By: Boris Boundjia

I am proud to be a black man because of our history. We have fought to be seen as human beings. Despite the hundreds of years of struggle and setback, black people and black culture are persevering globally. Despite all the ways in which we have been oppressed, black men and women hold the titles of doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, professional athletes, and entertainment industry leaders and artists. 

I was blessed to live in three different countries; Cameroon, France, and now in America. We have more in common as black people universally then we may realize. Our struggle is the same no matter where we live. The United States is not perfect, but it’s the country that offers black people, as a monolith, the most opportunities.  

I see black excellence in Allen Ezail Iverson. He is the reason I fell in love with basketball. While AI was an amazing player, what I really loved about him is what he represented. “Always be true to yourself even if they hate or don’t understand you.” 

I played NCAA division II ball at Salem University and can say that basketball helped me develop the kind of mindset I needed in order to be a successful entrepreneur. To be a competitive basketball player, it takes hours of practice and training every single day for years. You spend countless hours alone, exhausted, and in mental and physical discomfort that you need to overcome. It is a full-time commitment. Basketball is my passion and I truly believe sport is the best vehicle to teach life skills to the youth. Sport encapsulates hard-work, determination, and teamwork. Developing these three entities will set you up to be a successful adult.

Nelson Mandela once said, “Sport has the power to change the world…It speaks to youth in a language they understand…it’s more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.”

I essentially took the lessons from the game and applied the same approach and mindset to entrepreneurship. 

In 2016, I founded Recball Box, a ball rental service where park goers, and soon to be beach goers, rent a ball, and have access to lockers to store items and charge their phones, all for $3/ hour via our free app. We want to use technology to inspire people to put their phone down and play outside. 

I want Recball to make outdoor parks and communities safer places for children to play, with the goal to have Recball available in every community in the United States. I want Recball to represent togetherness through the power of sport. 

Raising capital was a challenge like it is for most startup companies. As an immigrant with no network, it was tough. Equally challenging was getting into the rooms with the people who have the power to implement Recball into the communities. 

Tracy Engel, Director of Recreation for the Rancho Simi Park & Recreation District, was first to respond. She endorsed my idea and said, “Every park should have it…let’s do it.” We placed our first machine in Simi Valley at Lemon Park in July 2020. 

Our customer’s safety & health are our top priorities. COVID gave us the opportunity to improve our services. We added hand sanitizer in each locker for our customers and are in the process of incorporating UV lighting technology to keep the balls sanitized at all times. We are also making the rental process touchless. 

I understand the influence I have as a black entrepreneur to lead and inspire the youth to be a proud black man. I always try to make a conscious effort to show my blackness through the brand.

What we are lacking in America is true and genuine empathy for one or another. If we could all live in each other’s shoes for at least a day and really feel what it is like to be black, Asian, Latino, white etc., then we could create equality. However, that’s not exactly possible. The problem is not a black and white issue in my opinion. I think it is the power structure versus the people, and unfortunately black people are the most expendable. Once that changes, history can be rewritten.

http://recballbox.com