NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans entrepreneur Angelica Harris, founder and CEO of Top Tutors for Us, has been awarded a $10,000 grant through the 2026 New Voices NOLA POWER PITCH, powered by Greater New Orleans, Inc.’s StartupNOLA Startup Noir and New Voices, during ESSENCE Festival of Culture.
Top Tutors for Us was one of just three New Orleans-based businesses selected to receive grant funding through the competition, which awarded a total of $50,000 to local entrepreneurs pitching innovative, high-growth companies.
Top Tutors for Us is an education technology company on a mission to expand access to higher education for Black and Brown students by closing racial gaps in standardized testing. The company connects students with culturally competent tutors from leading universities to provide personalized tutoring, ACT preparation and college readiness support designed to help more students earn college admission and scholarship opportunities.
“I’m so grateful to ESSENCE and New Voices for investing in New Orleans entrepreneurs,” said Angelica Harris, founder and CEO of Top Tutors for Us. “Receiving a $10,000 grant is incredibly meaningful for a growing company like ours. We’ll use this funding to expand our technology platform and increase our marketing efforts so we can reach even more students who can benefit from our support.”
Top Tutors for Us Focuses on College Access
Founded in 2023, Top Tutors for Us is helping transform college access by pairing students with highly qualified tutors who understand their lived experiences and academic goals. The company has built a network of more than 350 tutors from colleges and universities across the country to provide tutoring at no cost to students through partnerships with Louisiana public schools and community organizations. Through its AI-powered platform, students using Top Tutors for Us have improved ACT scores at twice the rate of traditional test preparation, collectively earning more than $50 million in scholarship offers.
“Programs like New Voices provide so much more than funding,” said Harris. “They create visibility, meaningful connections and a community of entrepreneurs who support one another. Building a company isn’t something anyone does alone, and I’m grateful to be part of such an inspiring network of founders.”
A New Orleans native, Harris founded Top Tutors for Us after overcoming her own academic challenges, raising her ACT score from a 16 to a 32 and earning more than $1.5 million in scholarship offers. She launched Top Tutors for Us to ensure more students, particularly those from underserved communities, have access to the academic support and mentorship needed to pursue higher education.
The New Voices NOLA POWER PITCH was part of ESSENCE Festival’s expanded focus on entrepreneurship and small business development, connecting local founders with investors, mentors and funding opportunities designed to accelerate business growth.
