Sponsored by Nationwide
The CEO and co-founder of Scholly plays matchmaker for future Black and brown scholars, minus the waste in time.
Gone are the days when intensely searching for scholarships, applying, and anxiously waiting, take away loads of time from a student’s busy schedule. Christopher Gray, having been the recipient of over one million dollars in scholarships, decided to make an update to the existing system. With minorities in mind, he says: “Our goal is to reduce student debt, an issue really key to people of color.”
Through developing a mobile and web app that helps graduates find money for college, Gray is confident that Scholly can help eliminate the gap between students and the scholarships that fit their specific gifts or needs. He states “…giving students access to free money for college and balancing that with responsible lending” should help provide them a good start to their future.
With an algorithm designed to ensure future scholars get the most money, Christopher has already connected young people to over $70 million in scholarship funds. To note, thus far, there have also been one hundred million customized matched offers and three million Scholly members achieving financial freedom.
With credit to seizing unique possibilities, Christopher says, “taking the opportunity to perform and standout, you’re opening up doors for other Black people.” Now, navigating the tech industry (often as the only person of color) has propelled Christopher’s mission: “Creating a community of tailored mentorship from people that know things that you don’t know is really important."
Also being a U.S. Embassy speaker for the State Department, Christopher’s mission to close cultural and economic gaps has extended internationally as he has spoken at U.S. Embassies across the globe on topics such as social entrepreneurship, diversity, and technology.
It is well-known that the quest for scholarships is no easy feat. Now with Scholly, Mr. Gray is helping to level the playing field culturally and economically. From what used to be months of searching, now to just minutes, Christopher recognizes the value of time and representation in the technology and finance industries and is devoted to enacting its change.
