Roy Scott
Roy Scott may be one of the best presenters I have ever heard pitch their start-up. At the Keystone Innovation District a few weeks ago, he passionately shared his vision for his company, Healthy Hip Hop.
He may also be one of the most resilient people I have heard.
For all entrepreneurs, funding and securing capital is one of the hardest things to do, let alone get on the show Shark Tank and receive half a million dollars, only to have the network pull the episode and deal because his company presented potential competition.
To bounce back from that and carry the positive attitude he does, shows how much he cares not only for what he is building but for the kids that can be positively affected by Healthy Hip Hop.
Roy’s passion for music had him nixed college to pursue his dream of becoming a rapper. Roy knew the influence of hip-hop music but wanted to use its popularity to promote a positive message that focuses on education, health, and wellness.
What started as live shows at schools in 2010 has evolved into an online platform that provides educational hip-hop music and videos so schools and parents can teach their children through dance and lyrics and promote mental and physical wellness, academic success, and social-emotional learning.
The Healthy Hip Hop mobile application empowers children to create custom videos, similar to TikTok, yet in a safer environment for kids.
The platform reaches over 100,000 kids across the U.S., with about 10,000 active users. In addition, they signed one of their largest deals with the Dallas Independent School District in 2021, with over 70,000 Texas students singing and dancing along to their music platform.
With characters like PJ Panda rapping to trap beats, putting a twist to classic kid songs like "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,"--- there is no denying the positive effect of merging hip hop with kid-appropriate content.
One of Healthy Hip Hop’s biggest goals is to achieve grade-level reading comprehension by third grade with the goal of eliminating the school-to-prison pipeline.
They have partnered with companies like Centene, SHAPE America, The LeBron James Family Foundation, and many more, as well as school districts in Texas, Atlanta, and Kansas City, to name a few.
Roy’s resilience, hard work, dedication, and passion are just a few of the things that will continue to make Healthy Hip Hop a success and eventually a household name.
Website: healthy.hiphop