We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Key Robbins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Key below.

Key, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

As we know a world pandemic has proven to be an aid in the transformation in everyone’s life and has forced many of us to step out and take risk that we never would before. Risk that will forever change our lives. For me that risk, was moving to South Florida during the pandemic, to be free to work remotely and enjoy beautiful weather with unlimited beach time. However, it turned into so much more.

You always see the ads on social media of pretty blue water and sunny skies to entice individuals to come to South Florida. To be honest that is what attracted me. But there was something missing. What was missing was the fact that I wanted to see areas that were not advertised and where people who looked like me. Visiting those areas, I observed homelessness, prostitution, drug infestation, violence, and economic disparity. Immediately, I felt disheartened and my mind raced thinking of what I could do to make things better. I made it my mission to change the trajectory, and narrative of the Black community.

Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa once said “Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.” This message rings true to me as I cannot allow those in the Black community who feel rejected by society to live an unsatisfactory life. The issues within the community of broken homes, decaying public schools, lack of resources and financial education must be addressed head on. If these issues are not addressed the same results will continue.

This led me to venture out into entrepreneurship and fulfill my passion for assisting underserved communities in breaking generational deficits. After understanding the support my people need, last year, I decided to co-find the company Doozee. Doozee is a mobile app development company that focuses on providing free financial education to assist large communities of people. Our flagship product, eponymous to the company, is a gamified mobile app that teaches users how to invest, start a business, and leadership skills. With Doozee, users will understand the power of money, learn to supplement their income, and empower them in making critical financial decisions.

Key, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a content creator, project manager, and investor, and like most people in startup businesses I wear many hats. As an advocator and educator for financial literacy I work continuously to provide the community with educational resources. Like most people in the Black community, I didn’t learn about finances from my parents. My parents were not afforded the knowledge and understanding of financial literacy or how to pass that down to their children.

Which is why in my early adulthood I struggled, I had to determine which bills would be paid and which ones would not. Do I pay my electric bill or do I buy groceries, was a constant battle. I was living paycheck to paycheck and at times I wanted to give up. But I promised myself that I would work to find a way to be financially stable, so I used the resources around me to enlist a team of licensed professionals to guide me through my financial journey. Now that I am supplied with the knowledge of investing and starting and running a business, I can reach back and instruct my family and others. And Doozee will do that by teaching and equipping users on responsible spending, growing a net worth, and leaving a legacy. Doozee will provide tangible information to help those who come from families in low-income communities, low wage paying jobs, living paycheck to paycheck or resulting to violent crimes due to lack of resources. Most importantly users will learn that they don’t need much of a startup capital to invest in the stock market, real estate, futures, or Forex.

We stand behind the company’s brand and our mission statement of being the go-to free financial education app. While our app is aimed towards the youth, ages 7 to 18, it is free for anyone that would like to learn financial education.

Doozee will provide the same high-quality financial education as Harvard, Princeton, or Yale, but for free! This could potentially be a threat to some because historically, the Black community has been intentionally denied economic opportunities for hundreds of years. Envision the feeling of institutions who make billions of dollars by providing overpriced education or coaching to society. Us making a quantum leap would have the elite feeling triggered to discredit our efforts. With the Black community being equipped, they won’t need to have a seat at the table, because they will own the table, they will know how to build the chairs and table. So, being an industry disrupter will be a major challenge.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Doozee was birthed from my non-profit organization, but in order to pitch in the Lauderhill CRA Pitch Competition I had to pivot and make the app a for-profit. Pivoting, and making the app its own entity has opened many doors for me, my team, and the business. My team and I won 3rd place in the March 2022 pitch competition which featured Daymond John as a celebrity judge. Since the pitch competition, we have access to connections and networks that we could only fantasize about.

I’ve also been given the opportunity to be a keynote speaker at several upcoming events. We even have commitments from the local Boys & Girls clubs and other child organizations to Beta test the app. While we are still in the development stages, the outpour of support has been overwhelming. The community has thanked us profusely for moving forward with the development of the Doozee app and are eager and excited to download the app when it hits the market next month.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

Access to capital has been a major struggle. Black women are the leading entrepreneur’s but receive less than 1% of capital from Venture Capitalists. if it’s not private equity financing, then its debt financing which requires strict requirements and lower chances of conversion. Debt financing options are rarely ever an option for start-up businesses because they rely heavily on personal credit, a strong history of generating revenue, and 2 years of business tax returns.

Breaking the glass ceiling is a personal goal for myself as it relates to business in general. I want to show little Black girls that they don’t need to be entertainers or work unorthodox jobs to earn a living. I value being a leader, and for me it’s not about aesthetics but empowering the people around you. I hope to motivate the girls who dream of running a business but may feel ineligible because their family and friends tell them that women need the guidance or authorization of a man in order to be successful.

This journey of providing free financial education has not been easy, I’ve had to boot strap by exhausting my savings account, 401k, maxed out credit cards, and recently raising capital organically with a crowdfunding campaign.

Knowing that only a few Black women own a mobile app development company, could be discouraging to some. I see this as inspiration to continue my purpose of educating the Black community about financial literacy, investing, and generational wealth. Being consistent in developing ecosystems, and practicing group economics, we will overcome our economic challenges.

For more information, readers can visit our website www.doozeeapp.com to support and share our crowdfunding campaign, as well as sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know when the app will be out.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.doozeeapp.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doozeeapp/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoozeeGame/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoozeeApp
• Other: Crowdfunding Campaign https://ifundwomen.com/projects/doozee-app#.YmKzIas4DpQ.mailto