Growing up in Cameroon, Michael B. Agbortoko, Jr. ’14 was surrounded by individuals who always found ways to overcome hardship on a daily basis. “An environment like that fuels creativity and forces you to create or find solutions to problems that are often taken for granted in first-world countries,” he said.
Now, 20 years after his family immigrated to the United States – a country Agbortoko says provides abundant opportunities – he has created, founded, and nurtured his own American Dream. After graduating in 2014, touring the country as a brand ambassador, spokesman, and tour manager, he found himself unfulfilled by building someone else’s dream. In April 2019, he returned to Worcester to launch his own company, founding Soxcessful, a company he describes as an “immersive retail incubator backing curated global visionaries.”
Agbortoko noted that his Assumption liberal arts education, coupled with the University’s emphasis on service and citizenship, inspired him to create and find a greater sense of purpose on campus and in life. “During my time at Assumption, playing soccer on the men’s team and my curiosity led me to many different experiences campus had to offer,” he said. “By trying different things, it served as a foundation to listen to and learn from one another while doing our part to help the community and ourselves to succeed.”
Last spring, he spoke to Professor Bridget Leonard, Ph.D., and her advertising class and collaborated with students to create an advertising strategy for the Soxcessful brand. The experience was mutually beneficial; the students were able to gain hands-on, real-world experience, while their unique liberal arts education and broad perspective allowed them to provide Agbortoko productive insight for his company.
Through Soxcessful, Agbortoko hopes to support local aspirations and/or social mobility for future generations. “People first, profit next,” Agbortoko said. He emphasized a desire to enact positive change that enables communities and individuals to thrive.
“By nurturing big ideas for visionaries like artists, brand designers, innovators, institutions, makers, thinkers, etc. and helping them #BESOXCESSFUL, it empowers and encourages others to take the first step toward dreaming, doing, creating, and achieving the impossible,” he said.
