Ayinde Alakoye

CEO of nēdl, Serial Entrepreneur

Ayinde Alakoye is a serial entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of nēdl, his third live broadcast radio streaming venture. Ayinde was also the creator of the original iheartradio app served as a Speechwriter, Staffer, and Senior Message Advisor for Presidential Candidate Barack Obama, during both elections.

Sheena Allen

Founder of Capway, Author

Sheena Allen is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and creative architect. She is the founder of Capway, a neobank for those who do not fit into the traditional banking system, which gave Sheena the title of the youngest female in America to own and operate a digital bank. Sheena has been featured in various documentaries and publications, including Inc Magazine and Forbes.

Rebecca Altamirano

Co-founder Tangelo Technologies, Author

Rebecca Altamirano has dedicated her professional life to working within underrepresented communities to open up access to the culture of power. Her professional path has given her deep hands-on experience on working with the underserved and underrepresented. Many of these experiences she has shared as a co-author of “Be The Change: Reinventing Schools for Student Success”

Ivelyse Andino

Founder & CEO of Radical Health

Ivelyse Andino is an Afro-Latina health equity innovator born and raised in The Bronx. She is the founder and CEO of Radical Health and a Commissioner on the New York City Commission on Gender Equity. In 2015 she founded the first Latina owned Public Benefit Corp in New York State.

Kwame Anku

Visionary Entrepreneur, CEO of Black Star Fund

Kwame Anku is the CEO and Chairman of the Black Star Fund, an early-stage innovation fund. Kwame has worked extensively in business development and media marketing for over two decades, entering into the tech industry after being personally recruited by the late legendary rock star Prince to develop his mobile app, overseeing business and development teams on Africa, Asia, and the US.

Mandy Antoniacci

Columnist, Author, Tech Entrepreneur

A sought after voice of inspiration, Mandy is a columnist, founder, and prolific influencer. Her breadth of work in mind+body connection and unwavering optimism has earned her global attention and positioning alongside elite social leaders and sports figures around the world. Mandy now travels the globe inspiring resilience through her recent and personal triumph in mental and physical wellness.

Jay Baer

Hall of Fame Speaker, Business Growth & Customer Experience Strategist, New York Times Best-Selling Author

Jay Baer is a business growth strategist, a customer experience and digital marketing pioneer, advisor, analyst, a popular emcee and host of large events, a New York Times bestselling author of six books, and a hall of fame for professional speaking and word-of-mouth marketing. He founded the strategy and analysis firm Convince & Convert. Jay’s entertaining and engaging programs teach companies how to turn customer experience, customer service, and marketing into their biggest business growth advantage.

Alex Banayan

#1 International Bestselling Business Author, Leading Expert on Exponential Growth, Success, High-Performance, and Personal Development

Alex Banayan, the youngest bestselling business author in American history, specializes in perseverance and exponential growth. He introduced the Third Door™ framework to global business conferences and corporate leadership teams, including Apple, Google, and Nike. His #1 international bestseller, "The Third Door," decodes the mindset of success. Named in Forbes' "30 Under 30" and Business Insider's "Most Powerful People Under 30," Banayan's keynotes redefine possibilities, aiding individuals and Fortune 500 companies in innovative growth strategies worldwide.

Andrea Barrica

Co-Founder & CEO of O.school, Author

Andrea Barrica, author of Sex Tech Revolution, is CEO and Co-founder of O.school, a judgment-free multimedia platform to learn about sexuality and pleasure. Previously, Andrea co-founded accounting and tax platform, inDinero.com, where she led sales and operations. She also served as a venture partner and entrepreneur-in-residence at 500 Startups.

Chris Barton

Founder and Creator of Shazam, Entrepreneur, Inventor, and Tech Investor

Chris Barton is the Founder and Creator of Shazam. Chris’s creation of Shazam was nothing short of pure magic as it was far ahead of its time. Chris seeks to delight people by using technology to make seemingly impossible ideas come to life. In his speeches, Chris’s story and storytelling completely captivate audiences. He inspires people to make big things happen in their organizations – to create magic in defiance of the obstacles.

Emily Best

Founder and CEO of Seed&Spark

Emily Best is the founder and CEO of Seed&Spark. An advocate for equity inclusion in the entertainment industry (and the entire working world), Best regularly speaks at conferences and events about leveraging entertainment to build equity and sustainability for everyone, crowdfunding, and pitching, building equitable startups, and serves as an advisor and mentor to dozens of early-stage companies.

Candice Matthews Brackeen

Founder & CEO, Lightship Foundation

Candice Matthews is a General Partner at Lightship Capital, where she finds and funds high growth, minority-led companies operating in underserved ecosystems throughout the Midwest. She is also Founder & CEO at Lightship Foundation, the inclusion-focused entrepreneur enrichment program guiding minority founders with instruction in product development, brand building, leveraging artificial intelligence for business and fundraising.

Brian Brackeen

General Partner, Lightship Capital

Brian Brackeen is a General Partner at Lightship Capital, the Cincinnati-based VC firm dedicated to backing underrepresented entrepreneurs in the Midwest. Brian lectures extensively around the world on entrepreneurship, code, the digital economy, AI and machine learning — and participates in mentorship programs for organizations like Girls Who Code, Black Girls Code and The School District of Miami.

Jennifer Brandel

CEO and Co-founder of Hearken, Award-Winning Journalist, Serial Entrepreneur, Innovator

Jennifer Brandel is an award-winning journalist, founder and organizer whose work spans journalism, civic engagement, democracy and entrepreneurship. She’s a dynamic, sought-after keynote speaker and workshop facilitator. Brandel began her career in journalism reporting for outlets including NPR, CBC, WBEZ, The New York Times, and Vice. She is the founder of Hearken, which helps institutions better listen and respond to their stakeholders.

Mike Brown

Founder and CEO of Win-Win, Former Pro-Athlete

Mike Brown, a pro-athlete turned self-taught coder, transitioned from tackling to tech and went on to be the founder and CEO of Win-Win, a platform powered by gaming and giving. Win-Win enables pro athletes and influencers to monetize their fanbase and help brands engage with end consumers.

Chris Burry

Co-CEO of US Market Access & A3 Global Collider

Chris is a serial entrepreneur with global experience. Since 2010, he has focused on bringing the lessons of Silicon Valley to entrepreneurs around the world. He is the co-founder of the US Market Access Center and the A3 Global Collider. Through USMAC, Chris has trained and mentored more than 1,000 startups from 25+ countries.

Courtney Caldwell

Co-Founder & CEO of ShearShare

Courtney Caldwell is the Cofounder & CEO of beauty-tech startup, ShearShare, the largest provider of on-demand salon and barbershop space rentals and the most affordable leases in the market. She is also an award-winning entrepreneur and tech founder and has spent two decades building winning teams in tech marketing.

Tye Caldwell

Cofounder & Chief Strategy Officer of ShearShare

Dr. Tye Caldwell is the Cofounder & Chief Strategy Officer of ShearShare. Recognized as a tech visionary and industry pioneer, Dr. Caldwell’s mission is to help beauty and barbering professionals around the world maximize their earnings potential. He has worked in beauty for 25 years as a master barber-stylist, educator, and small business coach, offering his 20+ years of industry knowledge as a proven roadmap.

Kelly Campbell

Trauma-informed Leadership Expert, Author, Founder of Consciousness Leaders

A Trauma-Informed Leadership Coach to self-aware visionaries, Kelly L. Campbell’s work exists at the cross section of trauma integration and conscious leadership. They are an inspiring keynote speaker and host a popular podcast on conscious leadership. Kelly writes for Entrepreneur, has written for Forbes, and has been featured in Woman Entrepreneur and The Startup on Medium.

Cheryl Campos

Co-founder & CEO of La Familia, Model, Actress

Cheryl Campos is the co-founder and CEO of La Familia, a non-profit organization focused on closing the capital gap for Latine founders and funders. Previously, she was the Head of Venture Growth and Partnerships at Republic, an investment platform for founders to raise capital from both accredited and non-accredited investors. Cheryl is a recognized speaker and is passionate about the intersection of finance, technology, and social impact.

Tara Matamoros Carter

COO & Partner at Tangelo

Tara Carter is a highly driven COO/Partner at Tangelo and a Partner at Backstage Capital, providing full circle guidance to startups and larger. She has over 25 years of experience in mentoring, growing and advising startups, investor relations, omni-channel marketing, business strategy, deep technology, and product development, diversity and inclusion, predictive analytics, data visualization, business intelligence, and activism.

Kelly Charles-Collins

Award-Winning TEDx Speaker, Bankable Brand Strategist, Author, Mentor

Kelly Charles-Collins, is a Keynote & Award-Winning TEDx Speaker, Speaker Mentor, Retired Law Partner & Trial Attorney, and Author. She’s sought-after authority specializing in courageous conversations, unconscious bias, and bystander intervention. As a transformative keynote speaker and mentor, Kelly has been featured in some of the biggest media publications and outlets including ABC, NBC, CBS, Time.com, Forbes, Fast Company, Authority Magazine, Women’s Wear Daily, Thrive Global and more.

Adam Cheyer

Co-Founder and Former VP Engineering of Siri and Viv Labs

Adam Cheyer is a top technology speaker, AI expert, and entrepreneur. He co-founded Siri, which was acquired by Apple, and later co-founded Viv, which became the basis of the voice assistant Bixby on Samsung phones, TVs, watches, and more. He is also a founding member and first developer at Change.org, the world’s largest petition platform, with more than 300M members.

Anne Cocquyt

CEO and founder of the GUILD, Serial Entrepreneur, and Super Connector in Silicon Valley

Anne Cocquyt, CEO and founder of the GUILD, is an inspirational speaker on entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership. She speaks on how to start businesses, prototyping, building successful partnerships, and how to attract and retain winning diverse teams. She moderates and joins panels on gender bias in AI, product management, and technology trends, and teaches design-thinking workshops on building innovation ecosystems.

Mark Coopersmith

Bestselling Author and Entrepreneur

Mark Coopersmith is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, Fortune 500 executive, and educator. Mark has mentored hundreds of startup teams which have launched groundbreaking new ventures in sectors as varied as web services, consumer electronics, medical devices, internet-of-things, education, cleantech, fintech, and fashion.

Dawn Dickson

Serial Entrepreneur & Inventor

Dawn Dickson is a serial entrepreneur and inventor with over 20 years of experience in technology, marketing, and business development. Her most recent ventures are Flat Out of Heels and PopCom. Dawn is a seasoned professional speaker, business advisor, and angel investor. She continues to be recognized as one of the nation’s top retail tech entrepreneurs.

Ugwem Eneyo

Co-Founder & CEO of SHYFT Power Solutions

Ugwem Eneyo is co-founder and CEO of SHYFT Power Solutions, specializing in the use of IoT software and big data to improve access to clean, reliable and affordable energy solutions in markets that struggle with grid resiliency. Ms. Eneyo explores how we use tech to create ‘grids of the future’ but particularly in emerging markets. She’s given talks on the nexus of energy and sustainable development to global thought leaders, including the World Bank.

Mike Evans

Award Winning Author and Speaker

Mike has developed a unique perspective from 20+ years working alongside world-renowned thought leaders. He is a leading authority on unleashing personal and organizational accountability. Clients rely upon Mike’s solutions to accelerate change, shape their optimal culture, flawlessly execute key strategies, ignite leadership capacity at all Levels, amplify employee engagement, and cultivate peak performance.

Manny Faces

Award-Winning Journalist, Podcast Producer, Public Speaker, Consultant, Advocate for Hip Hop culture

Michael “Manny Faces” Conforti is an award-winning journalist, podcast professional, public speaker and independent scholar. Much of his work focuses on advocating for the use of Hip Hop music and culture as a tool to improve lives, livelihoods and communities throughout the nation and the world, in areas including education, science and technology, health and wellness, politics and social justice, business and entrepreneurialism, the fine arts, spirituality and self-help, and more.

Sandra Garcia

Marketing and Brand Elevation Specialist, DEI Consultant, Founder Encounter Your Potential

Sandra Garcia is a Marketing and Branding strategist and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consultant. Now the founder of Encounter Your Potential, she develops and executes strategies that use marketing as the pillar for achieving business goals and driving revenue.

David Goldsmith

Educator, Author, Leadership Expert

David is the author of Paid to THINK: A Leader’s Toolkit for Redefining Your Future, a work for which he has earned comparisons to Peter Drucker, the father of modern-day management. Considered by some to be the “Thought Leaders’ Thought Leader”, he is known for replacing common leadership thinking with bold, proven, and sometimes counter-intuitive approaches to address leadership challenges and opportunities.

Andrea Guendelman

Expansive Leadership Expert

Andrea Guendelman is a writer, speaker, and entrepreneur who specializes in Expansive Leadership—helping individuals and organizations unlock potential through openness. She is a leading force in creating platforms for minority professionals and the tech industry. Through her own experiences as a Harvard-trained corporate lawyer and an entrepreneur, she co-created Bevisiblelatinx, Wallbreakers, and most recently, Speak_.

Suneel Gupta

Healthcare Entrepreneur, Bestselling Author, Visiting Scholar at Harvard Medical School, Host of American Express Business Class Docuseries & Podcast

As the founding CEO of RISE, a breakthrough wellness company, Suneel Gupta helped thousands of people build better habits for life and work. Now as a bestselling author, host of an American Express Docuseries & podcast, and Visiting Scholar at Harvard Medical School, Suneel has taken his mission one step further – helping organizations and teams reach peak performance by lifting their people’s emotional resilience.

Arlan Hamilton

Founder Backstage Capital & Runner, Author, and Venture Catalyst

Arlan Hamilton is a remarkable entrepreneur who built a venture capital fund from the ground up, while homeless. She is the Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital, a VC firm dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women, and/or LGBT.

Jim Harris

Disruptive Innovation Speaker, Bestselling Author

Jim Harris is one of North America’s foremost thought leaders, management consultants, and authors on disruptive innovation. With 20 years experience as a professional speaker and consultant, Jim Harris speaks internationally at more than 40 conferences a year on and is ranked as one of the nation's top ten speakers by Association magazine.

Chante Harris

Global Climate Strategist, Operator & Investor

Chante Harris is a climate tech strategist and Co-Founder of Women of Color Collective in Sustainability (WOC/CS), a champion of social and finance innovation, and ACEEE Champion of Energy Efficiency. Throughout her career, she has successfully scaled nationwide campaigns, technologies, and ideas for the Obama Administration, Fortune 500 companies, and startups. Chante is at the helm of driving climate innovation and advancing the energy transition across cities.

Troy Hazard

Franchise Expert, TV Host, Global Business Leader

The entrepreneurial genius, Troy Hazard, has founded and nurtured twelve businesses over two decades, has turned around businesses that were making enormous losses, and has consulted to countless successful companies including Goodyear, Baskin Robbins, Subway, Fisher & Paykel and many more.

Denise Love Hewett

Host of Do The Work, Producer, DJ

Denise Love Hewett is the host of the podcast, Do the Work, which focuses on redefining leadership to be more holistic. This was birthed out of her time as a founder of Scriptd, an entertainment tech company working to dismantle the inefficient and exclusionary practices of Hollywood. She comes from the world of entertainment, fashion, and hospitality, starting her career as the Director of Sales and Marketing at famed nightclub The Box.

Harold Hughes

Founder & CEO of Bandwagon

Harold Hughes is the founder & CEO of Bandwagon, a South Carolina-based live experience technology company. As a web3 builder and community leader, Harold published "A Kids Book About Blockchain" to help educate people "from 6 to 60" about the revolutionary technology that Bandwagon specializes in. Harold is also an active angel investor, primarily investing in women, people of color, and Black founder-led companies.

Yelitsa Jean-Charles

Founder & CEO of Healthy Roots Dolls

Yelitsa Jean-Charles founded Healthy Roots after recognizing a need for more diverse toys and representation in children’s publishing. She has been recognized as Essence’s 50 Founders to watch and frequently speaks about entrepreneurship, social justice, and cultural competency.

Daymond John

Star of ABC’s Shark Tank

From his wildly successful role on ABC’s smash hit, Shark Tank, to his distinguished status as a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship, Daymond John has become globally recognized for his relentless commitment to promoting and supporting entrepreneurs.

Maral Kalajian

CMO of Watty, Self-Made Marketer, Influencer

Maral, also known as, ‘Maral from Twitter’, ‘Powerhouse’, ‘energy pack’ or ‘Curly’ is one of the most familiar faces in the Nordic tech scene. Maral is the CMO at Watty, one of the hottest startups in Europe. She is also the co-founder of Peppy Pals, an active ambassador for diversity in tech. Former StartupGrind chapter director and SUP46 Femtech co-organizer.

Guy Kawasaki

Chief Evangelist of Canva, Former Chief Evangelist of Apple, Bestselling Author

Guy Kawasaki is a bestselling author, former chief evangelist of Apple, and a former trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation. Today, he is the chief evangelist of Canva (an online graphic design tool), brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz, and is also an executive fellow of the Haas School of Business (UC Berkeley).

Dave Kerpen

Co-Founder & CEO of Apprentice and Remembering Live, Bestselling Author, Serial Entrepreneur

Dave is a serial entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, Co-Founder & CEO of both Apprentice and Remembering Live. He is also the Executive Chairman of Florence Health. Previously in his career, Dave was the Founder and Chairman of Likeable Local, as well as the chairman and co-founder of Likeable Media.

Carrie Kerpen

CEO & Co-Founder Likeable Media, Host of "All the Social Ladies", Author

Carrie Kerpen an author, columnist, host of the popular podcast “All the Social Ladies”, and the co-founder and CEO of Likeable Media, a digital agency that was named Crain’s sixth Best Place to Work in NYC.

Dave Knox

Brand Marketer, Venture Investor, Startup Advisor

As a brand marketer, venture investor, and startup advisor, Dave Knox bridges the worlds of the Fortune 500 and entrepreneurship and is widely recognized as an industry thought leader.

Jonas Koffler

NY Times Bestselling Author, Cofounder, Writer & Producer

Jonas is a New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur, and storyteller, and an award-winning writer & producer of books, documentaries, and branded entertainment at storytelling boutique Koffler Pictures. Jonas regularly presents at conferences, organizations, and events on personal innovation and unconventional thinking, the future of work, creativity and learning, community building, wellness, and resilience.

Joseph Kopser

Speaker, Author, Investor, Innovation Expert

Joseph Kopser serves as an Executive-in-Residence at the McCombs School of Business. Prior to that his company, RideScout, was acquired by Mercedes. He served in the Army for 20 years after graduating from West Point and Harvard. He was recognized as a White House Champion of Change in clean energy and won the U.S. DOT Data Innovation Award. Co-author of, Catalyst, he is an advisor for CleanTX.

Karl Lillrud

eCommerce Business Expert, Influencer, Coach, Author

Karl Lillrud is a best-selling author of 6 books, two times TEDx speaker. Also, He has been honored as one of the world’s Top 50 eCommerce experts, Top 30 eCommerce influencers, Top 50 speakers on online growth and eCommerce. Karl Lillrud educates and inspires his audience on subjects related to online consumer behavior, internet-based business, e-commerce, and online strategies.

Josh Linkner

Hyper-Growth CEO, NY Times Bestselling Author, Venture Capitalist

Josh Linkner, who started his career as a jazz guitarist, has been the founder and CEO of five tech companies, which sold for a combined value of over $200 million. He is also a deeply experienced business leader, venture capitalist, top-rated keynote speaker, and author of four books which include the New York Times bestsellers: Disciplined Dreaming and The Road to Reinvention.

Josh Miller

Co-Founder & CEO of IDEAS xLab, 2x TEDx Speaker, Queer Changemaker, Soros Equality Fellow, Nonprofit Visionary Leader

Josh Miller is a queer changemaker, public speaker, photographer, and outdoor explorer who believes that being visible and sharing our stories can shift culture and enhance people's well-being. As a 2x TEDx speaker who has engaged Fortune 500 and international audiences from Colorado to Salzburg. He is the co-founder & CEO of IDEAS xLab, and was honored with the 2022 Nonprofit Visionary Leader Award from Louisville Business First.

Pauline Nguyen

Owner Of Red Lantern, The Spiritual Entrepreneur, Best-Selling Author, Award-Winning Businesswoman

Pauline Nguyen is the owner of Red Lantern, the most awarded Vietnamese restaurant in the world. Pauline has achieved outstanding success as an entrepreneur, author, businesswoman, and acclaimed speaker with the unique ability to connect with her audience in a profound way, empowering them to change their story for a better future. She speaks and teaches from direct experience with a unique, dramatic cadence that literally has the audience hanging on every word.

James Norman

Founder & CEO of Pilotly

James Norman is a serial entrepreneur who at the age of 16 built his first online company. While previously he may have been known as a visionary in automotive product planning, over the past 10 years in the media and entertainment industry, he has become a thought leader in over-the-top media and consumer video consumption behaviors.

Erica Orange

EVP & COO of The Future Hunters, Futurist, Trend Analyst

Erica Orange is Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of The Future Hunters, one of the world’s leading futurist consulting firms. She evaluates emerging social, technological, economic, political, demographic and environmental trends – and identifies the strategic implications of those trends for several of the most influential Fortune 500 companies, trade associations, and public sector clients.

Liza Pavlakos

Entrepreneur, Author, Philanthropist, Psychotherapist

Liza is the Founder of Mind Hub Directory, improving mental health is a passion and commitment for Liza and her team. She is a qualified psychotherapist, transformation executive coach, entrepreneur, storyteller, and keynote speaker, inspiring individuals to live their best possible life. Liza presents an impassioned and compelling story of true grit and resounding resilience. A story of overcoming impossible adversities, triumphing against all odds, and becoming a self-made, highly successful entrepreneur.

Damian Pelliccione

CEO and Co-Founder of Revry

Damian Pelliccione is the CEO and Co-Founder of Revry, the world’s first LGBTQ Global Content Streaming Network. With over 15 years of experience in the digital and new media world and as an avid speaker, passionate about supporting the LGBTQ community in both authentic representation and entrepreneurship, Damian has spoken at more than over 250 conferences and film festivals around the world.

Christie Pitts

VP of Operations at Mahmee, Investor, Inventor

Christie Pitts is VP of Operations at Mahmee, a maternal healthcare company on a mission to make the US the best place in the world to give birth. She is also an experienced early-stage investor, formerly at Backstage Capital. She co-founded the VCs for Repro initiative, focused on the intersection of the economy and reproductive justice, and hosts the Moms at Work liveshow to build community, raise awareness, and advocate for better experiences for working moms.

Marc Randolph

Netflix Co-Founder, Entrepreneur, Advisor, Bestselling Author, Executive Mentor & Angel Investor

Marc Randolph is a veteran Silicon Valley entrepreneur, advisor, and investor. Although best known as the co-founder and first CEO of Netflix, Marc’s career as an entrepreneur spans more than four decades. He's founded or co-founded six other successful startups, mentored rising entrepreneurs, and invested in numerous successful tech ventures. He is a frequent speaker at industry events, serving variously as a board member, mentor, or executive coach.

Bill Reichert

Entrepreneur, Venture Capitalist, Author, Mentor

Bill Reichert is co-founder and Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures, a well-known seed and early-stage venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. Bill travels around the world giving presentations and workshops on innovation, entrepreneurship, venture capital, and technology trends.

Ryann Richardson

Founder, Political Activist, Miss Black America

Ryann Richardson made history when she became the 50th Anniversary Miss Black America. The tech marketer-turned-founder and Diversity & Inclusion advocate spent 10 years building brands and culture for companies spanning early-stage startups to billion-dollar "unicorns" to the Fortune500. Her work earned her a spot as the youngest honoree on Savoy Magazine’s list of Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America, and set her on the path to discovering her unique purpose as a champion for underrepresented voices.

Neil Sahota

IBM Master Inventor, AI & Technology Expert, Author

Neil Sahota (萨冠军) is an IBM Master Inventor, United Nations (UN) Advisor, Artificial Intelligence (AI) subject matter expert, Faculty at UC Irvine, and author of Own the A.I. Revolution. With 20+ years of business experience, he works with organizations to create next-generation products/solutions powered by emerging technology.

Rodney Sampson

CEO of Opportunity Hub, Inclusive Startup Ecosystem Builder, Venture Capitalist, Economist

Rodney Sampson, of Opportunity Hub, is heralded as the leading inclusive startup ecosystem builder and is passionate about reducing poverty and wealth gap by advancing the cause of innovation, technology, entrepreneurship and investment as a way of life for all, with an emphasis on socially disadvantaged and under-estimated and sponsored communities in America and beyond.

Kati Schmidt

Director of International Business Operations at Course Hero

Kati Schmidt is passionate about female entrepreneurship and the transatlantic relationship. As an early former employee of Airbnb, Kati Schmidt worked on launching and scaling Airbnb’s operations in Europe, starting Airbnb’s public policy efforts globally and launching Airbnb Experiences.

Astrid Scholz

Serial Entrepreneur in Social Innovation & Systems Change

Dr. Astrid J. Scholz is a serial entrepreneur in social innovation and systems change. As a recovering nonprofit executive turned tech entrepreneur, Astrid is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Armillaria, and Co-Founder and Capital Lead of Zebras Unite. Astrid’s work focuses on democratizing innovation and capital to solve today’s wicked problems.

Peter Sheahan

Founder & CEO of Karrikins Group, C-Suite Advisor, Thought Leader, Author

Peter Sheahan is the founder & Group CEO of Karrikins Group, a C-Suite Advisor, and a bestselling author. Sheahan is also known internationally for his innovative business thinking and thought leadership. With over 120 staff, in 24 cities, across nine countries, Sheahan knows firsthand the challenges of growing a business in these rapidly-changing times. He helps leading brands turn challenges into opportunities and disruption into growth.

Arian Simone

Co-Founder & CEO of Fearless Fund, Entrepreneur, Author

Arian Simone is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, investor, best-selling author, and international speaker. She is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Fearless Fund, the First Venture Capital Fund built for WOC by WOC. She has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the “100 Women of Impact".

Jill Sinclair

Founder Of Hustler Sophisticate Speaker Series, TEDx Speaker, Author, Executive Coach

Jill Sinclair is an executive coach, author, TEDx & international keynote speaker who changes people's lives by challenging their limits. Jill crafts her language and her message so she's speaking to the core of what her audience needs. She Helps her audience to UNCOVER and OVERCOME their success blockers. Jill is the founder of Hustler Sophisticate Speaker Series and Business Bootcamps.

Kunbi Tinuoye

Founder of Urbangeekz, Award-Winning Journalist

Kunbi Tinuoye is an award-winning British-born journalist and broadcaster based in the United States. She is the founder of UrbanGeekz, a groundbreaking video-centric African-American, Latinx, and multicultural digital news platform focused on technology, science, business, and startups.

Jared Weiner

Leading Futurist, EVP & Chief Strategy Officer of The Future Hunters

Jared is Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer of The Future Hunters, one of the world’s leading futurist consulting firms. His work is industry-agnostic, and covers trend activity in the realms of science & technology, economics, politics, demographics and environmental issues.

Aniyia Williams

Creator, Inventor, Tech Changemaker

Aniyia Williams is a systempreneur, creator, inventor, tech changemaker, and investor. She is a principal on the Responsible Technology team at Omidyar Network, and works to help the tech world live up to its promise of changing lives for the better. She serves as Executive Director of Black & Brown Founders, co-founder of Zebras Unite, and founded and led the fashion tech company, Tinsel.

Darren Woodson

Managing Principal at Cresa, Founder and CEO of CounterFind, 3x Super Bowl Champion, Former Dallas Cowboy and NFL Analyst at ESPN, Real Estate Partner

Darren Woodson is the Managing Principal at Cresa, a Super Bowl Champion, Former Dallas Cowboy, and ESPN Analyst. After a successful 12-year career as the leading tackler for the Dallas Cowboys, Woodson understands the importance of embracing change, accepting criticism, and fostering healthy competition. Darren shares practical skills for building cultures of excellence. With his insights, audiences nationwide gain valuable tools for creating effective teams, cultivating exceptional business cultures, and finding joy in life.

Steve Wozniak

“The Woz”, Co-Founder of Apple

A Silicon Valley icon and philanthropist for more than thirty years, Steve Wozniak has helped shape the computing industry with his design of Apple’s first line of products the Apple I and II. In 1976, Wozniak and Steve Jobs founded Apple Computer Inc. with Wozniak’s Apple I personal computer. Since then, Wozniak has received countless awards for his technological advancements and philanthropic endeavors and is also a published author and co-founded Woz U.

Ramona Wright

TEDx Speaker, Founder, Strategist, Author, Tech Investor, Philanthropist, Coach

Ramona Wright, a TEDx speaker, author, tech investor, producer, tech investor, and philanthropist, has more than 15 years of strategic communication expertise. She’s a trailblazer who taught public relations and social media marketing to more than 200. Ramona is an accomplished speaker who has spoken on behalf of the American Heart Association, Google, and Microsoft. She worked with Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar Award-winning talent.

Mara Zepeda

Serial Social Entrepreneur, Co-Founder of Cola Love & Zebras Unite

Mara Zepeda is a co-founder of Cola Love, a catalytic community and economic development design studio in Columbia, South Carolina. She is also the Co-Founder of Zebras Unite, an international and intersectional hybrid cooperative and non-profit creating a more ethical, inclusive, collaborative, and sustainable approach to building businesses. She is a systempreneur and serial social entrepreneur and she speaks about and leads workshops on education, trust, social networks, and the future of business internationally.