You Say Goodbye, We Say Hello

It has been a wonderful, and life changing, opportunity to work as the Program Manager for It Takes a Village. However, this role is a role that is meant to be carried along by the founders from the ITV program.  I am proud to introduce Brandon Winfield of ITV Cohort 5 as our newest ITV Program Manager! Brandon Winfield is a dear friend, whom I have had the pleasure of mentoring, while also working alongside in the Ascend2020 JP Morgan + Chase Morehouse Accelerator. We were featured in Atlanta INNO's 5 Atlanta Social Impact Startups You Need to Know About, and have covered a few panels on social impact together. As I transition to working on Mini City full time, Brandon will carry the baton in leading ITV.
The best teachers are the ones whom acknowledge they are life long students! I can't wait to see what you all will learn from Brandon through ITAV, and what he will learn from you all.

India Hayes, CEO + Founder of Mini City

It's an incredible honor to be offered the role of Cohort Program Manager. I started in the tech world not even knowing what an MVP or wireframe was. I would drive by the ATV building and imagine what it would be like to have a start-up and be in the same building as all those innovative people. It was surreal to have been selected for the ITV cohort, but to now mentor the next group of diverse,up-and-coming entrepreneurs, is too cool to be true.
I look forward to lending my experiences to these founders on their journey to the top!

About Brandon

In 2008, Brandon Winfield was injured in a motocross accident that left him with a thoracic spinal cord injury (paralyzed from the chest down). Only 14 years old at the time, he was faced with the decision to either let this dramatic event stop him from truly living the life he wanted or to turn it into an opportunity to triumph in the face of tragedy - Brandon chose the latter. He continued his love for racing in the form of four wheels, entered sprint kart racing, and won numerous events across the country. As he traveled, he realized that although some places he visited were compliant according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), many areas were grandfathered in and never forced to retrofit to accommodate the mobility impaired.  

These experiences sparked the idea for iAccess Life, a mobile app that would allow people with disabilities to rate and review the accessibility of venues such as restaurants, lounges, clubs, and bars. Since the app’s launch on iOS and Android platforms in April 2019, they have amassed over 4000 unique locations rated in over 45 states and 30 countries. Their work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including CNN, CBS, Hypepotamus, AccessibleGO, SpinalCord.com, Abilities.com, VoyageATL, Medium, Atlanta Business Chronicle and Atlanta Tech Edge. In addition to being a SXSW Social and Culture Alternate Pitch Finalist, the team has participated in the Ascend Atlanta program and NPR’s How I Built This Fellowship . Brandon is also a new board member for the Wheels of Happiness Foundation. 

Welcome to the ITAV Family, Brandon!