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 expertise ranges from rebranding, website optimization, assisting in creating financial plans and other small business needs.
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
Avery Jessup
GM, Head of Men’s Division Jordan Brand, Nike Inc
Rene Payne
Founder and Director of FAVOR design + included
Eric Williams
Founder of The Silver Room
Tess Kisner
Small Business Consultant
Zithri Saleem
Information Science
Meggy Gotuaco
Business Operations
Martha Davis
Designer
Villy Wang
Founder, President & CEO, BAYCAT
In 2021, our team interfaced via Zoom on a mostly bi-weekly basis with business owners in an effort to identify specific needs and to determine how we can uniquely assist their business. 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.