August is National Black Business Month, and at Catapult, supporting minority-owned entrepreneurs is central to our mission. It’s one of the key ways — alongside homeownership support and financial counseling — that we help advance economic justice for historically disenfranchised communities.
Owning a business is one of the most powerful drivers of wealth. One study showed that the median net worth for Black business owners is 12 times higher than Black non-business owners. And with the racial wealth gap widening, so does the need to help more Black entrepreneurs thrive.
Our Startup to Storefront and Catapult Culinary programs are designed to meet that need. These 12-month incubators for retail and food-based businesses provide support in starting, strengthening, and scaling operations. Participants benefit from weekly cohort learning, one-on-one mentoring, educational seminars, networking, technical assistance, and strategic partnership opportunities. Culinary cohort members also get one year of free access to the Catapult Commercial Kitchen in Bellevue, helping them grow without the weight of overhead costs. Startup to Storefront cohort members get one year of free dedicated shelf space at Gallery on the Square in East Liberty.
To mark Black Business Month and spotlight the powerful entrepreneurs in our community, we spoke to three current and past cohort members about their entrepreneurial journeys and how Catapult has helped shape them.
Brandi Allen | We Cook We Eat
2024 Catapult Culinary cohort member
Tell us the origin story of your business. Where did your dream begin?
I grew up in the St. Clair Village housing project, where food insecurity was part of everyday life. I saw the impact that poor nutrition had on my community, especially on my own family. My father and brother both had diabetes, and that really opened my eyes to the power of food. I became intrigued with the understanding that we are eating to live, not living to eat.
I’ve been vegan on and off my whole life, and consistently for the past 12 years. As a lifelong foodie and educator, I started We Cook We Eat to combine my passion for health with my drive to address food apartheid, food insecurity, and lack of access in our city. Through classes and workshops, I teach nutrition and cooking — but to me, it’s always about more than food. One of my mottos is that every situation is a lesson, including in the kitchen. Cooking can be a powerful learning experience, because it’s bigger than food — it’s life.
That same philosophy also informs two other ventures that are close to my heart.
Brandi’s Care With Love is my after-school STEM-based childcare program, where I teach science-infused cooking classes once a week. And Birthing with Brandi and Beyond is my doula program. I’ve been doing birth work since high school. It started with helping pregnant friends and family and eventually expanded into the community. Birth is such a beautiful, sacred experience, and my love for babies, families, and community comes full circle with every delivery.
As a doula, I don’t just show up for the birth and disappear. I follow families through every stage: preconception, pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond. Many of the families I’ve supported still keep in touch long after the baby stage — we’ve truly become family.
Being a birth worker allows me to bridge gaps. I call it “360 full-circle work,” from helping families welcome new life, to educating school-age children, to addressing systemic issues through nutrition and access to healthy, affordable food. It’s powerful to support the same children and families through different seasons of life. And it all comes back to one mission: changing the narrative — one plate, one bite, and one birth at a time.
How has Catapult Culinary helped you grow your business? What are some of the specific skills and lessons you've learned?
This program has literally changed my life. Catapult has helped me become more efficient and organized on the administrative side, so I can run my businesses more effectively. It’s put me in rooms that I might not have ever been in and given me resources that have grown my businesses more than I could have ever imagined. I am forever grateful.
What is your vision for the future?
I recently hit a milestone of serving over 10,000 students in the Pittsburgh area since 2018. My future vison is to double that in the next three years and to open a storefront very soon to expand my services.
How can people get in touch with you and support your business?
Join us for my free community classes! We focus on topics like men’s health, women’s health, elderly health, chronic illness, and more.
Rayshawn L. Pritchard Sr. | Rooted Southern Cuisine
2025 Catapult Culinary cohort member
Tell us about the origin story of your business? Where did your dream begin?
Ever since I was tall enough to reach the stove, I’ve had a deep love for cooking. For me, home-cooked meals go far beyond simply satisfying an appetite, or as we like to call it, “catching the itis.” These meals evoke memories, teach life lessons, foster essential skills, and often land you front and center in a family “roast” session. Cooking helped me reflect on my family tree and sparked a passion to understand how food serves as a powerful connector across generations. Rooted Southern Cuisine is the culmination of that journey, where modern culinary trends meet the depth of traditional family roots.
How has Catapult helped you grow your business? What are some of the specific skills and lessons you've learned?
Catapult’s curriculum creates an environment where growth is inevitable. Whether you're a hobbyist taking a leap of faith or a seasoned business owner seeking to rebrand, Catapult offers actionable tools and guidance.
Some of the most impactful lessons I’ve learned include access to funding opportunities, legal structuring, tax education, and brand identity development. Most importantly, I’ve gained the clarity to distinguish whether I was operating a hobby or truly building a business, and that awareness has been a game-changer.
Is there anything else you'd like to share about your business or experience with Catapult?
My experience with Catapult has been nothing short of transformative. From discovering my unique strengths through the DISC assessment to building a solid foundation in entrepreneurship, the program has offered invaluable insight. Learning about business models, funding strategies, and operational structure has been priceless. Many people pay thousands for this level of mentorship and access. The fact that Catapult offers this in exchange for time, effort, and a willingness to grow speaks volumes about their commitment to community and impact.
Lachae Irish | Nx LVB3L
2025 Catapult Startup to Storefront cohort member
Tell us the origin story of your business. Where did your dream begin?
I’m from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, born and raised. Back in 2015, when my brother and I were making music, we used to throw shows. And anyone who came to the show left with merch. The demand for that merch grew fast.
At the time, it was about more than just music. We were using our music and poetry to break stereotypes and express ourselves in a world that tried to box us in. In 2019, when I got my stimulus check, I decided to bet on myself. I invested it into cut‑and‑sew manufacturing and started bringing all of my ideas to life.
Nx LVB3L was born from pain, purpose, and rebellion. I’ve always been judged; for how I looked, how I thought, how I lived.
Instead of becoming who the world wanted me to be, I created a movement. Nx LVB3L is more than a clothing brand. It’s a mindset. It is stripping off everything the world tries to label you as and choosing to live in your truth.
In 2022, I lost my brother and co-founder to gun violence. That’s when I made a vow to turn all my pain into power and purpose; to be the change that I want to see. This isn’t just clothing — it’s a legacy.
What’s the impact you hope to make through your business?
I want Nx LVB3L to be a mirror and a megaphone. A mirror for people to see their truth: raw, unfiltered, and unshakable. A megaphone to amplify those who’ve been silenced, boxed in, or overlooked. Whether you’ve been cast out for how you look, how you think, or where you come from, this brand tells you, “You belong here, unapologetically.” I want to change how people wear their story, how they walk into rooms, and how they reclaim their narrative.
How has Catapult helped you grow your business? What are some of the specific skills and lessons you’ve learned?
Catapult gave me tools to sharpen both my mindset and execution. I learned how to lead with self-awareness through the DISC assessment, how to cultivate a healthy mindset and manifest with intention, how to shoot better product photography, build a streamlined business framework, protect my business with insurance, understand financial fundamentals, and access capital.
Every week has given me something practical to apply mentally, creatively, and structurally. And most importantly, I learned I’m not alone! There’s a whole network of power-builders out here, and when we move together, we move farther.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your business or experience with Catapult?
Catapult doesn’t just build businesses, it builds belief. As a founder who comes from loss, struggle, and systems built against you, sometimes you need a reminder that what you’re doing matters.
That reminder, plus the real resources, is what makes this program amazing. I came in with a mission and am leaving with a blueprint.
