“There are extraordinarily talented folks that we are overlooking in estimation,” Henry Rock, executive director and founder of City Startup Labs said
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Henry Rock became accustomed to hearing “yes” throughout his career in advertising sales. This trend continued as he pitched the idea of helping formerly incarcerated individuals and gang members become entrepreneurs to leaders in the New York City area.
“They loved the idea, but they had too much on their plate.,” Rock recalled with a shrug. “They said, ‘Listen, great idea, but … “
About 10 years ago, he left New York and moved to Charlotte.
“Actually, I was coming down here to get married,” Rock said with a smile.
He credits Charlotte for helping him meet his perfect match in the nonprofit sector.
In 2013, Rock did a TEDx talk in Charlotte, where he talked about reimagining young Black men as a new class of entrepreneurs and its importance.
This would result in the Rockefeller Foundation awarding Rock’s nonprofit, City Startup Labs (CSL), with a $100,000 grant.
The grant kickstarted his dream and helped CSL launch a two-year pilot with the Urban League of the Central Carolinas in 2014. The goal of CSL is for young Black men to get off the sideline and into the game of entrepreneurship through training and mentorship.
Several years later, he expanded CSL’s outreach to help people formerly incarcerated become entrepreneurs as well.
This initiative is called the Reentry Entrepreneurship Program, also known as REEP.
“We are really thinking of how we could reimagine what restorative justice might look like through a community lens,” Rock explained. “And the impact that these returning citizens might have on communities that they are in fact returning to.”
Travis Williams went through the program, which he called life-changing.
“I was in the pilot of the first program,” he mentioned. “Now, I’m a part of the staff.” The Kannapolis native is the director of strategic impact for REEP.
“Starting with that cognitive reframing, despite what I’ve been through, we can launch a venture,” Williams said. “We can participate in wealth creation opportunities or be a career-added value employee.”
Williams has also been able to launch his own professional career outside the program.
Rock hopes to continue pairing others, like Williams, with life-changing opportunities. “There are extraordinarily talented folks that we are overlooking in estimation,” Rock shared.
Recently, CSL received $10,000 from the U.S. Bank Foundation to support REEP.
Contact Nick Sturdivant at nsturdiva1@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
