"Make Black History Everyday": Uwemedimoh Umoh!
What were the preliminary steps you took in order to get your network off the ground?
Getting ready for this journey was a very tedious task. In order to get my network off the ground, I had to do a lot of interviewing, getting out of my comfort zone, and outsourcing.I also had to make use of social media. Social media is a very profound market in this day and age, and communication is key in today’s world. I chose social media because if done right, it is a thriving market.
There are so many young people doing great things. Why did you chose to target unrecognized athletes?
Growing up in New York and being a traveler made me acknowledge the fact that there are plenty of athletes that are not recognized in their specific sport. I experienced this firsthand growing up alongside one of my good friends Tyseem Lyles (remember him!?) and watching him overcome the obstacles that were placed in front of him by the lack of network and recognition. Although Tyseem Lyles is now playing at Mercy College, a Division II college, as a starting guard, I felt he was marginalized as an athlete. If he had the the opportunity to showcase his skills, and play at a higher level from the beginning of his college career, I think he would be getting much more recognition then he does now. Tyseem Lyles is a very unique case, usually players in his position get discouraged when they are marginalized. I want to give players the opportunity to even out the playing field and get the help they need alongside with the recognition they worked hard to get.
What will athletes be able to do with @Lete that's different from anywhere else?
On @Lete, the most basic ability of the app/website will be to create a network with their coaches, current, present, and maybe even future, attain a fan base which can help them in the long run by making their videos acquire popularity. Then players will be able to get uniquely ranked through a system that we are working on for the website which will make it interactive and fun. Also, we are working on setting up a system which will be interactive with each student athlete and give them a unique experience on how to better polish their game. We want to pave a way for student athletes to help themselves acquire funding for camps, sports programs, and much much more.
What's been the hardest part about putting this network together?
The hardest parts about putting this network together were building a team that not only has the expertise you need but also the drive necessary to push the project forward and making the dream turn into an attainable goal. Outsourcing was also a big issue. Being an entrepreneur as a college student is not the easiest because a lot of times you may find yourself out of your comfort zone, and there is a lot of research and reading to be done to know what you are doing so you do not fail. Funding was a big issue. There are many organizations that look to help young entrepreneurs and investors that are looking for the next big thing, but the process that it takes to get to this point requires a lot of hard work and money.
A business is nothing without a great team working together behind the scenes. Do you have a team? What role does everyone play?
I would be lying if I did not say that my team has held me down so far. Early on, Kevin Rivera, cofounder of Localtarian, worked with me as the CMO, Chief Marketing Officer, of @lete and was great. But unfortunately he had a lot on his plate, including Localtarian, which is a great app for seeking out local home cooked meals, so he put his focus on that company. I have to acknowledge that his commitment and involvement with @Lete, gave us the push we needed. Now, @Lete is comprised of Jerry Martinez our CIO/COO, Chief Information Officer and Chief Operational Officer, Ivor Blackman our CFO, Chief Financial Officer, Nickcardo Blake our CTO, Chief Technology Officer, and myself Uwemedimoh Umoh CEO, the Chief Executive Officer.
After your beta launch, what can we expect to see from @Lete?
We were reaching for a beta launch on January but I underestimated some of the things we needed which we had to be taken care of before we decide to launch a beta version of @Lete, but we are on track to release that beta launch on April-May which would be the anniversary of when the @lete idea started. The beta launch will be a simplified version of the network, open for testimonials and suggestions, but we will work on releasing a live launch before 2015 is over which we will work to include the features which we said will make players better and help them acquire funding for their sports endeavors. As of now, we're looking for data scientists, proficient in writing and creating systems and graphic designers good at their craft. It's definitely something to put on your resume and a possibility to be part of something big. Nonetheless, if anyone feels like they have a skill or set of skills that can push us forward and/or is passionate about the subject as well you could send a resume or suggestion to atletecompany@gmail.com or Umoh@atlete.net.
A lot of people would be surprised to hear about an entrepreneur under 25 with so much planned for the future. What would you say to anyone looking to follow your footsteps open their own business?
Honestly, I am no different from anyone else, I just found my passion and I chased it. A lot of people are afraid to take risks because they do not know where it will take them. I started this project in April just doing research and interviews to see who felt the same way as Tyseem Lyles and I found that it was a hard out here for an athlete. Not only athletes in New York, but student athletes all over the United States. From then, I went on and started doing research in order to find out how to better myself to be a leader of this type of project, and as I started learning more about what I needed I started applying myself. I got a lot of help from the Zahn Center, which is a student entrepreneurship center and Lindsay Siegel, the director of the Zahn Center, but it took a lot of hard work initially. I competed in 2 entrepreneur completions and I grew a lot from that experience. Lastly, you have to be ready to take up every job duty which is not accounted for at any given moment whether you are an expert at it or not. People will quit, people will not believe in what you believe, and people will not be able to see your vision, but as the leader, you have to be able to be the star player and backbone of the company.
Any last words?
Also, I want to set aside a couple thanks. To all the readers, thank you for tuning in, to Evelyn, thank you for featuring me, to Lindsay Siegel and the Zahn Center, thank you for helping me grow, to my team, thank you for being there and helping me bring this to life, and lastly all the supporters, thank you because you all were a part of the journey.
You can find @Lete on Social Media! Follow them
Instagram; @atletecompany
Facebook: Atlete
Twitter:@atletecompany
I'm waiting to Uwemedimoh to make the Forbes List so I can brag to all my friends and say I know him! I don't want to wait til' someone is dead and gone to recognize them. I dont even want to wait til they're in a textbook. Our community provides businessmen, business women, artists, lawyers, engineers, designers, bloggers, doctors who make history everyday! Everyone has a story to tell. Let's make our own history!
Thanks for reading! Happy Black History month!
Evelyn