April 23, 2021 – The Charlotte Hornets Foundation tonight announced entrepreneur Brandi Long and her product, The Jurse, was selected as the winner of the first-ever Hornets Innovation Summit and a $15,000 investment from the organization. The announcement of the winner was made at halftime of tonight’s game between the Hornets and Cavaliers, which was this season’s second Economic EmpowerMINT Night presented by Bank of America.
The Jurse, which is short for jacket-purse, describes itself as “fashion meets convenience” and transitions from a jacket to a purse, or vice versa, in less than 30 seconds. It also contains an additional pocket to store essentials such as keys, cellphone and cards that do not need to be removed during the jacket to purse transition. The Jurse was selected from five finalists by a panel of five judges: The Lonely Entrepreneur Founder & CEO Michael Dermer, Red Ventures Co-Founder & CEO Ric Elias, Hornets Sports & Entertainment Executive Vice
February 3, 2021 – Hornets Sports & Entertainment today announced that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina for the third straight year will serve as the presenting partner of the organization’s Black History Month efforts this season, which will include various virtual events and new initiatives.
The highlight of the month will be a virtual webinar focused on economic mobility and health equity that features a conversation with Hornets President & Vice Chairman Fred Whitfield and Blue Cross NC President & CEO Dr. Tunde Sotunde. The pre-recorded webinar will also include additional video features and will be released on February 25.
Additionally, Hornets players will take part in a virtual conversation with local youths, discussing how they can use their existing platforms and voices to influence change.