Higher Purpose Co., based in the Mississippi Delta town of Clarksdale, is an economic justice non-profit organization on a mission to build community wealth with Black residents throughout Mississippi. As such, they are a key partner in CoBuilders Mississippi. The organization held a startup competition in the spring of 2022, sending three Black-owned businesses to the CoBuilders accelerator program: Bloomtech Developments, BoGimme Productions and TherapyPlus.
“We are pleased with our partnership with Co-Builders. Their partnership is a proven track record of what organizations can accomplish together instead of working alone. HPC business members have expressed their positive experiences during the Co-Builders Accelerator Program”, said Shequite Johnson, Higher Purpose Co. COO. “We look forward to working with Co-Builders to continue to improve the lives of Black entrepreneurs as they evolve and continue to strive for success”.
Bloomtech Developments is working on an automated receptionist tool for healthcare providers to make checking in patients more efficient, structured and accurate. The check-in process for doctors and hospitals can be a huge part of successfully (and accurately) billing that patient through the maze of insurance and regulatory hurdles required. By automating the process, Bloomtech Developments hopes to solve a major pain point for providers while increasing productivity and profit margin.
CEO Melissa Bloom told Innovate Mississippi previously that she thought she’d have to leave the state to build a technology company. Now she’s an alumna of the Women and Minority Entrepreneurial Development Program from Innovate Mississippi as a member of the 2022 CoBuilder cohort.
BoGimme Productions is a music and audio company founded by CEO Jimmie Lee and based in Sunflower County, Miss. Through the BoGimmie Music Academy, Lee’s goal is to create an environment for musical artists (and aspiring musical artists) to develop their gifts and showcase their talents. Lee offers workshops, one-on-one instruction, virtual classes and more.
“We are striving to be a beacon of hope,” said Lee. “To be a place where music makes a difference.”
LeJeune Johnson founded Therapy Plus, LLC after seeing the explosion in telehealth services that resulted partly from the COVID-19 pandemic. Johnson also notes the rise in telehealth services for mental health but feels that the market addresses the consumer at home instead of in the workplace. Her goal is to offer therapeutic benefits and wellness initiatives through their Corporate Therapy telehealth platform, making it easy for companies to provide wellness services to employees, particularly as they acclimate to our “new normal” virtual and hybrid workplaces.
