Black Inventors Hall of Fame

What Black Inventors Hall of Fame does

Black Inventors Hall of Fame (BIHOF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2021 by Executive Director James Howard to recognize African American inventors through induction ceremonies, traveling exhibits, and STEAM education programs. The organization held its inaugural ceremony in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2021 on the 100th Commemorative Anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre and is planning its second annual ceremony for July 16, 2026, honoring eight pioneering figures (including Dr. Mae Jemison, James West, Dr. Marian Croak, Lanny Smoot, Sir Cato T. Laurencin, Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi, and Jesse Russell), seven historical legends, and a Young Innovator Award recipient. BIHOF serves students in underserved communities, educational institutions (Princeton Public Library, Essex Community College, Centenary University, Historic Speedwell), corporate sponsors, and individual donors.

BIHOF's product portfolio includes the Co-Syne mobile application for vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the INSPIRE Self-Guided Learning Kiosk deployed in Morristown, NJ, traveling exhibits (Three Eras of African American Invention Journey Experience and Connecting the Dots), STEAM education workshops, and a planned 110,000-sq-ft Museum and STEM Learning Research Center in West Orange, NJ featuring tuition-free STEAM classrooms, an auditorium theater, a Metaverse library, a startup incubator, a community center, and a Legends Hall. The organization has built an ecosystem of strategic partners including Microsoft, the USPTO, US Inventors, STEM NOLA, and Ralph Applebaum Associates.

The business model is nonprofit and event-driven: tax-deductible donations (via PayPal, credit card, check), a six-tier corporate sponsorship program ($2,500 to $75,000 multi-year contracts with naming rights), event advertising sales ($400-$800 per page in ceremony programs), and induction ceremony ticket revenue. BIHOF employs 1-10 people, is led by Executive Director James Howard and a board including Susan Van Alstyne, Michael Howard, Shawn M. Yearwood, Akil Khalfani, Dale Caldwell, and Paul Cofer, and operates as an independently funded charitable organization with no parent entity or institutional investors.

Name

Black Inventors Hall of Fame

Legal name

Black Inventors Hall of Fame

Website

https://bihof.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Black Inventors Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit museum and STEM learning center that recognizes African American inventors through annual induction ceremonies, traveling exhibits, STEAM education programs, and a planned 110,000-sq-ft facility serving students, educators, and corporate sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural & Educational Museum Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD), History Museums (THAJADAB), Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

Keywords

• Museum education programs
• STEM learning center
• Induction ceremony events
• Traveling history exhibits
• Invention recognition

Headquarters

HQ city

Wharton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: BIHOF accepts tax-deductible donations through PayPal, credit card, and checks. The organization operates a building fund campaign to support construction of the museum and STEM center.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Multi-tiered corporate sponsorship program (Gold, Silver, Bronze) with benefits including VIP tickets, naming rights, sponsor wall recognition, and exhibit naming rights.
3. Event Advertising: Sale of advertisement space in induction ceremony programs: 1/4 Page $400, 1/2 Page $600, Full Page $800.
4. Event Tickets and Registration: Revenue from the annual induction ceremony and fundraising gala events, including registration fees and sponsorship packages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Black Inventors Hall of Fame (BIHOF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a museum, educational programs, and an online platform showcasing African American inventors. It delivers value through annual induction ceremonies, traveling exhibits (Three Eras of African American Invention Journey Experience and Connecting the Dots), STEAM workshops, the INSPIRE self-guided learning kiosk, and a planned 110,000-sq-ft museum and STEM Learning Research Center in West Orange, NJ.

Product overview

Black Inventors Hall of Fame (BIHOF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating as a museum, educational institution, and recognition platform for Black inventors. The organization offers a portfolio of products including the Co-Syne mobile application for vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the INSPIRE Self-Guided Learning Kiosk for youth invention education, and traveling exhibits such as the Three Eras of African American Invention Journey Experience and Connecting the Dots exhibit. BIHOF's centerpiece is a planned 110,000-sq-ft museum and STEM Learning Research Center in West Orange, NJ, featuring tuition-free STEAM classrooms, a startup incubator, and community facilities. The organization hosts an annual induction ceremony recognizing pioneering Black inventors and offers educational programs including workshops, lectures, and school programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• INSPIRE Self-Guided Learning and Innovation Kiosk A self-learning invention tool designed to educate youth about the inventing process and the history of Black and Latin inventors, designed to be scalable to underserved communities throughout the region.
• Three Eras of African American Invention Journey Experience A traveling exhibit showcasing three eras of African American inventors, featuring interactive display panels where visitors can select inventors and hear 90-second narrated stories.
• Connecting the Dots Exhibit A museum exhibit currently shown at the Historic Speedwell in Morris Plains, NJ, featuring the legacy of Black inventors.
• Annual Induction Ceremony Annual fundraising gala event honoring pioneering Black inventors with inductee recognitions and the Young Innovator Award presentation.
• STEAM Education Programs Educational workshops, lectures, and school programs designed to engage and inspire learners of all ages, including Invention Education with Design Thinking exercises.
• Black Inventors Hall of Fame Museum A planned 110,000-sq-ft museum facility featuring tuition-free STEAM classrooms, an auditorium theater, a Metaverse library, a startup incubator, a community center, and a Legends Hall honoring great Black inventors of the Golden Era, located in West Orange, New Jersey.
• Co-Syne Mobile Application A user-friendly mobile application enabling vehicle-to-vehicle communication through infotainment display systems for law enforcement, first responders, animal rescue, and fire rescue, allowing background checks and traffic stop communications via Bluetooth connectivity.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 children participated in STEM NOLA invention camp
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MicrosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMicrosoft BAM Consultant Gina Dominique and Garage Director Mike Pell collaborated with BIHOF for a design sprint celebrating Black women inventors past and present. Lead architects Mike Ford and Kirk Mitchell, and designers from Ralph Applebaum Associates and Electrosonics participated in the event honoring Women's History Month.
• US InventorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsored the first public BIHOF museum exhibit titled 'Three Eras of African American Invention Journey Experience' hosted by USPTO in Alexandria, VA.
• United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHosted the first BIHOF museum exhibit 'Three Eras of African American Invention Journey Experience' at their Alexandria, VA location.
• Historic SpeedwellminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuseum venue hosting the 'Connecting the Dots' exhibit in Morris Plains, NJ. Located at 333 Speedwell Ave, Morristown, NJ 07960.
• Princeton Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted the Three Eras of African American Inventor Experience Journey exhibit on Princeton University campus from Feb 1-23, 2024.
• Essex Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted the Three Eras traveling exhibit January 11-31, 2024 in Newark, NJ.
• Centenary UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted the Three Eras traveling exhibit for two weeks in Hackettstown, NJ prior to Princeton showing.
• STEM NOLAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIHOF provided invention camp services including a workshop on careers in construction and architecture led by Director James Howard. Over 300 children participated.
• Black Excellence AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization that helped give rise to the Black Inventors Hall of Fame. Members were pictured at the 2021 Inaugural Induction Ceremony in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• Ralph Applebaum AssociatesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDesign firm participated in the Microsoft-BIHOF design sprint celebrating Black women inventors.
• Bronx CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIHOF Director James Howard gave a lecture on entrepreneurship, film production, and patent licensing followed by Q&A session with students.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• COSI (Center of Science and Industry): A major science center in Columbus, Ohio. Comparable as a STEM-focused interactive learning institution with hands-on exhibits and educational programming, but at established scale and with broader science focus.
• Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation: A large-scale museum complex in Dearborn, Michigan celebrating American innovation and inventors. Directly comparable in celebrating inventors and innovation history, but at vastly larger scale with much broader thematic content.
• The Franklin Institute: A Philadelphia-based science museum and one of the oldest in the U.S. Comparable as a science/STEM-focused museum with educational programming and corporate sponsorships, but at vastly larger scale and broader scope (not Black-inventor-specific).
• National Museum of African American History and Culture: The Smithsonian's national museum for African American history and culture. Overlaps in mission of preserving and exhibiting Black American achievement, but operates at vastly larger scale and broader scope; BIHOF could be seen as a focused complement or a niche alternative for inventor-specific content.

Regional players

• Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History: Maryland's state museum on African American history and culture. Comparable mission and nonprofit museum model, but focused on Maryland/Mid-Atlantic heritage and located in a different regional market.
• California African American Museum: A California-based museum focused on the history, art, and culture of African Americans. Comparable as an African American heritage museum with educational programming, but operates in a different geographic region and broader thematic scope.

Direct peers

• Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History: The largest African American history museum in the world, located in Detroit. Directly comparable as a cultural-heritage museum dedicated to preserving and exhibiting Black American history and achievement, including STEM and innovation contributions.
• DuSable Museum of African American History: One of the oldest independent African American history museums, located in Chicago. Directly comparable in mission and nonprofit museum model, with exhibits covering Black achievement across history including inventors and innovators.
• National Inventors Hall of Fame: The closest direct peer—it also inducts and celebrates inventors (including Black inventors such as Elijah McCoy, who was inducted in 2018). It competes for recognition platform mindshare and museum visitor attention, though it focuses on all inventors rather than specifically Black inventors.
• Muhammad Ali Center: A cultural center and museum in Louisville celebrating the legacy of Muhammad Ali as a Black American icon. Comparable as a mission-driven nonprofit cultural institution that uses a single iconic figure to drive education, tourism, and corporate sponsorship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100063972971000
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/black-inventors-hall-of-fame-films

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Black Inventors Hall of Fame