Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | February 22, 2021 | Worcester Business Journal 11 Continued on Page 12 D ominique Price has pivoted careers four times. Born and raised in Worcester, he graduated in 2011 from UMass Amherst, where he studied business economics and played football. Aer hurting his hip and leaving the prospect of professional sports behind, he then moved to Los Angeles, where he spent nine years working mostly in entertainment and fitness. Now the pandemic has brought him back to his hometown, and he's on to his fourth act: launching BlackedOut Game, a Black history adult card game similar to Cards Against Humanity, but one which can be used in both educational and recreational settings. "I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit, because [in Los Angeles] – no one really works-works out there," Price, 31, said. "No one really has a 9-to-5, so you just create this habit of just trying to come up with the next big thing or book your next big job." But, it turned out, aer nearly a decade on the West Coast, heading back east was more generative. "I feel like being home with family brings me ideas," Price said. In summer of 2020, Price was spending time with those closest to him, watching the Black Lives Matter movement expand in the aermath of George Floyd's killing by Minneapolis police and trying to figure out what he should do next. Playing cards with his family, he said, the idea came to him: He wanted to make a Black history and culture game. And so, BlackedOut Game was born. "e objective of this game is to learn Black culture," Price said. "It's pretty much [centered around] the music we listen to, the movies we've watched, the way we talk, and our history," Price said. "It's just to get people to come together to actually communicate and just have fun." Price ordered 500 copies from a manufacturer in China and began building his brand. He's already sold Two Worcester entre- preneurs emboldened by the Black Lives Matter movement start ventures to help educate others BY MONICA BUSCH Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer Social justice startups EforAll businesses launched Women .............................................. 74% People of color ................................. 58% Immigrant owned ............................. 46% Previously unemployed .................... 39% Types of businesses launched: Services ............................................ 43% Food ................................................. 18% Retail ................................................ 12% Nonprofit ............................................ 9% Manufacturing .................................... 7% Tech .................................................... 6% Other .................................................. 5% Source: EforAll Lowell nonprofit Entrepreneurship for All has launched a Worcester business accelerator. Here's how the organization has supported startups since its 2010 founding. EforAll Clark University senior Gari De Ramos, with her Radical in Progress website Dominique Price sits with his BlackedOut Game outside the Plumley Village apartments in Worcester, where he grew up. PHOTO/MATT WRIGHT PHOTO/COURTESY GARI DE RAMOS

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