Founder
The Gen Z Tech Whiz – Kelsey Davis
Jemima Hunter
August 31, 2021
Kelsey Davis created the bridge between Gen Z emerging creatives and brands in 2019, as the founder of CLLCTVE, a technology start-up that is helping students build clientele.
Davis previously helped consumer brands like Puma, Coca-Cola and Land Rover construct visual content whilst starting her own freelance business in high school. As a result, she has first-hand experience with the difficulties of discovering emerging talent as a brand. Before CLLCTVE was formed, Davis used her spare time to organise workshops and pop-ups for students at her university to network. The gatherings seemed very advantageous, so Davis along with a fellow friend Brendan, followed a business venture with their technology platform.
‘When I transferred to Syracuse, I started learning about equipment, how you couldn’t monetize off of it and how the university can’t pay students to produce. I was like nah, man, I need to find a way to get around that. So, I created a company.’
The Atlanta-raised entrepreneur graduated from Syracuse University last year with an MA in Television, Radio and Film and has since been working on her technology business to improve contacts in the creative industry. Davis exclaimed that diverse teams are more likely to have financial returns above the industry average, so is convinced that her platform will create more opportunities for this.
‘Giving students the ability to not to sacrifice academic credibility to follow their passions. I’m a firm believer that you shouldn’t have to choose. I believe doing everything to satisfy your major and your company should be mutually exclusive.’
What to take away from Davis’s journey, as a recent Forbes Under 30’s Awardee:
- Online technology is a platform for your business; utilise all aspects of it whether that’s showcasing your work, creating an audience, or getting feedback off an idea.
- Get experience in your preferred industry. Don’t wait for an opportunity to arise, go out and research your niche and gain experience by working first-hand (whether it’s paid or not.)
- Find the problem and solve it. Davis learned quickly that there were not enough platforms for creating connections across the board, so solved the problem by creating CLLCTVE.
- What would you like to solve?
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