Diversity reboot

Demetrius Curry grew up on the South Side of Chicago, shuttling back and forth between a difficult family situation and foster homes. He was a smart but unmotivated student who eventually dropped out of high school and spent some time on the streets, homeless and hustling to survive as a self-described “street-level entrepreneur.”

His life began to change after he joined the Marines Corps, and after leaving the Marines Demetrius eventually earned his GED, and attended Northern Illinois University. Eventually he began working in the financial-services industry in New York, climbing his way up from the customer-service department of a Wall Street firm. Stints in advertising and benefits management followed before embarking on his entrepreneurial path.

His startup, College Cash, allows brands to petition users to create photo and video marketing content highlighting their product or service, with the wrinkle being that content creators are paid by the brands in the form of credits that go directly toward paying down their student loan debt.

He credits his participation in StartOuts’ Growth Lab program with becoming completely comfortable in being himself and not shying away from opportunities to advocate for both minority and LGBTQ+ founders.