How Dr. Rashae Barnes Is Empowering The Next Generation Of Entrepreneurs

Dr. Rasha Barnes has worn many hats throughout her career. Whether as an English teacher who empowered the next generation of libertarians or now as a celebrated journalist who curates many of pop culture’s defining moments, her versatility is remarkable. Barnes’ hit list of past and present clients includes Viacom, BET, Luc Belaire, Sheen Magazine, and hip-hop superstar Trina. As managing director and chief advertising officer of Barnes Media Group, she works behind the scenes to ensure her celebrity clients are prepared and approved to share their stories with relevant audiences. It is this desire to empower marginalized communities that paves the way for his next endeavor – the venture capital space.

He is now preparing to launch Evals Equity, A venture capital firm dedicated to Black women business owners, providing the tools and funding necessary to launch their entrepreneurial endeavors. The company will have several funding lines designated for different groups, including young entrepreneurs.

“Because it’s a fund-to-fund, it doesn’t make sense for me to look for an investor because I’m trying to finance other people’s businesses,” Barnes said. We want to create a structure Shares value as a 501(c)3 so we can focus on donors, not investors. That way, people can make a donation, then have it tax-deductible. We have many different funds under Evals Equity. We have the Impact Entrepreneurship Fund, which is designed for young entrepreneurs, we have the Venture Women Fund, which is a fund created specifically for women of color, and then we have Evals Impact Day is the day we set aside every year to raise capital.

Whether through her illustrious career in media or entrepreneurship, Barnes is no stranger to advocating for women. She plans to become more of a women’s champion with Evals Equity, Especially through the Investment Women’s Fund.

“Based on the Women’s Investment Fund, we want to start building communities for women so they can own their own housing,” Barnes said. “When I say housing, I don’t mean putting them in a rehab or halfway house. I mean having housing available for them, like nice apartments, with a year’s worth of expenses, a paid job and a chance for them to feel confident enough to get back on their feet. “We don’t just finance and help businesses, we also help people in their everyday lives.”

Barnes said the idea for Evals Equity came to her when she realized the limited financial resources new women entrepreneurs could access.

I was creating a branding course under Barnes Media Group For people who are looking to create their own brand. “It was because a lot of people were talking about PR services and I was telling them very clearly that their brand wasn’t there yet.” One of the main issues I kept seeing, especially from women, was that we had all these amazing ideas, but there wasn’t a lot of funding to support those ideas. “

The purpose of Equity Evaluations It is to provide opportunities for those from underrepresented communities.

“If you increase the rate of black and minority women in entrepreneurship and their ability to grow their businesses, it fundamentally improves the communities in which they live,” Barnes said. “At At Evals Equity, we really want to focus on startups by creating opportunities for those who are undervalued and overlooked, but have the capacity to make money if given the opportunity. It all comes down to opportunity. You can’t tell me what someone can’t do if they don’t have the opportunity to do it.”

With stock Evals Set to launch in January 2023, the list of Barnes laundry honors continues to grow. The Pennsylvania woman said one of the keys to her success is not letting others put her in a box.

“I will never let anyone take me inside,” he said. “Yes, I’m a copywriter, but before that I was an entrepreneur. You can use your platform and foundation to do other things, but never be complacent and never let anyone put you in a box. give.”