Eight weeks ago, OIC Philadelphia’s inaugural Food Entrepreneurship Program began with one courageous step: sharing an idea.
During the program, participants stepped into a Shark Tank-style pitch competition and presented their business concepts before an accomplished panel of entrepreneurs and business leaders, including
The experience reinforced an important lesson: every successful business may start with an idea, but transforming that idea into a sustainable venture takes planning, preparation, confidence, feedback, and action.
Today, participants Alkeria and Jasmin returned to where their journey began—the pitch. But this time, they arrived differently.
After eight weeks of intensive business development, mentorship, feedback, and hands-on learning, Alkeria and Jasmin delivered their final Shark Tank-style pitches before a panel of capital and business leaders.
The difference between their first and final presentations represented exactly what OIC Philadelphia’s Food Entrepreneurship Program was created to accomplish.
Throughout the eight-week food business incubator, the women worked to strengthen their business models while exploring areas such as branding, pricing, marketing, financial management, customer identification, product development, and access to capital.
Their concepts also moved beyond the planning stage. Alkeria developed her glass-bottled seasoning line, turning her flavors into a marketable consumer product. Jasmin continued developing her soul food business, bringing the dishes and vision that will ultimately fuel her goal of operating her own food truck to life.
Their final pitches weren’t simply about what they hoped to do someday. They demonstrated how much closer both entrepreneurs are to making those visions a reality.
The inaugural program was strengthened through OIC Philadelphia’s partnership with the Temple University Small Business Development Center (SBDC), providing participants with small business expertise, entrepreneurial education, and resources designed to help them build stronger foundations.
The program was made possible through financial support from JPMorganChase, helping OIC Philadelphia create another pathway toward economic mobility and business ownership.
For OIC Philadelphia, entrepreneurship is an important extension of workforce development. Economic opportunity is not limited to preparing individuals to enter the workforce—it also means giving aspiring entrepreneurs the tools to create businesses, generate wealth, and potentially create opportunities for others.
While the eight-week incubator is coming to an end, Alkeria and Jasmin’s journeys are far from over.
Next, both entrepreneurs will take their businesses directly to consumers through upcoming pop-up shop experiences. These opportunities will allow them to test their products in the marketplace, engage with customers, receive real-time feedback, build brand awareness, and put their newly developed business skills into practice.
Eight weeks ago, they stood before a panel and asked others to believe in their ideas.
Today, they returned with stronger businesses, greater preparation, and the confidence to show just how far those ideas have come.
OIC Philadelphia is proud to celebrate Alkeria and Jasmin as they complete our inaugural Food Entrepreneurship Program and prepare for what comes next.
The incubator may be ending, but the businesses are just getting started.
