The mission of The Gray Matter Experience is to unlock the self-determining power of Black youth and strengthen their ties to community through real world experience in entrepreneurship.

We give power to the

    young generation. 

      Enabling them to

         dream bigger, build

           with strong foundations 

               and thrive at an early

                  age.               

                          See How We Do It    

 

Gray Matter is a 501c3 that aims to educate, empower and assist students in creating their own businesses while providing them access to resources and support to ensure students understand that their ideas are valid and vital to the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

 
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The

Experience

Gray Matter is an entrepreneurial experience program for high school students across the country. All programs consist of a series of engaging workshops comprised of team building activities, group and individual tasks, discussions, guest speakers, and fun and engaging field trips.

Participating students learn business concepts from entrepreneurs and professionals and then use that knowledge to create businesses to help impact Black communities within their cities. Students are encouraged to launch their businesses and will be placed in relevant internships and mentorships to ensure their success.

Gray Matter aims to educate, empower and assist students in creating their own businesses while providing them access to resources and support to ensure students understand that their ideas are valid and vital to the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Meet Our Founder

Britney Robbins is the founder and CEO of The Gray Matter Experience. Britney has worked within Chicago's entrepreneurship and tech community for the past seven years working within some of Chicago's top venture capital firms and incubators including Sandbox Industries, Cleveland Avenue, Lightbank and 1871. She has been recognized as one of Ariel Investment, BMO Harris and WVON's 40 Under 40 Gamechangers, Essence Magazine's Woke 100, a finalist for Ebony Magazine's Power 100 People's Choice Award, featured on Fox32, Chicago Inno, BlackEntrepreneur.com, DNAInfo Chicago, Chicago Tribune, Forbes and Essence Magazine for her work through Gray Matter. Robbins was recently named as one of the Most Inspiring and Most Influential Chicagoans.  

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Britney is passionate about the intersection of entrepreneurship, education and youth and believes in empowering others to use their passions and strengths to create opportunities for themselves. In 2015, she authored and published her first children's book - The Adventures of Buster & Duval. 

 

Britney is passionate about improving the well-being of Black communities and is focused on providing quality resources, more direct access and education to see that vision made reality.

 
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Apply For The Gray Matter Experience

Gray Matter Experience exists to give opportunities for high school students to learn about and practice entrepreneurship at an early age. We hope that our students gain knowledge, access and resources to transform the way they and others view their communities. Through our programs, youth collaborate to develop solutions around problems that plague their communities and use their newfound knowledge gained through The Gray Matter Experience, to help shape their business approach. 

 

These students are becoming well equipped to navigate through our booming technological and entrepreneurial economy. They're learning to use the resources and information gained through the program to catapult their futures to great success. They're learning to be change agents within their communities with the hope of continuing to rebuild and reinvigorate their neighborhoods as they achieve various forms of success. These students are #GMEChangers. 

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Think You Have What It Takes To Become A #GMEChanger?

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Are You?:
•  A current high school freshman, sophomore, junior or senior 
• Available to attend each virtual program session
• Full of determination, able to work well in teams, not afraid to take
risks, confident, reliable and passionate about finding ways to improve your communities/city

 

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AT GRAY MATTER

We believe empowering youth to create their own businesses can have great impact on their own self-worth, perception of the meaning of success, and can positively impact underrepresented neighborhoods across Chicago.

Gray Matter Experience © 2016