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A Historic Pitch: One Month Later, Spelmanites Reflect On Their Victory
A Historic Pitch: One Month Later, Spelmanites Reflect On Their Victory
A group of Spelman College students made history earlier this fall after winning first place at the 2025 Moguls in the Making competition hosted in Detroit, Michigan. This victory marks the first time Spelman College and an all-women’s team have earned first-place since the competition began in 2019.
Held from Sept. 10-14, students from 10 HBCUs participated in a competition hosted by Ally Financial and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to develop business solutions for real-world challenges. The winning Spelman team included Kennedy Blue Washington (‘27), Aubria King (‘27), Ca’Miyah King (‘27), Madison Harris (‘28) and Sydney Johnson (‘28).
The students presented their business concept, Prospera, a digital Fintech platform focused on community access and economic empowerment for women-owned businesses in Detroit. The students had three days to develop their pitch and final proposal, and had never worked together prior to the competition. Their early meetings focused on building trust and understanding each member’s strengths, which Washington said was essential to their success.
After their win, the students reflected on their experiences and what the victory meant to them. When asked about her first reaction to hearing the results, sociology major Kennedy Blue Washington described a mix of disbelief and gratitude.
“My first reaction was like there is no way that this is real right now. I had a feeling that we won, but after watching everyone go first and then us being last, it was harder to imagine if we actually won because we saw so many great teams go before us,” Washington said.
Washington said the team initially felt nervous about collaborating since none of them had worked together before. They were unsure how to balance their different ideas and personalities. However, by identifying each member’s skills, marketing, economics, or strategy, the students created a cohesive and well-rounded business proposal.
“I think getting to know each other first rather than just jumping straight into an idea really benefited us, especially being the only all-women’s team. We were able to identify what our strengths and weaknesses were,” Washington said.
Washington also noted the significant role of the Spelman sisterhood, a value deeply cherished within the Spelman community, in their success.
“Creating that sisterhood and showing that synergy on stage was a big part of us winning even outside of the content of our pitch,” Washington said.
Given that Spelman College is a liberal arts institution, opportunities to explore business interests are few and far between. However, Sydney Johnson added that the experience highlighted the full extent of Spelman women’s abilities.
“I think that because Spelman is a liberal arts school, you might not expect many students to be interested in entrepreneurship,” Johnson said. “Us being on such a big stage for entrepreneurship and for our pitch competition, it shows that we as Spelman women are very multidimensional students, and we don’t necessarily need the framework to actually be successful in something like entrepreneurship.”
For King, representing Spelman on a national stage was empowering. She reflected on how the competition can inspire future Spelmanites and also other HBCUs.
“I hope that inspires them to know that they are capable no matter what background you come from, you're capable of doing the work because I come from a biology background. I don't know anything about marketing…but I was able to learn more about myself through the competition,” King said. I hope to encourage other HBCU students to know that they can do it, but also to put HBCUs out there more so that they get more awareness and other Black students can know about the resources available to them.”
The team’s success brought recognition and tangible rewards. Each member received a $20,000 scholarship and a paid internship with Ally Financial. On Sept. 25, the students appeared on The Jennifer Hudson Show to share their journey throughout the competition.
King described the experience as surreal.
“I felt like Beyoncé. I realized I really did do an amazing thing, and I not only represented myself, I represented my school and really put the Spelman name out there and HBCUs,” King said.
The competition also significantly shaped the students’ career perspectives. King said the experience not only encouraged her to adopt a business-oriented mindset, but also influenced her future career path as a healthcare professional.
“I hope to move more toward a business mindset. I'm considering a C-suite executive role in a pharmaceutical or healthcare company, trying to combine my biology degree with my passion for healthcare,” King said.
The Moguls in the Making competition, created by Ally Financial and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, continues to provide HBCU students with opportunities in education, entrepreneurship and innovation. Spelman’s historic win demonstrates the impact of collaboration, leadership and the strength of Black women in business.
A group of Spelman College students made history earlier this fall after winning first place at the 2025 Moguls in the Making competition hosted in Detroit, Michigan. This victory marks the first time Spelman College and an all-women’s team have earned first-place since the competition began in 2019.
Held from Sept. 10-14, students from 10 HBCUs participated in a competition hosted by Ally Financial and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to develop business solutions for real-world challenges. The winning Spelman team included Kennedy Blue Washington (‘27), Aubria King (‘27), Ca’Miyah King (‘27), Madison Harris (‘28) and Sydney Johnson (‘28).
The students presented their business concept, Prospera, a digital Fintech platform focused on community access and economic empowerment for women-owned businesses in Detroit. The students had three days to develop their pitch and final proposal, and had never worked together prior to the competition. Their early meetings focused on building trust and understanding each member’s strengths, which Washington said was essential to their success.
After their win, the students reflected on their experiences and what the victory meant to them. When asked about her first reaction to hearing the results, sociology major Kennedy Blue Washington described a mix of disbelief and gratitude.
“My first reaction was like there is no way that this is real right now. I had a feeling that we won, but after watching everyone go first and then us being last, it was harder to imagine if we actually won because we saw so many great teams go before us,” Washington said.
Washington said the team initially felt nervous about collaborating since none of them had worked together before. They were unsure how to balance their different ideas and personalities. However, by identifying each member’s skills, marketing, economics, or strategy, the students created a cohesive and well-rounded business proposal.
“I think getting to know each other first rather than just jumping straight into an idea really benefited us, especially being the only all-women’s team. We were able to identify what our strengths and weaknesses were,” Washington said.
Washington also noted the significant role of the Spelman sisterhood, a value deeply cherished within the Spelman community, in their success.
“Creating that sisterhood and showing that synergy on stage was a big part of us winning even outside of the content of our pitch,” Washington said.
Given that Spelman College is a liberal arts institution, opportunities to explore business interests are few and far between. However, Sydney Johnson added that the experience highlighted the full extent of Spelman women’s abilities.
“I think that because Spelman is a liberal arts school, you might not expect many students to be interested in entrepreneurship,” Johnson said. “Us being on such a big stage for entrepreneurship and for our pitch competition, it shows that we as Spelman women are very multidimensional students, and we don’t necessarily need the framework to actually be successful in something like entrepreneurship.”
For King, representing Spelman on a national stage was empowering. She reflected on how the competition can inspire future Spelmanites and also other HBCUs.
“I hope that inspires them to know that they are capable no matter what background you come from, you're capable of doing the work because I come from a biology background. I don't know anything about marketing…but I was able to learn more about myself through the competition,” King said. I hope to encourage other HBCU students to know that they can do it, but also to put HBCUs out there more so that they get more awareness and other Black students can know about the resources available to them.”
The team’s success brought recognition and tangible rewards. Each member received a $20,000 scholarship and a paid internship with Ally Financial. On Sept. 25, the students appeared on The Jennifer Hudson Show to share their journey throughout the competition.
King described the experience as surreal.
“I felt like Beyoncé. I realized I really did do an amazing thing, and I not only represented myself, I represented my school and really put the Spelman name out there and HBCUs,” King said.
The competition also significantly shaped the students’ career perspectives. King said the experience not only encouraged her to adopt a business-oriented mindset, but also influenced her future career path as a healthcare professional.
“I hope to move more toward a business mindset. I'm considering a C-suite executive role in a pharmaceutical or healthcare company, trying to combine my biology degree with my passion for healthcare,” King said.
The Moguls in the Making competition, created by Ally Financial and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, continues to provide HBCU students with opportunities in education, entrepreneurship and innovation. Spelman’s historic win demonstrates the impact of collaboration, leadership and the strength of Black women in business.