Project Trust: Economic Development Through Transparency For COVID Safety
Central Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation (CBEDC) and Klēn® are partnering to bring digital COVID health and safety communications to Central Brooklyn small businesses for economic recovery.
Project Trust
Project Trust will bring a new ground-up model for building community transparency, resilience, and safety to support a hyper-local economy to serve as a model for other areas.
Central Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation (CBEDC):
CBEDC is a Brooklyn-based not-for-profit agency in Brownsville, Brooklyn whose mission is to create community economic growth opportunities. Founded in 1989, CBEDC develops pathways to self-sufficiency for individuals, families, and small business owners in Central Brooklyn. They are committed to assisting community residents to achieve economic success and well-being and envision a thriving, prosperous, culturally rich community. Together we grow.
CBEDC advocates for public/private investments and resources to support the expansion of hyper-local organizations and small businesses. A robust hyper-local economy is the key to closing racial wealth gaps, income disparities, and improving the overall health of the community.
Klēn®
Klēn® is a web-based and mobile app co-developed by artificial intelligence experts, industry specialists, and small business owners to create economic recovery through transparent communications. Through Klēn®, businesses can immediately update and communicate any pandemic-driven changes to their hours, business practices, cleaning protocols, and other measures they’re taking to keep their customers safe.
Customers can quickly confirm these measures with the Klēn® mobile app, and use our direct in-app communication channel to give useful feedback directly to businesses.
In addition, Klēn® will also deliver industry best practices for COVID safety and other services to help small businesses better weather the pandemic.
Why this work matters
Community resilience and the fight to thrive
Leading The Way
Prior to the onset of Project Trust the organizations discovered synergistic ethos rooted in strong value systems making the collaboration more of an extension of each others mission. These organizations also share that they are led by fierce minority women who create opportunities to drive change.
La'Shawn Allen-Muhammad
Executive Director - CBEDC
For nearly two decades, she have served as a New York City public servant in healthcare. As a native of the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, La'Shawn is committed to playing a critical role in the revitalization of her home town and similar communities throughout the country.
Over the past decade, she has worked diligently to build alliances and strategic partnerships, for the purposes of gaining momentum to transform communities. With a focus on economic, community, and business development, La'Shawn also founded the Entrepreneurs of New York in 2010.
Sol Girouard
Founder and CEO - Klēn
Sol is a Latinx Entrepreneur, Mathematical Economist, CAIA, Data Scientist, Quant, and Computer Scientist who channels her interdisciplinary applied sciences background in the intersection of financial markets and technology. Sol graduated top of her class from Harvard University and she held a Guest Lecturer and Head Teaching Fellow positions for Data Science at Harvard’s Engineering School—SEAS.
Her training as a Data Scientist and her deep knowledge of AI aids her in learning how to overcome her unfortunate new hearing disabilities. She finds motivation in how Artificial Neural Networks learn, and she is successfully defying severe neuro-sensorial hearing disabilities.
Communication = Economic Recovery
Klēn Technology For Social Impact
Community driving local changes to strive.
What the community is saying
“Klen is an invaluable resource for our community as we continue to navigate this new world post-pandemic. Our merchants will greatly benefit from these services particularly communication from the city and CDC guidelines.”
- Mallory Thatch, Program Manager, Commercial Revitalization
"In these challenging times, it is inspiring to see Klen forming partnerships with groups like CBEDC that have shown tangible results in building communities economically and socially - this is cutting edge technology properly and meaningfully applied!"
- Ed Young, Universal Health Screener
Aligning Impact, Sustainability, and Social Change
Project Trust Supports The United Nations SDGs
We believe how you do business matters, delivering results for economic development and social impact across Central Brooklyn and beyond as we support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. People expect more responsibility, action, and accountability from businesses and tend to shop at companies that share their values.
