2 startups to ‘demo’ at White House

Two Memphis businesses will be among more than 30 startups featured at the White House today at an event celebrating the role of entrepreneurs in the U.S. economy.

Mo’s Bows, a bow-tie maker that was the brainchild of 13-year-old Moziah Bridges, and FRAGO, a nonprofit that helps military veterans transition to civilian life, will be part of a “Demo Day” event in which entrepreneurs demonstrate their products and share their stories.

Mo’s Bows was started by Bridges when he was 9. Now, Bridges has five staff members, has appeared on the TV show “Shark Tank” and has been featured in O magazine and Vogue.

FRAGO was founded by Jerome Hardaway, a Memphis native and Air Force veteran who served three tours of duty in Afghanistan and three in Iraq. The company is named after the military term for “fragmentary order,” or a change in the mission plan when on combat detail.

Hardaway trains veterans in IT programming to help them compete in the digital economy.