Head of Global Equity, T Rowe Price
Search every verified Joshua Nelson interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Joshua Nelson, founder of Emotional Ideas, has been developing a new motorsport called Battle Racing, which he described as a game combining driving with strategy. In a September 2024 interview, he explained that participants race custom vehicles while managing a "battle gauge" representing health and speed, using power items and landmines to affect opponents. Nelson stated that his goal is to create an entertainment venue similar to Top Golf, with a recreational league for the public, and eventually expand to major cities across the U.S. and globally. He noted that Emotional Ideas is raising $10 million for the first facility, which would include a food court, bleachers, and a commentary booth. Nelson also discussed his experiences as a Black founder from Memphis, saying he has faced skepticism due to his Southern accent and that some potential partners lost interest after learning he is African-American. He criticized what he described as a system that "keeps the poor poor and the rich rich," citing red tape that limits public investment. Nelson expressed a desire to change media narratives by highlighting positive Black news, stating that "the media capitalizes off of our struggles" and that negative news sells more readily. He funded the venture through personal credit cards, refinancing his home, and angel funding totaling around $300,000, and said the company has not yet received institutional funding.
“I maxed out my credit cards, refinanced my home, and raised angel funding close to around $300,000. I used all of that to kind of push the business, but we have not received any institutional funding yet.”
“It almost seems as if the system is set up to keep the poor poor and the rich rich because there's like red tape in different areas that stops the general public from truly investing.”
“I feel like as a black founder you just got to kind of have thick skin for a lot of things. I've heard from whispers that because I'm from the South and I kind of got like a country accent, they look at me like I'm unintelligent, and that stopped a lot of opportunities because they didn't want to talk to me.”
“I had situations where a member of my team may be Caucasian and they go to an event and the people at the event are excited about the project, but when I reach out and they find out that I'm African-American, they no longer want to talk to me.”
“My goal is to create an entertainment venue like a Top Golf Battle Racing, a place where we can have a recreational league for the general public, and then copy and paste it in all the major cities across the US and globe.”
“We are raising like $10 million right now for one location of the Battle Racing facility, which will include features like a food court, bleachers, commentary booth, and stadium lights to make it an actual sport experience.”
“Emotional Ideas will lease custom vehicles out to teams, and teams will utilize these vehicles to race with no cheating. I see a recreational league as the entertainment franchise and ultimately a professional motorsport comparable to NASCAR or Formula 1.”
“What makes Battle Racing different is the battle gauge, which is like your health and speed. You receive power items like speed boosts or EMP blasts to slow down others, and there are landmines on the track that can restore your health. It's a game of strategy and speed.”
“I feel like the media capitalizes off of our struggles. Negative news sells quicker because a lot of people relate to negativity and struggles, but I want to change the landscape of media and highlight positive Black news.”
“It almost seems as if our people thrive off of chaos and drama because that's what we know. We perpetuate the story of struggle, but we're the only ones stopping ourselves from getting out of that box.”
Joshua Nelson is a Memphian on a mission. His company Emotional Ideas is working to combine the newest gaming technology ...
Sign in to search the full transcript archive, filter by topic, and access every quote from Joshua Nelson.
The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →