• Antonio Benjamin

    Entrepreneur + Innovation for Impact

  • Antonio IS...

    ...someone who builds ventures that make the world a better place.

     

     

    I'm dedicated to transforming the conditions of communities to become platforms for learning, where every person and institution plays a role in advancing better and more equitable outcomes for all. I graduated from DePaul University with a degree in Business Administration and Management, where I focused my studies on new venture enterprise and organizational frameworks. As a member of Blueprint at DePaul University’s Coleman Entrepreneurship Center, a structured program for DePaul students to launch and grow businesses and social ventures, I went on to win the Illinois Technology Associations “50 for the Future” award, which recognizes students for their outstanding achievement as future participants in the technology industry for their digital businesses (e-commerce). Since high school, I've leveraged my talents by pursuing entrepreneurial ventures, cofounding an Edison award-winning program, that taught middle and high school students to create web and mobile apps, along with hardware and 3D-printing training; a coding bootcamp, that taught beginners how to create web, gaming, and mobile applications; and was a co-founding COO of an award-winning network of education, entrepreneurship and technology innovation centers.

     

    I'm currently on the founding team of a company building operating systems to help families and schools collaborate to unlock student potential. In my spare time, I serve as a career coach for a LinkedIn Top 50 Startup that provides tech job training programs financed by employers, aligning incentives to create more equitable access to high-demand careers.

     

    My interests are expansive, and my experiences have reflected, and will continue to reflect a commitment to: the development of ventures that is focused on the advancement of the sciences, technology, education, and applying the techniques and innovations of startups to make a sustainable impact. I've worked with and started companies in Chicago, NYC, and San Francisco; bootstrapped to VC funded - from Techstars, Google Startups, Y Combinator Startup School, Stacks and 500 Startups.

  • Values

    I believe education reform and accessibility for all is vital to a more peaceful and equitable world.

     

    I look for opportunities to build new tables for those that have not been given a seat yet.

     

    I believe in radical truth & transparency in critically examining the barriers to systems advocacy that Black, Indigenous, Disabled, and other people of color experience.

     

    I aim to find lessons in the toughest of situations.   

     

    My closest friends and colleagues are those that I can laugh with.

     

    I've worked with teammates under tremendous constraints using our determined entrepreneurial mindset to provide the best opportunities we could for others, I carry that mindset in my work everyday. The stress, racist structural systems, pushback, and meddling behavior from those with power and influence made us stronger.

     

    I’m obsessed with learning things (industry trends, business philosophies, black history, etc.).

     

    I sweat the details and approach every problem by creating roadmaps for long-term strategy.

  • Impact

    1,500

    Trained in sequential in-person cohort-based STEM instruction. Over 80% were of an underrepresented minority group.

    Learn2Earn | Play2Earn | Family Wallet | DAO

    - The world’s first Learn2Earn platform.
    A global community focused on sharing the wins of getting better each and every day.


    - Family Shared Crypto Wallet making it easy for you and your children to start exploring the world of cryptocurrency — and learning about yourselves along the way.

     

    - Pioneering DAOs for families with the world’s first no-code, full-stack, Family DAO in a box. We’re revolutionizing how families and capital work together in Web3 to reimagine what families can do together.


    - Launched and sold a Genesis 3D collection of 3,150 programmatically generative NFTs with over a hundred different elements with true utilities. Each character is stored as ERC721 tokens on the Ethereum blockchain.


    - Unity EdTech winners; 3D Photorealistic Animated Edutainment Series; Mini-Games; Streaming Platform ; Metaverse where our community can build, play, and own their virtual experiences.

    Where our students have started tech careers

    - Doctor on Demand
    - Linkedin
    - InnerWorkings
    - Uber Chicago
    - Facebook Chicago
    - Vanguard
    - GetSet Learning
    - Allstate
    - Blue Cross Blue Shield
    - SMS Assist
    - MD Labs
    - Tim + Co.
    - Accenture

    - Amazon

    - Walmart

    - Citadel

    - Morgan Stanley

    - EY

    - Citi

    - Target

    - Prudential

    - Johnson & Johnson

    55

    Cities impacted across the U.S. and internationally (Haiti). From neighborhoods, public school districts, and federal housing developments in LA and STL.

    50,000+

    Hours of in-person and online STEM and entrepreneurship training.

    U.S. Department of Labor Certified

    For software development.

    Harvard University

    Graduate School of Education has noted our methodology in their classrooms.

    Gold Edison Award

    Best youth STEM Education and Curriculum.

    Youth, Teen, and Adult Students

    Have been covered in local (NBC 5, WTTW, WGN, ABC, Chicago Innovation) and national press (CNN, MSNBC, TechCrunch, Inc. Magazine, New York Times, NPR, Ebony Magazine, The Root) because of their accomplishments.

  • More things I've worked on.

    Full-time student and Entrepreneur.

     

    I am a DePaul Driehaus College of Business graduate with a degree in Business Administration and Management with Entrepreneurial studies. As a student, I was a dual scholarship recipient, Tau Sigma National Honor Society member, Blueprint (Entrepreneurship Club) member, and a DePaul Business-plan Course Competition winner. As a student, I gained strong organizational skills, and managed a constructive and diverse schedule while building ventures.

    First Venture at age 18.

    NSLG, Inc. was a private venture based in Chicago that I started right after High School with three friends, focused on emerging mobile technology (eCommerce), art (designer toys, art and pop culture collectibles), and Internet service industries (web design). While the organization was a side-project for all members, collectively we were able to achieve growth. I’ve worked with a stellar group of creatives. I learned to absorb new information quickly, and efficiently transfer this knowledge to launch new ideas and innovative solutions for ventures.

     

    Academic Tutor

    I have gained extensive & valuable experience working in many environments requiring daily use of teamwork with teachers, and parents. I tutored a wide variety of subjects: Literacy, Writing, Reading, Biology and Math. I helped students learn what cannot be found in a book: how to read and understand directions, how to answer their own questions, and lastly, how to grasp that success, in anything, does not come without personal responsibility. I acquired the ability to evaluate needs, and then develop plans that will spur progress and growth.

     

    Human Resources Intern

    As an intern I was exposed to various areas of Human Resources such as Compensation, Total Rewards, Talent Acquisition, HR Analytics, Talent Management, HR Administration, Leader & Organizational Development, Team Member & Workforce Development, and/or Team Member/Labor Relations. I've completed HIPAA Awareness, Security, Privacy, Administrator and Transaction certifications.

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