Each year, the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship awards three $5,000 seed grants to fund the launch or early-stage growth of a project, program, or venture. TRAP House — currently led by Gabe Weinreb ’18, Irvine Peck’s-Agaya ’18, and Will Barr ’18 — was one of last year’s winners. This is their third report since receiving funding from the PCSE in March 2016. You can read her other reports here and here.
For those who are just coming to hear about us, TRAP House is a business incubator that works with ex-offenders and ex-drug dealers to start legal businesses. We often look toward neighborhoods with high rates of drug activity and seek out the entrepreneurial talent that already exists, and provide these people with the resources and contacts needed to succeed in the formal market. Our end goal is embedded in our name. TRAP stands for Transforming, Reinventing, And Prospering. We believe that pivoting the entrepreneurial skills that people learn on the street will transform the lives of people and the neighborhoods they call home, creating a longer lasting prosperity for all.
Image c/o Amy Lombard, Bloomberg Businessweek
Since we last updated you all, we’ve had some exciting news!
In the November issue of Businessweek, TRAP House’s pilot summer was featured in great length. The article, written by Maura Ewing, was the product of several weeks of correspondence. The TRAP House team was incredibly excited to see the final result, and the article brought us in contact with several potential key partners. It tells our founding story, and highlights some of the work we completed over the summer. Give it a read here and feel free to share it on Twitter and Facebook!
In November, we also launched the TRAP House website, after weeks of great work by the team at IMPACT Branding & Design. The website features our promotional video, an about page, a blog, and forms to contact us and to make a donation. You can read more about the website in our announcement post.
The team has also been continuing to work part time with clients from the summer on ongoing business projects. Currently, we are looking for ways to reach new clients in the greater Middletown and Hartford area. As always, we would love for you to give us a follow on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and check out our LinkedIn Page.