socio-economic empowerment and creating a workshop using design thinking, and using several aspects of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as our framework.