College Cash | – While

While Mr. Curry said that he appreciates the magnitude of the problem and the good intentions of those making these claims, he believes that venture networks have a lot to learn about what it means to be an “underserved” founder, and that many existing efforts are nothing more than “empty words.” “While Silicon Valley continues to idolize students who dropped out of prestigious universities,” he said, “stakeholders are less interested in recognizing the achievements of founders who have struggled with poverty or found opportunities in areas where opportunities are harder to find. Curry explained that the College Cash team worked with a “national puzzle economy platform” to promote inclusion, and that focus groups showed that users were more willing to tip if they knew the money would be used to pay off loan debt. His startup, College Cash, allows brands to ask users to create photo and video marketing content that highlights their product or service, the catch being that content creators are paid by brands in the form of credit, which is used directly to pay off student debt. It’s especially frustrating for Curry when he has to navigate the world of hot pitching to even step foot in the doors of multiple founder programs, or apply for startup programs for the “underserved,” only to be told that he is not advanced enough to qualify. His next project is to integrate College Cash into nervous savings platforms, with the goal that users of those platforms can tip an employee and have that money go directly to paying off that person’s student loans. College Cash’s mission to empower people struggling with student debt is personal to Curry because he has seen his life change since returning to school. Curry has spent the past two years building a new platform, finding brand partners, navigating acceleration programs, engaging users and scouring the streets for investors willing to bet on his vision. Filling the cycle was its own challenge for Curry, who at times struggled to find opportunities even with historic amounts of capital flowing into the startup ecosystem – a difference less noticeable for black founders, who still account for only a small percentage of allocated venture capital. After demonstrations against police brutality last summer, some venture capital firms issued statements denouncing institutional racism and promising to support more disadvantaged founders by creating new programs for different founders. According to Curry, it can be frustrating to fight for early-stage opportunities if investors aren’t willing to purposefully adjust their parameters. Ten years ago, when he had just gotten out of the Army, Curry said, he was talking to a stranger during a meal at Hardee’s. A discussion about what he wanted most in life led him to his bachelor’s degree and then to a business degree. “You can’t look for something different if you’re looking in the same places,” Curry told TechCrunch. “Think about all the things we had to do to be in the room with you,” Curry said. The Dallas-based founder was inspired to tackle the student loan crisis by talking to his daughter about the prospect of one day paying off his debt. The platform is currently in its infancy, but Curry has big goals. Demetrius Curry has been chasing a dream for the past several years.