Today we’d like to introduce you to Llewellyn Dixon.
Hi Llewellyn, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Passport Atlanta was started as a conversation between three friends, Courtney English, Jay Bailey, and Andre Dickens, on a rooftop in Washington, DC. All three of them had two things in common. They all came from varying backgrounds in Atlanta and all had achieved great success and influence in their careers. They thought about the impact that small moments of exposure to different cultures, ideas, careers, etc., had on their lives and career trajectories. Andre suggested the idea of building an app that would strategically take students on a journey through Atlanta and show them things that they wouldn’t otherwise have had knowledge about or access to – thus Passport Atlanta was born.
From then on, Jay and Andre brought the idea to Boston Consulting Group who agreed to help with the initial business plan and to create material that would help launch a fundraising campaign. Much of their work is visible on our website. I came into the picture during a conversation with Jay as I was finishing grad school and he mentioned the idea to me. I was instantly sold on it and agreed to join the board and help get it started. Since then, with the help of our initial partners, The Kendeda Fund, Dragon Army, Microsoft, Equifax, and Mobile App Hero, we’ve been able to build our second version of the app.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Lol, The short answer is no, not at all. But then again, entrepreneurship is never a smooth road. We’ve been blessed to have a great board who is always helpful and great support from the Atlanta community but something like this is brand new. It took some time to conceptualize and it took quite a few pitches and even more “no’s” and “not now’s” before we were able to secure our first round of funding. As a non-profit, fundraising is always at the top of the list. But of course, as soon as we got funded, a global pandemic happened. As you can imagine, a lockdown and social distancing is terrible when you’re building and fundraising for an app that is designed to send students out into the city. So COVID has impeded our ability to fundraise and to really see what the app is capable of.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Passport Atlanta is an app that grants access, exposure, and opportunity to all students. Imagine a high school sophomore growing up on the west side. She loves animals and is always glued to the screen watching footage of whales and other fish. But for any number of reasons, she’s never seen any up close. She discovers an app that is able to get her a free ride and free access to the Georgia Aquarium on multiple occasions. Her reward for going? She gets to have a personal experience with any wildlife of her choosing. Her diligence grants her an internship and other opportunities over the years. Fast forward to after college – she now works at the Georgia Aquarium as a Marine Biologist.
That’s Passport Atlanta.
Our app is designed to send students out on journeys to any number of places throughout the city. Once there, they are given tasks to complete. After completion, they are given a stamp (just as you would get with your real passport) and points. Those points can be redeemed for anything as small as a lunch all the way up to scholarships for college, an actual passport and a trip outside of the country – the sky is the limit. Our goal is to destroy any barrier that prevents a student from experiencing something that may change their lives forever. We want to give them hope to dream beyond what they already know. We believe that they will be what they see. So we want them to see everything good that this city has to offer.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Lol, I love this question. What makes me happy? Seeing the fruit of my work and how it has positively impacted others. I’m blessed to be in a position where I’m able to create opportunities for others to win in their lives. I know it might sound cliche but honestly, that’s a major part of what makes me happy. Seeing the suffering of others hurts me deeply, so seeing their smiles – and, even better, being part of why they are smiling gives me great joy. Well, that and a relaxing day surrounded by good food and good people.
Contact Info:
- Email: ldixon@passportatlanta.com
- Website: passportatlanta.com
- Instagram: @passportatlanta
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/PassportAtlanta
