Florida A&M University (FAMU) graduate and Marine Corps Major Anthony J. Gantt Jr. won $20,000 for his startup in a pitch contest among Historically Black College and University (HBCU) alumni and students.
Gantt’s winning startup, At Ease Rental Corp, helps military families and other government workers with their temporary housing needs. These travelers are not able to use short-term or vacation rental booking sites like Airbnb, HomeAway, or Booking.com because there is no way for the U.S. government to independently vet each property listed on those sites for safety, security, and efficacy.
The $20,000 prize was perfect timing for Gantt who says he needed the capital to grow his team and really wanted to hire military spouses.
“I was looking for someone that can help with PR. Now I can engage them,” said Gantt when he realized he won. “This is awesome.”
His idea emerged from his work experience. When the U.S. military ordered Marine Corps Major Gantt to move time and time again, he had to choose between cramped hotels and non-reimbursable rentals homes. Maj. Gantt knew there had to be a better solution for millions of military families and federal workers, and thus founded At Ease Rental Corp.
The $20,000 prize was perfect timing for Gantt who says he needed the capital to grow his team and really wanted to hire military spouses.
“I was looking for someone that can help with PR… Now I can engage them,” said Gantt when he realized he won. “This is awesome.”
Gantt and four other finalists were given four minutes to pitch their company to Silicon Valley titans including FAMU alumna Merline Saintil, a director on the boards of Lightspeed HQ and GitLab, who held executive positions Intuit, Yahoo, PayPal, and Adobe and other companies.
