What's The Move? App

When creative entrepreneurs from across Chicago showed up with bold visions, magic happened ✨

Our first Motion pitch night proved what we’ve always believed: early-stage ideas deserve investment, and community beats competition every time.

Over $7K in microgrants awarded. Four incredible grant winners. Countless connections made. But the real win? Watching artists, organizers, and cultural producers step into their power and support each other’s dreams.

Full recap now live in our bio! 🌇

MOTION PITCH IS TOMORROW!

Thank you all for the support, and special shout out to the creatives (tagged above) helping us make this event possible!

Please note — We are sold out of tickets and doors will close promptly at 7pm tomorrow!

We can’t wait to come together with y’all and celebrate the amazing ideas we have coming out the Chi! See you there 💡

Motion is more than just a pitch competition — it’s a celebration of bright and bold new ideas coming out of Chicago.

In the spirit of Juneteenth, we’re also celebrating visionary Black leadership in the city!

♻️ Jordan Campbell is a documentary photographer and co-founder of alt_ Chicago and Redemptive Plastics, turning recycled materials—and a newly acquired West Side bank—into a vibrant arts and culture hub rooted in community transformation.

🏛️ Tiffany D. Hightower leads the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation with a civic-driven vision, building pipelines for Black leadership and turning bold social change ideas into policy wins.

🎭 Neel McNeill is a storytelling strategist and arts leader who uplifts underrepresented voices through theater and community, blending creative vision with nonprofit leadership.

💰 Walter Mendenhall, a former NFL player and founder of the Male Mogul Initiative, builds wealth pathways for South Side youth through entrepreneurship, innovation, and financial empowerment.

We’re grateful to have 4 luminaries help us select the winners of Motion Pitch as finalists take the stage THIS THURSDAY! RSVP today!

Introducing our cutting edge tech finalists — Plug & Chi Tech Collective

These two finalists support tech entrepreneurs with innovative tools and intentional community.

Check em out Thursday June 26th! RSVP for the Motion Pitch today!

Introducing our visionary film finalists — Black Film Club Chi & Dreamy Mango Studios.

By uplifting the stories of Black and Brown communities, these two collectives are creating change through representation on the screens, and behind the camera.

See them take center stage on Thursday June 26th at Motion Pitch! Tix in bio!

Introducing our holistic community & wellness finalists — Third Studios, RecoverTea and granddaughters.

These three are taking unique, creative approaches to tackling health and wellness challenges across generations.

Support them Thursday June 26th @ Motion Pitch! Link in bio to RSVP.

Introducing our breakout music finalists — PassTheAux Chi & The Black&Bronze Festival.

These two are uplifting local artists by creating spaces of sound and soul!

See them pitch LIVE on Thursday, June 26th. RSVP in bio!

UPDATE! Thank you to everyone who applied to Motion! 🫶🏾🫱🏾‍🫲🏿

We have selected our finalists and now it’s time for your hosts and our coaches to get ready to support them ahead of the June 26th pitch!!! RSVP link in our bio 🔗

🎤Your hosts: Justus + Grace

💡Your coaches: Christina Rice is a development entrepreneur, nonprofit leader, and creative strategist rooted in Chicago’s South Side.

Amanda Christine Harth is a serial entrepreneur and teaching artist based in Chicago.

Oluwatobi “Tobi” Oladejo is a creative, community-driven leader and artist dedicated to amplifying overlooked stories and building sustainable support systems.

Finalists will be announced this week — Stay tuned! 👀

Check out our new article on Medium! 💡 We wanted to give some insight into the learning lessons and values that brought this initiative to life.

Applications due tomorrow and selected finalists will pitch LIVE on Thursday January 26th!!! 🌆

Links in bio!

🚀 Last Call for Applications!

The Motion Pitch Competition is closing applications in 1 week. Don’t miss your chance to pitch your idea and make a difference!

👩🏾‍💻Deadline: Next Thursday, June 5th at 11:59 PM.
🔗Link in our bio. Apply now!



Shout out to everyone who’s applied, shared & supported us so far! Can’t wait to share our final contestants!! 🙌🏾🎉

We're OFFICIALLY back with exciting news!

We've just launched our brand new venture, Motion: A Pitch Competition for us, by us… and the application is open! 🎤

Are you a creative or entrepreneur looking for funding?💰Apply to Motion and access our new microlending hub to bring your ideas to life. Apply now, the link is in our bio!!

Interested in attending the pitch event? RSVP at the link in our bio. Launch party pt 2! 🎉

DM us with questions/inquiries.

Happy June y’all, and most importantly, HAPPY JUNETEENTH! ❤️🖤💚

Come find us to celebrate the holiday with the homies, the fam, and the WTM? team! We’ll be getting down 7-10pm, but it’s open skate all night long.

Link in bio for RSVP and tickets sold at the door for the class & skates! Let’s rollllllll🛼💃🏿🪩🕺🏾🎉