Francesca Uriri is the Founder of Leading Ladies Africa; a women empowerment non-profit that celebrates the lives of African women, promotes leadership, diversity and gender inclusion. She equips African women with the skills they need to succeed in life and business. She does this through effective mentoring, organizing capacity building events, and showcasing the achievements …
Lise Birikundavyi is the co-founder and managing partner for BKR Capital, the first institutional, black-led VC fund in Canada. Lise is an innovative finance specialist who has worked with several international institutions and acts as guest lecturer for prestigious organization, including Oxford University and the International Olympic Committee Accelerator managed by the Yunus Sports Hub. …
Evanna Oli is the Co-Founder, Beautiful Curly Me. It started with a 6 year old girl. One day, she came home from school and asked her Mom why her hair wasn’t straight and “pretty” like her classmates. She didn’t like her hair and she struggled with accepting herself. Mom felt terrible and wondered how she …
Dr. David Castain is a serial entrepreneur, world traveler, life & work coach, philanthropist, and scholar who is a member of the Forbes List, Entrepreneur Leadership Network. . Further highlighting his expertise, Dr. Castain was a member of the Rolling Stone Culture Council, and the Newsweek Expert Forum. Dr. Castain is also the Founder and …
Kola Aina is the Founding Partner at Ventures Platform, an early-stage “discovery” venture capital fund championing the next generation of African entrepreneurs. Kola is a passionate ecosystem builder, at Ventures Park, a co-working space and community for entrepreneurs as well as Ventures Platform Foundation, which empowers entrepreneurs by providing access to capital, education and digital …
Damola Adamolekun is the Chief Executive Officer at P.F. Chang, a restaurant chain. He is a son of a neurologist and pharmacist, born in Nigeria, and raised in Zimbabwe, Amsterdam, Springfield, Ill., and Columbia, Md. Now, at 33, this African “biz whiz kid” who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., oversees the management of the casual Asian-American …
Karen Matsiko is the Head of Working Capital & Vice President – Trade Finance, Absa Group. A Pan African Bank headquartered in South Africa. In her role, she designs and implements the Africa Working Capital sectoral value and customer value propositions to obtain growth and primacy by responsively adapting to the ever-changing regional needs of …
Jeron Smith is the CEO of HEIR whose goal is to Build the Future of Digital Culture. He has previously served in Unanimous Media and as the Chief Marketing Officer for SC30 Enterprises. Previously, Jeron Smith was the deputy director in the Office of Digital Strategy in the White House under President Barack Obama, and …
Blessing Abeng is a branding & communications expert dedicated to helping brands identify and communicate their unique identity and tell better stories. She builds brand and communication strategies around tech products, services, growth, and sales to help brands communicate with their team, target audience, partners, and investors. She has worked with brands across industries in unique …
Damilare Ogunleye is the co-founder and CEO of FoodLama, a trusted shopping assistant that makes your online grocery shopping easier to find the perfect food products that meet your household’s exact dietary requirements or preferences. He has over 12 years marketing experience in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPGs) sector, most recently as co-founder of an …