>> my buddies here advised me to get a white guy to be my front man. i hired a polished white guy and let him do the talking. >> it is very sad. in 2011 we have a black president and he is not putting any money in my pocket right now directly. we have to play the game until we are successful. >> if ten years down the road there are no more black entrepreneurs than there are today what is at risk? >> a permanent under class. in this unassuming three bedroom home in mountain view, california angela benten and wayne sutten hope to make history. >> see what this thing looks like. >> one of them is supposed to be a sofa bed. >> the friends connected online, two black entrepreneurs trying to succeed in an overwhelmingly white industry. >> for whatever reason african americans seem to be consumers of technology and not really creators of technology. >> name me one black startup ceo. where is there an example of a black zukerburg. >> angela and wayne created the new media accelerator, a ground breaking program designed to speed up the success of minority startups. >> if you are going to be an actor you go to l.a. in fashion you go to new york. if you are going to be in technology then you come to silicon valley. >> modelled after similar programs new me offers its founders immediate access to deep pocketed investors, well connected mentors and opens doors to some of the most successful internet kaechs in the world. the down side. >> everyone will be living together. >> eight people, nine weeks, one house, one goal, changing the face of silicon valley. >> for it to be successful for me founders have to get investment. >> thanks for your enthusiasm. >> the high stakes program backed by sponsors cull miinates in demo day when each entrepreneur has a chance to speak to investors. >> people are leaving their loved ones for the summer. they are leaving their spouses and kids. some of them are quitting their jobs. so people are making major life changes to take a risk and be involved in this program. and that's a little bit of pressure. >> nice to meet you. >> they include a former mit student body president, a master programmer. >> tiffany is supersweet. she is a girl and also a programmer so that is an oddity. >> a former hedge fund projmanager. >> really focused. >> a video game blogger. >> anthony, i like to call him cool. he is laid back. >> an engineer from detroit. >> he has swagger. he's a sales guy. >> a former.com millionaire. >> he haf is experienced. >> new me cofounder and self described country boy, wayne sutten. >> it takes courage and guts to come out here and pursue your dreams. >> this isn't a charity. it's not a summer camp. we're capitalists trying to build great businesses and trying to secure the funding needed to build these businesses. >> why is this so important? >> how can you have a huge and growing part of the economy with no participation from a significant demographic? >> the odds of success are slim. 80% of all startups founded by first time entrepreneurs fail. but angela is confident her accelerator will help the house mates beat the odds, something she says she has done her entire life. >> i was 15 and i was in 9th grade and i was pregnant. it was a hard time when you're around people in society and you're also around your own family and people think they know how your life is going to end up. >> driven to prove people wrong angela earned a master's degree in graphic design and founded a trail blazing website for african americans interested in technology. today angela is 30, a single mother of three. in addition to running the new me accelerator angela is working on a startup, get cued, a mobile app that makes recommendations based on past experiences. >> people often have excuses. i kwd have had every reason to have excuses and i didn't. how bad do you want something? >> the eight entrepreneurs arrive in mountain view with billion dollar dreams. but for the next nine weeks they'll sleep on $80 air mattresses. >> it is not what i call five star accommodations. i call it scrappy. >> but their first event is first class. welcome reception sponsored by google. >> how are you doing? >> the first inkling that something may be different than we expected was when there was an announcement about a dragon's den and the judges should please come up to the stage. >> dragons don't sound good. >> i'm pitching. >> cued is basically -- >> i don't know what i'm supposed to say next. [ male announcer ] southwest airlines is committed to our relationships in the african-american community. and we're showcasing the work our employees do. like karen. [ karen ] what's so special about our relationship is they're passionate. through southwest airlines, the learning continues outside of the classroom. educating young people for black history month is so important. it's not just a month. it's all year 'round. [ male announcer ] when it comes to giving back to the african-american community, we are proud to say, we do. find out more at southwest.com/blackhistory. we are proud to say, we do. imagine if you could always see life [music] in the best light. every time of day. outdoors, or in. transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it is meant to be seen. maybe even a little better. experience life well lit, ask for transitions adaptive lenses. >> reporter: by the end of the first day the new me entrepreneurs find them schbls inside the head quarters of google, an internet started in 1998 today worth than close to $200 billion. >> how you doing? >> people respond positively and negatively. >> welcome to google. >> reporter: quickly their excitement is replaced by concern. >> if anyone who is involved in judging the dragon's den please come up to the front. >> we're kind of all wondering what is a dragon's den. it's slang for a panel of judges where they throw you and your company in and they rip you to shreds after you pitch. it's really the opposite of an unstressful environment. >> first founder is tiffany bell for the company pencil you in. >> reporter: tiffany graduated from howard university with a degree in computer science. she quit her job as a web developer in fayetteville, north carolina to join the accelerator. how many black female programmers do you know? >> before i tweent howard i would say no. historically black people whether buffalo soldiers or air men were not thought of as capable. right now i'm allowing beauticians to make appointments online. >> the judges were critiquing her. >> you need to do your darnedest to differentiate what you are doing. >> our next is anthony frazier. >> we want to give gamers a chance to recommend games and also have it sit on based on what they played. >> you didn't tell me a thing about what your business plan was. >> it was definitely a dragon's layer. >> what are your launch plans. >> our first product is called organizer. we let you organize information. >> i don't know who your customer is. >> my way of impressing my girlfriend is building a web app. >> there were things you said that backed me off. you are a cheap sales person. >> i don't know what you built, what you are aspiring to build. >> last we have angela benten. >> cued is basically a mobile application. >> when i was giving my pitch my mind kind of blanked. >> i haven't been nerveilous night. >> i'm like i'm at google and pitching and i don't know what i'm supposed to say next. that's it. >> you're nervousness cut you a little bit short. >> reporter: the google event is over and the impression left is not good. >> anytime you give a good pitch it is a missed opportunity. >> reporter: the house mates feel it went okay. >> the presentations across the board were really strong. >> i would probably give myself a seven. >> i thought people did really well considering that there was no preparation. >> reporter: house mate hank williams has pitched to silicon valley investors before. are you the oldest person in the house? >> by far. >> reporter: really? >> yes. >> reporter: hank grew up the son of a judge. he left the university of pennsylvania after his junior year and in 2000 started an internet radio program. >> i didn't want anything to do with technology at all. >> reporter: hank has spent the last four years full time developing kloudco to help people organize their documents online. what are you looking for moneywise? >> 5 to $10 million. >> reporter: are you competing with people in the house? >> no. not at all. we are eight companies out of thousands seeking funding. >> reporter: silicon valley is a long way from newark, new jersey where new me entrepreneur anthony frazier grew up. >> when i was living in newark the only time i would see a person of a different color would be like the missionaries walking around trying to convert people. >> reporter: after dropping out of community college he worked the overnight shift at k mart. >> the people i worked with that was their life. i realized that a lot of those people didn't have many options. i don't want to work like that. >> reporter: a video game fanatic anthony created a video game website which led to his idea. tell me about played. >> i have passion, determination and heart. i may not have the paper to say i know what i know but i know what i know. >> reporter: for new me entrepreneur the summer in silicon valley is about going all in on his.com idea. an mit grab and former student body president he quit his consulting business last year to work with his co founder and girlfriend becky developing be cuply. >> for us this isn't a summer project. it's not a hobby cht. >> reporter: the couple bought one way tickets to the west coast. becky will live close to the new me house during the nine week program. >> definitely for us the stakes are really high. >> reporter: the house mates know the road to demo day will not be easy. >> people say that is not good at all and that hurts your feelings go home now. there are lots of people who they hear about a program like this and they assume that it's more or less a handout and that we aren't serious entrepreneurs and all they are doing is charities for minorities. we are all serious adults, entrepreneurs who we are building great companies, every single one of us. we want to stand out because we are so good that they have to notice us. >> reporter: why do you think they are so few african american tech entrepreneurs? >> i think they probably think it is an uphill battle. >> reporter: is it? >> it is an uphill battle. >> reporter: everyone or african americans specifically? >> everyone. >> reporter: perhaps the most influential is ron con way, an early investor in google, twitter he invests about $10 million a year in startups. we only invest in about one out of 30 companies that we see. it is a widdling down process that is pretty brutal. a lot of it is who you know. if they are well known to us we will tend to see that entrepreneur before an entrepreneur who is just coming in blind. >> reporter: is that particularly hard if you are african american? >> i would say yes. it is disappointing. we don't know how to recruit those people. >> right now all you should be thinking about is how i execute on my idea. >> reporter: one week after the google event the entrepreneurs have dinner with one of their mentors, the chief technology officer for the internet company, interactive one. he was also one of the four dragons. >> reporter: what was your take? >> i said to myself that they weren't ready. everyone is looking at this environment and saying i don't want to be the first person to tell this black person that they are not doing a good job. i guess that role is kind of falling on me because i'm the black guy. who thinks they did well? so nobody thinks they did well. >> i did okay. >> i think you guys need to be a little bit harder on yourselves. my goal to say that is to not belittle anybody in this room. i need you guys and want you guys to understand the vastness of this opportunity. you guys came here. you are probably the most black people in this town. you need to understand the reality that you are in. >> no one that walked into that room knew they were about to pitch. >> let's say mark zukerburg was in there and said he wanted to hear your ideas. you want to tell me you didn't know. if you are going to make those excuses not being where you need to be. the only person in control was yourself. it wasn't the valley or the investors. it was you because you guys made the decision to come out here and it is bigger than you. if an investor is only seeing one african american a year give a pitch and you don't do well, you have not only effected you you have affected other people. >> i joke with angela. there is a tag line. no wack demos on demo day. >> reporter: every day the challenge seems greater. >> this is a white and asian world here. >> my buddies here advised me to get a white guy to be your front man. i love that my daughter's part fish. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. are you still sleeping? just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers. will be giving away passafree copies of the alcoholism & addiction cure. to get yours, go to ssagesmalibubook.com. they have eight weeks left to develop their companies and refine their pitches before demo day. >> this is anything but the real world. this is anything but jersey shore. we are all here to work. i don't know if there is even any alcohol in this house. there are a lot of computers and a lot of people coding late at night. >> i wake up at 6:00. there is already one or two people that have taken a shower. so i think everyone is pretty focused and pretty intense. there is not a lot of play time. >> startups are hard. you have to go through suffering most of the time in unexpected ways that will really test and challenge. >> are you also trying to do an actual raise of capital. >> reporter: a sponsor and mentor of the new me program. >> you are going to want to know what your plan is. >> reporter: in 1982 he founded the lotus development corporation which developed the popular lotus 123 spreadsheet. the company was later sold for $3.5 billion. today he invests in startups. >> i'm excited about new me. >> reporter: why do you care about a bunch of black entrepreneurs who come to silicon valley. >> we have serious problems being economically competitive in the world. we have to have everybody, absolutely everybody who can contribute making their maximum contribution. >> can't tell the whole story. >> is it true every entrepreneur with an idea gets an equal shot? that is not sure. >> there are so few minorities asking for money. >> reporter: michael arrington is the founder of the silicon valley website tech crunch. today a venture capitalist he is outspoken in his belief that success in the valley is more merit based. >> why do you think there are so few african american tech entrepreneurs here? >> i think it should be fixed. a lot of the successful people here are engineers. if they aren't engineers they have to find engineers. >> so the pipeline issue. >> i think that's a big problem. >> who would you say is the number one black technology entrepreneur? >> that's a weird question. who would you say is the number one black? >> reporter: i don't cover technology. >> i'm trying to think of black ceos. >> reporter: the entrepreneurs. >> i don't know a single black entrepreneur. >> reporter: and you cover the industry. what does that say? >> there just aren't any. generally speaking it doesn't matter what your education is or who your parents are here. you can become very successful based purely on your brain size and how you use it. >> i have not been in the room recently when somebody said that's an african american company i'm not going to invest there. i guarantee you from personal experience that's what they are thinking. i would go toe to toe with michael arrington and say it is great. >> reporter: says the rarity of black entrepreneurs might give them an edge. >> this is a white and asian world here. it just is. we have a conference three times a year. we are looking for women and minoritialize the time. there is a guy, my client. it is a cool startup. his startup is cool but he could have launched a clown show on stage. absolutely. i think it is the first time we had an african american being the sole founder. >> me and becky sometimes watch down home cooking. >> the burgers are almost done. >> reporter: among the 25 speakers and mentors who meet with the entrepreneurs it is the visit that leaves them speechless. >> i think what you are doing is fantastic. >> reporter: he is a professor alt duke. he aim to the united states from india in 1980. >> can i be critical. >> you fellows don't help each other. in america you have this entitlement attitude that we have been discriminated against. that is what has held this community back. my community did the opposite. we said there is a problem here. we'll fix it ourselves. >> reporter: he says investors in the valley practice pattern matching. they see entrepreneurs who are successful mainly young white males and invest in those that fit that pattern. >> my buddies advised me to get a white man to be your front man. i hired a six foot tall polished white guy and let him do the talking. >> that never occurred to me. >> this is how i sir mounted the problems. you might as well understand it. >> i'm still speechless. >> there is something raw and very direct about it that is a little jarring. >> it's very sad. in 2011 it's very sad. we have a black president and he's not putting no money in my pocket right now directly. so what do we have to do? play the game until we are successful. >> there are so many kids in berkeley or stanford you can hire. >> reporter: he leaves and hank gathers the house mates to talk. >> we are alone. we are just us. this is it. there are not that many of us. so it is kind of weird. we have been mere a week and no one has done a demo or showed a screen shot or anything between us. it's crazy. i guess we're all just, everyone is so focused on themselves. i don't mean to offend anybody. i'm saying that who else is going to help you? who else? we got to figure out how to band together and like make something bigger and better and more powerful because there is almost none of us. maybe this is a catalyst. >> we have a bigger success working together than we do alone. >> we need to have something that comes out of this after nine weeks. >> get it cracking. >> i'm putting on my sweats. >> reporter: they realize to have any chance of success on demo day they'll have to work together. >> not crazy about it. >> the simplest feature that will differentiate, i develop that and try to make that your demo day prototype. [ umpire ] strike 3. you're out! [ cheers and applause ] [ playing out of tune ] [ playing in tune ] [ male announcer ] at mcdonald's®, we support the community by giving to programs that bring out the best in our youth... ...because we believe when you feed the competitive spirit... ...it enriches the entire neighborhood. the simple joy of being deeply rooted. ♪ to our relationships in the african-american community. and we're showcasing the work our employees do. like karen. [ karen ] what's so special about our relationship is they're passionate. through southwest airlines, the learning continues outside of the classroom. educating young people for black history month is so important. it's not just a month. it's all year 'round. [ male announcer ] when it comes to giving back to the african-american community, we are proud to say, we do. find out more at southwest.com/blackhistory. an autopsy has been performed on the body of whitney houston. it can take up to eight weeks before toxicology results are in. pair medices performed cpr but she was pronounced dead at the hotel. tmz is reporting pill bottles were found at the scene. aretha franklin shared her thoughts. >> it is absolutely stunning. i cannot believe what i was reading. i was not sure that it was true. i didn't know what to think about it to begin with. it's a sad day. it's a very sad day. over the years i watched her develop as a very young and budding artist, certainly to a very high level star and then superstar and icon. she developed i thought beautifully. she not only was making hits, she knew how to be a star. >> in other news in athens, greece protesters set fires and battled with police on sunday. historic cinemas and shops go up in flames. those are your headlines this hour. i'm don lemon keeping your informed. i'm trying to get one thing clear which is that i can't be the front man. i can't talk about this. you got to do this. >> we're about a month out from demo day and pressure is on. >> the stakes are really high. if the stakes aren't high maybe you aren't taking much of a risk. i definitely took a huge risk coming out here. >> i am trying to get some information. >> my state of mind is just focused on the product, get as many big people and big places excited about what i'm doing. >> they thought we were volunteers. i guess that comes with it. so i started a startup called played. thank you. you got a card? >> i do. >> that's when i realize this whole thing is about relationships. played is a good idea. i'm thinking this is going to be the big one. we'll see how it unfolds. >> reporter: you seem very stressed to me. are you? >> yeah. i mean, i am. it's a lot going on. it's a lot happening. >> reporter: she's away from her three daughters running the accelerator, developing her own.com company. it has become clear, the best way to make the accelerator a long term success is to move to silicon valley with her kids. >> if i do it i want to do it right so that they can start the new school season out here. >> reporter: that's in three weeks. >> that's crazy. we'll see. >> reporter: for weeks the entrepreneurs have worked day and night, building websites, refining their pitches. for wayne sutten the hardest part is missing his seven -month-old son. >> you want to hold him and stuff and you are across the country and just dealing with stuff. i could be playing with him. >> i know i'm not doing this and made the sacrifice so i can get rich. i want my little boy to be successful. i want to teach him to be successful. >> reporter: most nights wayne works until 11:00 p.m. at a neighborhood yogurt shop. on a monday night he is walking home when he is stopped by police. >> i saw two cops hands on their hips ready to pull out a gun to take me down if necessary. >> clearance on one. >> reporter: the officers run a background check. wayne doesn't have a criminal record. he is told he can go. >> 11:00, 2:00, 1:00 in the afternoon, if i'm walking down the street just trying to get home i shouldn't get stopped by the police. >> reporter: mountain view police tell us they stopped wayne because he was an unfamiliar face in the neighborhood. >> i'm not trying to sell a rap album. i'm trying to launch a startup here. i don't need street credibility. >> walking while black. >> you would think in silicon valley where you are supposedly judged based on talent alone and great ideas that you would be treated the same way whether walking down the street or pitching an idea. it just truly reinforces that that is not the reality that we as african americans live in. >> i want to get back to my computer science cht. >> reporter: with just 24 hours left until demo down the house mates hold one final practice session. >> i have been writing sauftd wear and thinking about data. >> standing in front of a podium is always -- >> i feel pretty good but realize there is a difference between practice and game day. it is totally different when the lights are on. >> i'm tiffany bell, the ceo and founder of pencil you in. when it comes to salon cht. >> reporter: tiffany is nervous. >> probably the most high profile thing that i have done in my life as far as speaking, mostly because i feel like it can be one thing that determines the course of the rest of my life. >> trying to remember stuff word for word. just tell the story. >> keep going. if you stop and pause they know it. >> reporter: there is no more time to practice. tomorrow is demo day. imagine if you could always see life [music] in the best light. every time of day. outdoors, or in. transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it is meant to be seen. maybe even a little better. experience life well lit, ask for transitions adaptive lenses. yoyou u wawalklk i intna coconvnvenentitiononalal ms ststorore,e, i it't's s ry nonot t ababouout t yoy. ththeyey s sayay, , "w"weleu wawantnt a a f firirm m bebn lilie e onon o onene o of ff yoyou u wawantnt a a s sofou cacan n lilie e onon o onene o " wewe p prorovividede t thet inindidivividudualalizizatat yoyourur b bodody y neneede. wewelclcomome e toto t thehe slsleeeep p nunumbmberer . nonot t jujustst o ordrdininaran sasalele, , bubut t ththe e bn chchanangege y youour r lilifef. ththe e slsleeeep p nunumb. ththisis i is s yoyourur b bodo. yoyou u cacan n sesee e a a lile prpresessusurere i in n ththe es anand d inin t thehe h hipi. nonow w yoyou u cacan n fet hahappppenens s asas w we e rarr slsleeeep p nunumbmberer s seted alallolow w ththe e bebed d totr toto y youour r inindidivividud. wowow!w! ththatat f feeeelsls r reae. itit's's h huguggigingng m. itit's's n notot a abobt sosoftft o or r fifirm. itit's's a aboboutut s supuppope yoyou u fifindnd i it t momost. ririghght t nonow,w, q queun mamattttreresssseses s statartr. anand d sasaveve a an n asag 5050% % onon t thehe f fininalat ofof o ourur i innnnovovatae lilimimiteted d ededititio. yoyou u cacan n adadjujustst i r yoyou u wawantnt s so o yoyoue toto w wororryry a aboboutg ththe e wrwronong g mamat. huhurrrry y ththisis w weeee ulultitimamatete s sleleepep n. ononlyly a at t onone e ofo0 slsleeeep p nunumbmberer s. [ding] announcer: clean kitchen surfaces, utensils, and hands with soapy water. one in 6 americans will get sick from food poisoning this year. keep your family safer. check your steps at foodsafety.gov. it's like opening night on broadway and now it's show time. >> a little nervous. >> of course you are going to be scared. it's only human. >> reporter: less than an hour to go and the entrepreneurs run through their demo day pitches one last time. >> let's take a quick look at features that separate. >> the council that i try to give is be real and be substantive but say enough to get a serious investor interested and hungry for more. >> when we walk in we see it is standing room only. investors, venture capitalists, members of the press were there. it was a big deal. >> reporter: for anthony frazier demo day is much more than an opportunity to pitch. >> for a large part of the first half of my life me and my mother and brother had to go to different houses and stay with different family members. we never had a place to call our own. one day my mother told me you want to give me a house. i'm going to give her a house. >> thank you for allowing us to take this journey together. let us recognize that our talents have brought us here. we thank you in jesus name. amen. >> reporter: demo day begins. each entrepreneur gets six minutes to pitch. >> ask everyone to take their seats, please. one last call to take your seats. good morning everyone. less than 1% of technology startups are founded by african americans. in a place where opportunities and challenges are overcome every day that is a significant one. without further ado. >> we kind of just launched into it. >>m i rr the product designer. we focused on three things. >> everything starts to fade away. the crowd disappears. it was nothing but the material. >> we are not just building an app here but we are on a mission to help every couple in the world have an epic social life. thanks. >> if you guys work with them you might want to put them not breaking up in your liquidation preference. >> i personally feel a responsibility to make sure that i leave everything on the court, that i leave everything out there. in life you want to be able to say i have no regrets. >> barbershops and salons in the united states make $37 billion in revenue. >> standing to the side and watching everyone present, i was on cloud 9. it was like going to your kid's graduation. >> there is no way i could have expected things to turn out as well as they did. >> today we are going to focus on specific features that we have that relate to collaboration. >> i was a little nervous, of course, but got to shake it off when it's time to go. >> the cool thing about it is people see this. >> reporter: what was going through your head? >> i thought about what i don't want to be doing next year. >> reporter: what do you mean? >> i don't want to work at k mart. it's either this or nothing. >> reporter: so you had to hit it. >> yeah. we will be having visual rewards when they buy it the first day. >> bring suggestions and recommendations. cued connects what you like online and what you like in real life. >> i ask all presenters to come up. i think you guys gave us great ideas today. can you join me in welcoming the new class of the new accelerator program. >> i think the group did amazing. every single person i thought represented the accelerator, represented the race. >> if you think about where we came from at the first google event and what you saw today, what was encouraging to a lot of people in the audience is they were good pitches. >> hands down nothing to apologize for, no adjustment in standards. i would go on record about that. >> reporter: a strong pitch is just a first step. >> it is not demo day and you get a check one day. it doesn't really happen like that. there is followup that has to be done. there are a series of meetings that have to be done. >> it's not like we can go home and sleep. no. i'm going to go home and work harder. it gets harder from here. it doesn't get easier. >> reporter: if we look three months from now and nobody has received funding, did you fail? >> that's not going to happen. >> reporter: if getting funded is a measure of success, who has succeeded? the answer might surprise you. >> reporter: after delivering their pitches on demo day it is time for the new me entrepreneurs to chat with potential investors. >> i want to show you. >> we got to kind of take the temperature of the crowd and see which investors were really interested. >> reporter: is success getting funded? >> i think a few companies getting funded should be part of the score of whether it was successful or not. >> reporter: will some of the companies that were presented get funded? >> i think so. >> reporter: nine weeks after arriving in silicon valley the first new me accelerator ends. >> so what's next? >> everything's next. >> if i didn't come out here and do the accelerator probably wouldn't have the opportunity to meet a lot of key people and bond with other entrepreneurs that look just like me. >> reporter: why is that important? >> there is probably somebody just like me wanting to do something. if i have that example early on maybe i would have done it. if i had myself go to my younger self and say you need to do this and this you can be right here. i would be different. i would love that. >> if no one were funded i would be extremely surprised. having been out here it's clear that people, a lot of them have great intentions but a lot of the people we met throughout the program and on demo day were utterly surprised just how good everyone was. why is that a surprise? >> reporter: do you think you have changed the world? do you think you have changed silicon valley? >> no. >> reporter: what did you do, then? >> what we have done is other entrepreneurs who look like us are like if you can do it we can do it. >> within the black community we are starting to understand how important technology is and starting to want to participate. on the other side we have to demonstrate success. we have to get some points on the board. and in a visible way. that's why this is really significant. >> reporter: after the accelerator ended in aug, tiffany, chris and hodge returned home. although they haven't received funding all say they are still working full time to turn their startups into successful businesses. in october hank received an undisclosed investment. anthony returned to new jersey. he hasn't received funding yet but in december an app for his startup was added to the apple app store. after the accelerator ended pious and becky moved to san francisco. two funders invested an undisclosed amount in their startup. wayne sutten also moved to san francisco in january. >> i want success so bad that it hurts. angela banten relocated to silicon valley with her daughters. angela and wayne are set to lead the next installment of the new me program. it will feature seven new entrepreneurs. >> a lot of people have complained about the issues of a lack of diversity in silicon valley but nobody else created an accelerator to fix it. >> when i think about my life being pregnant at 15, all of the circumstances that i have had in my life are really just similar to what i did with the accelerator. literally it is just problem and solution and the solution is thinking of things creatively. not the same way that anyone else would think about it. i think a lot of people talk. it is easy to talk. it's hard to do.