A note from Founder, Rob Forbes —

Studio 50/50 was launched in the fall of 2020. I was motivated by the George Floyd murder and the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement. We launched a program to mentor and assist small Black-owned for-profit businesses. Our founding team is a mix of entrepreneurs, business people, designers and friends from eclectic backgrounds working remotely around the US. Our mission is to spotlight and celebrate creative leaders in the Black community whose voices sharpen the way in which we perceive and appreciate Black culture.

Our 50/50 name suggests that we work together in balance and as equal partners in our program.

Rob Forbes
Founder of Studio 50/50, Design Within Reach + Public Bikes — **Rob Forbes**
Founder of Studio 50/50, Design Within Reach + Public Bikes

Avery Jessup
Chief Commercial Officer at Fanatics Collectibles — **Avery Jessup**
Chief Commercial Officer at Fanatics Collectibles

Rene Payne
Founder and Director of FAVOR design + included — **Rene Payne**
Founder and Director of FAVOR design + included

Eric Williams
Founder of The Silver Room — **Eric Williams**
Founder of The Silver Room

Tess Kisner
Small Business Consultant — **Tess Kisner**
Small Business Consultant

Zithri Saleem
Information Science — **Zithri Saleem**
Information Science

Martha Davis
Designer — **Martha Davis**
Designer

Villy Wang
Founder, President & CEO, BAYCAT — **Villy Wang**
Founder, President & CEO, BAYCAT

50/50 Alumni

Our first group of entrepreneurs is featured below. Learn more about them here.

We’re looking forward to establishing more partnerships to better expand our outreach with a tighter emphasis on design. If you have ideas about how we can work together, contact us here, and let us know if you are a designer looking for support or a volunteer interested in joining our team.