Minority Innovation Weekend

Sesie K. Bonsi is the Founder and CEO of Bleu. Bleu facilitates mobile transactions utilizing Bluetooth, low energy beacons. Follow them at @bleucoent.

Listen to our panelist as they discuss their experience launching a tech startup as a founder of color.

New startup companies are created every day, but many don’t last. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA) about 90% of startups fail. Unfortunately, 10% of startups fail within the first year. Delali Dzirasa, the CEO and founder of Fearless technology was faced against the odds of failure when he started his business in 2009. However, Dzirasa set a goal in the beginning to create a company that would exist forever. “The why makes your company last more than the competitors,” Dzirasa said. Fearless technology builds software with the soul to help solve problems. Technology powers so many things around us but, “so often that is not the same technology that happens to power things like healthcare, things like education, and social justice. So Fearless really exist to fill the gap and provide services and bring technology into that space,” Dzirasa said. The name of the company holds a lot of value because it is a reminder to not be afraid. “Funny enough as much as I felt prepared to start a company and I felt like I had what I needed to get going….I was still terrified,” Dzirasa said. “It’s pretty hard to wake up every day scared if you have a company called fearless; so, it was kind of an internal reminder,” Dzirasa said. Before making the jump to start Fearless, Dzirasa sat down with his family and discussed the sacrifices needed to make his dream a reality. “We ended up selling all of our stuff and putting the parts we didn’t sell in storage. And I convinced my mother to let us move back in the house,” Dzirasa said. Dzirasa and his wife moved and built the foundation of Fearless in his mothers’ basement. His wife gave him a year to get the company off the ground and he did. “Being able to cut the expenses and dump everything that came in back into the company is what helped to get the thing off the ground,” Dzirasa said. Even though Dzirasa made the sacrifices necessary there were still roadblocks along the way. During the first year of the company Dzirasa also ran a marathon that taught him skills that kept the company going. “That marathon coincided with the first year I was launching the company. I actually don’t know if fearless would be here if I didn’t run that marathon at the same time,” Dzirasa said. The marathon was 26 miles long, but his trainer taught him to reach for each mile as a step until you reach the final milestone. Delali used that same mind frame when he started his company. “It seems like you don’t know where to start and it’s like just do a little bit... and before you know it you look back in a couple of years and you’re like wow we built something pretty cool,” Dzirasa said. Fearless has grown tremendously since it first began and continues to deliver innovative digital services to power the things that matter. Although, the company has hit so many goals Dzirasa says this is just the beginning. “I don’t think we’ve made it. There’s a lot of things that we still need to accomplish, that is still on our radar. I feel like we’re just scratching the surface. I think we’ve got work to do,” Dzirasa said. Most importantly, Dzirasa believes that he must use his resources to help open doors for others. Unfortunately, the number of minorities that create startups and receive funding is extremely low. However, “there is a moment that we are in right now. Right now it is hot to be in tech and its hot to black. There is capital looking to be deployed, more people talking about where are the women founders, where are the minority founders, in a way that has never happen before,” Dzirasa said. One piece of advice that Dzirasa has for the future minorities in technology is to be honest with yourself, how bad do you really want it? “You may want to be and entrepreneur less than you want to sleep, you may want to be and entrepreneur less than you want to hang out with your friends. So it’s not a matter of do you want it… its where is it stacked in the list of all the other things that you want to do,” Dzirasa said.

MIW Disruptive Podcast Episode 2021-008: Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, President of The University of Maryland, Baltimore County Dr. Freeman Hrabowski has served as the president of The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) since 1992. During his presidency more black students have earned bachelor's degrees in science and technology from UMBC (www.umbc.edu) than from any other non-historically black university in Maryland. More importantly, Hrabowski understands the importance of minority participation and performance in the STEM related fields. Hrabowski sits down with the MIW podcast team and shares his journey as an educator and the legacy he will leave behind at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County following his retirement. Hrabowski holds various prestigious titles including  one of America's Best Leaders, one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, and one of America's 10 Best College Presidents.

Troy LeMaile-Stovall has over two decades of experience in higher education, information/communication technology, investment management, and management consulting. Currently LeMaile-Stovall serves as the CEO of TEDCO, one of the largest hubs for technology companies in Maryland. More importantly, LeMaile-Stovall understands the importance of following your passion, and he has founded two management consulting firms. LeMaile-Stovall sits down with the MIW podcast team and shares how technology start ups can take advantage of every resource available to them. As the CEO of TEDCO, LeMaile-Stovall prides himself in providing economic and educational development to entrepreneurs.

Brisa Renteria is an experienced sales selection strategist, and she previously worked for the largest sales training organization in the world. During her career, Renteria has trained over 5,000 sales leaders at technology companies like Microsoft. While working to find the best sales people for companies across the country, Renteria realized that companies can't succeed without a strong foundation. As a result, in the midst of the pandemic, Renteria founded Improve Growth, a company that recruits the right talent for companies the first time. Renteria sits down with the MIW podcast team to share her journey to entrepreneurship and the importance of a great sales team in every company.

Prasanna Naik went against the odds and quit his job as a Product Manager for Airbnb during a global pandemic. However, it was for the right reasons - to follow his dreams and launch a tech startup. Prasanna sits down with the MIW podcast team to discuss the importance of building a solid foundation for a startup company. Although, he can't share the details of the start up (just yet) he gives tons of advice to prepare others in their journey.

Mac Conwell is an experienced software engineer and former tech startup founder. Currently Conwell is using his talents, investment philosophy and expertise to raise 10 million dollars for his venture capital firm, RareBreed ventures. RareBreed Ventures is closing in on that goal and is investing in founders before everyone else. Conwell sits down with MIW podcast team and shares how he's found great entrepreneurs in areas where many aren't looking.

MIW Disruptive Podcast Episode 2021-003: Monique Mills, MBA, PMP, Founder & Chief Strategist, TPM Focus Monique Mills received her undergraduate electrical engineering degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology and her MBA, with a concentration in Management of Technology, from the Georgia Institute of Technology. After many years of corporate industry experience, she took the plunge and stepped out on her own to create and lead the growth of her own technology company as well as a multidisciplinary management consulting company, TPM Focus. TPM Focus provides revenue-focused strategy to startups and small to medium-sized businesses by synchronizing their marketing, sales, technology, and customer success with revenue goals (finances). Monique's earliest entrepreneurial experience began while simultaneously working in her engineering career. As a result of her love of real estate and desire to manage her personal investment transactions, she became a licensed Realtor and launched a real estate sales and consulting business, Focused Realtors, to assist other investors in strategic planning and execution of their real estate ventures. Monique has personal experience and expertise in buying, selling, leasing, and construction management of both residential and commercial properties. She is a Member of the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors. The real estate experience combined with constant curiosity and a love of using technology to solve problems, provided the genesis for her first technology company, ThePartyMatch Technology -– a software(SaaS) application designed to match underutilized commercial properties with those seeking to co-locate temporarily or more permanently. In addition, the technology included artificial intelligence components to provide real-time availability, cost information, customer service, and leasing details-– it was ahead of its time. Monique was requested and honored to pitch ThePartyMatch in a private, invitation-only casting for ABC's Shark Tank, a reality television show for cutting edge entrepreneurs, as well as for Steve Case, an American innovator and Founder of AOL, during his Rise of Rest tour around the nation. She's been a staple in the Atlanta tech scene since the resurgence of the startup activity in 2013 and received a nod of acknowledgement from TechCrunch, the most respected online newspaper focused on high tech and startup companies. As a certified PMP (Project Management Professional) with many years of project management experience across several industries and as Principal of TPM Focus, Monique uses a strategic approach based upon PMI Project Management principles, Blue Ocean Strategies, Design Thinking, and Agile and Lean Startup Methodologies to develop innovative ideas into early-stage startup companies and help mature small businesses upgrade and expand their operations with cutting-edge strategies and technologies to remain competitive in the market. Monique is an Advisory Board Member for Stem to Market, an initiative by the Association for Women in Science, that provides entrepreneurial education and support to STEM women with research or technology they want to commercialize. Monique is a Research Faculty member of Georgia Institute of Technology, serving tech entrepreneurs at the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), the oldest technology incubator in Georgia. ATDC has an international reputation for fostering technological entrepreneurship by helping tech startups navigate the ambiguous journey of taking an idea from concept, to prototype, launch, and finally, to scale. Participating companies have created hundreds of jobs, millions of tax revenues, and raised over a billion dollars in outside funding from angel investors and venture capitalists. Monique served as an Adjunct Professor at Georgia State University in the College of Business as part of the University's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute. She taught students how to apply evidence-based entrepreneurship methods to go from an idea to a sustainable business model. Monique served as a Director for Founder Institute, the world's premier idea-stage accelerator based in Silicon Valley, to help establish an Atlanta chapter of their startup launch program. Monique currently serves as a mentor to several tech startup founders as well as for many small business owners in her role as a volunteer for SCORE, a 50 year-old non-profit association supported by the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow, and achieve goals through education and mentoring. She received SCORE's Outstanding Mentor Award for 2017.

Dr. Gaspard has a passion for entrepreneurship, healthcare, medical devices, and innovation. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering (BME) at the University of Miami in Miami, FL (‘04). She completed her Masters (’05) and PhD (’11) in BME at Carnegie Mellon University. While earning her graduate degrees she founded and served as CEO of two biotech companies, TLneoCare, LLC and Rubitection Inc, to commercialize her innovations. As CEO she developed the business strategy, IP strategy, and raised initial financing. She has ideated novel technology for infant physiotherapy, vascular surgery, and wound care. She has received recognition and awards including being selected as a finalist for the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards(’13), a semi-finalist for the Big C competition (’14), a finalist for the Mass Challenge Business accelerator in Boston, and taking 1st place at the 3 Rivers Investment Venture Fair’s Technology showcase (‘11). Her vision is to make the Rubitect Assessment System the global standard solution for early bedsore detection and management.

According to a Pew Research Center report, “the majority of STEM workers in the U.S. are white (69%), followed by Asians (13%), blacks (9%) and Hispanics (7%).” In this episode we discuss African American and Hispanic American experiences in the STEM workforce with Andres Marquez (Software Engineer at Facebook), Jazmine Staten (IT Project Manager at Dell Technologies), Marisol Monzon (Medical Student at University of Utah), Tori Sombright (Educational Technology Coordinator, Plano Independent School District), Carlton Sapp (VP of Analytics and AI at Gartner), and Lee Pham (Principal - Cybersecurity, Privacy, Intellectual Property, and Governance at Teleiosis)

Mr. Chris Allen is a serial innovator and founder of CJA Systems sits down with the MIW Podcast team to discuss innovation and being a founder of a tech startup.

As Innovation Director, Andre is responsible for driving value creation through cross-enterprise solutions (product, services and programs) that impact the future of AARP and deliver new value to the 50+. He is responsible for developing and executing the strategy and vision for new innovative product offerings, including developing product vision and roadmaps, prioritizing initiatives, and helping to articulate the value of the offerings to the enterprise.

Episode 2020-024: Stephanie Lonard, Founder & President at Technically Minded Talent Ms. Stephanie Lonard owns and operates a recruitment firm, Technically Minded Talent, for technical talent to provide the best experience for both the hiring manager and candidate. Technically Minded Talent's mission is to increase accuracy and speed of each match. Ms. Lonard is also a versatile and experienced Senior Project Manager and Process Engineer with 8 years of experience in Oil and Gas and Manufacturing. She has led capital projects of up to $12 Million and has highly transferable cross-functional skills, technical proficiency and operational knowledge. She is skilled in planning, design, development and maintenance of production facilities, equipment and systems. Knowledgeable in analytical chemistry. She is also effective at leading collaborative teams across divisions to develop and implement process improvements, equipment upgrades, and solutions for complex technical challenges at manufacturing facilities.

MIW Disruptive Podcast Episode 2020-023: Tai Hutchinson, Innovation | Strategic Partnerships + Operations | Program Manager Techstars NYC Ms. Tai Hutchinson is an experienced Program Manager at Techstars NYC where she runs operations and recruits incoming classes. In addition to being a program manager, Tai has a wealth of experience in Business Development, Program Management, Partnership Development. 

MIW Disruptive Podcast Episode 2020-022: Jennifer Chiang | Director of Customer Success at Yup | Author of The Startup's Guide to Customer Success Jennifer Chiang is the Director of Customer Success at Yup Technologies, Author of The Startup's Guide to Customer Success, mental health advocate, political economist, and speaker. She is a leader who is passionate about helping companies - particularly startups - unlock the true potential of customer success through analytics, empowerment, and a truly customer-centric mindset. Ms. Chiang also gave a talk on Customer Acquisition & Gaining Traction at Minority Innovation Weekend 2020.

MIW Disruptive Podcast Episode 2020-021: Dr. Dane Brown | Cybersecurity | Biometrics | Privacy & Trust | Cryptography Dane Brown is an Assistant Professor in the Cyber Science Department at the United States Naval Academy. He holds a B.S in Electrical Engineering (USNA '05) and an M.S. in Computer Engineering (NPS '06). He completed a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering (Virginia Tech '19) with a focus on analyzing the security of firmware in ARM environments. Dane has worked at the Naval Academy since 2010. Originally an instructor in the Electrical Engineering department, he quickly got involved in teaching and developing courses for the new Cyber additions to the Naval Academy core curriculum. In 2014, he was hired into the new Cyber Science department and charged with helping to create the curriculum and course sequence for the emergent Cyber Operations major. To this end, he has adapted and delivered a course which introduces students to computer architecture and design principles in a hands-on format.

Adrianna Samaniego is an Investor at Female Founders Fund, the pre-eminent early-stage fund investing in female-founded technology companies. Since its founding in 2014, Female Founders Fund has invested in over 50 of the fastest-growing female-led technology companies nationwide. These include category leaders like Zola, Billie, Co–Star, Tala, ELOQUII, Primary Kids, Bento Box, Kin Euphorics, Peanut, WinkyLux, Rent The Runway, and more. Prior to joining Female Founders Fund, she worked as a Summer Investment Associate at JetBlue Ventures, Harlem Capital Partners, & New Media Ventures. Adrianna spent eight years in tech, formerly as Co-founder & Co-CEO at Area 120 Google’s Startup Incubator. In this role, she led a team to rapidly build and launch a B2B marketplace for Fortune 500 companies to procure from diverse-owned companies. Adrianna also formerly led and created Google's Global Supplier Diversity Program that created over $1B in opportunities for diverse-owned businesses. Adrianna is passionate about removing inequities and increasing diversity in VC and Tech ecosystems. Adrianna’s excellence in the workplace and community has been recognized on many occasions, including University of Georgia 40 Under 40, Silicon Valley Latino Emerging Leader Award, Hispanic Association of Corporate Responsibility Corporate Achiever Award, Technology Industry Group Top Innovator Award, and Top Latinas at Tech Giants. Adrianna Samaniego is of Mexican descent and was born and raised in the small border town of Douglas, Arizona. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA from the University of Georgia.

Tsahia Hobson is a healthcare enthusiast working to transform patient care for all of us while driving creative and innovative solutions with technology. Tsahia is an Innovation leader who solves complex business problems across operational lanes. She evaluates current trends and ideas to identify opportunities for innovation by understanding problems, needs, and ideas. She manages large-scale enterprise transformations, with experience in bringing new products and services to market, and the ability to lead in entrepreneurial, fast-paced environments.

MIW Disruptive Podcast Episode 2020-018: Michael Ogunsanya, CEO & Co-Founder of MindStand Technologies Michael Ogunsanya, CEO & Co-Founder of Mindstand Technologies sits down with the MIW podcast team to discuss launching MindStand Technologies. MindStand Technologies is an artificial intelligence specializing in detecting online harassment, hate speech, and potential safety risks. Instances of cyberbullying, hate speech, and threatening behaviors are identified by MindStands advanced machine learning algorithms and reported in real time. MindStand Technologies merges clinical psychology with advanced technology to foster a healthy online community.

Luis Martinez, MSOL is an Afro-Latino from Honduras and raised in Brooklyn, New York with an M.B.A. in Organizational Leadership, Luis is an advocate, networker and ecosystem builder for Blacks, Latinos in tech & innovation throughout the United States and abroad. A Former Pro Basketball Player and U.S. Navy Veteran, currently he is the Director for Startup Grind San Diego. Startup Grind is the largest independent startup community, actively educating, inspiring, and connecting 3,500,000 entrepreneurs in over 400 cities. Luis felt the need to create a movement aimed at creating the super ecosystem for Black & Latino Founders, Venture Capitalist & Angel Investors. The lack of access and information about tech and innovation that flows to these underrepresented communities is causing these communities to be behind in Math, Science & current Technology. Also, there is a disconnect between minorities that have been successful in tech & innovation and those back in communities in which they came from. By creating “We Tha Plug”, Luis is connecting businesses, organizations, and individuals, leveraging their resources and talents to build a stronger Black & Latino tech and innovation community through collective efforts.

Nina Archie (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-archie-06375880/) is the CEO and Founder of the Innovator-Connector. The Innovator-Connector™, LLC is an innovative consulting firm creating access to resources, initiatives, and solutions for client’s projects involving intellectual property, commercialization, government funding, small business ownership, and diversity gap issues.

Minority Innovation Weekend presents Empowering Women of Color in Tech Panel.This panel will explore the experiences of women of color throughout the tech ecosystem.

Rakia Finley is the Founding Partner at Copper & Vine Studio, an American software executive, Women in Tech Initiative Leader, full-stack developer, Salesforce MVP, mother, private investor, and philanthropist. She is best known for her work with the Obama Administration on their “Girls in STEM” initiative and continues to develop innovative technology solutions and community initiatives that promote diversity in STEM for girls of color. Named FemTech’s 2016 & 2017 Powerful Woman Programmer, she is one of the highest-earning African-American females in the software industry and North America’s first black female owner of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) software and product development firm.

Sandeep Shah, Product Tech Innovator & Strategist Professional with a career working at the nexus of Technology, Policy & Sustainability in the Consumer Products Industry sits down with the MIW Disruptive Podcast Team to discuss venture capital, breaking into venture capital, and more.  Sandeep Shah is a highly diversified & civic minded professional dedicated to leading global initiatives at the intersection of Technology, Education & Retail/CPG; with focus on supporting economically deprived & socially vulnerable communities. He currently serves as the Chief Marketing Officer at Wonderous (E-Commerce Start-Up) and the Executive Lead of Partners & Talent supporting John Gannon & GoingVC (Venture Capital). An experienced Innovator with a strong global network to draw from, Sandeep leverages his expertise in Product Development, Strategic Operational Support & Data-Driven Marketing with numerous Fortune 100 Companies, Government’s & Non-Profits on Corporate Social Responsibility, Operations and Tech-Entrepreneurial & Venture Interests.

Aurelia Flores has been in the digital marketing field for nearly 10 years. She also practiced law – intellectual and corporate business law – for nearly 20 years after graduating from Stanford Law School. As a business and intellectual property attorney, she helped structure deals for Angel and VC investments during the late 90’s dot-com boom. She has assisted small businesses in formation, launching and getting to profitability – including assisting in writing business plans and obtaining SBA funding for companies.

MIW Disruptive Podcast Episode 2020-012: Anne Griffin – Product Manager | Growth | AI and Blockchain | Public Speaker Anne Griffin built her product management career working with organizations such as Microsoft, Comcast, Mercedes-Benz, and Priceline. She currently works at Priceline as a Product Manager and as the Chief Product & Curriculum Officer of Tech 2025, a platform and community for learning about and engaging with emerging technologies such as blockchain and AI, and exploring their impact. Additionally, Anne is the owner and Chief Product Coach of Griffin Product & Growth Coaching, where she coaches and advises emerging tech-focused startups and small and medium sized businesses. West Point, the University of Montreal, and Morgan State University are a few of the universities where she has guest lectured. She teaches her own course on Business Applications of Blockchain through O'Reilly Media. Anne holds a degree in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan. In this episode, the MIW podcast team talks to Anne about her work at Griffin Product and Growth Coaching, Tech 2025, and her interest in Machine learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI), tech ethics, and blockchain products that have business value and can make an industry more equitable for partners and customers.

Earnest Sweat is an Associate Partner at GreatPoint Ventures who focuses on verticals whose emerging technologies will have the most significant impact on global GDP, specializing in retail, supply chain, real estate, and manufacturing. Prior to joining GPV, Earnest was a founding team member at Prologis Ventures, the venture arm of the world’s largest industrial real estate owner. Earnest is also a founding Board Member of BLCK VC, a community built for and by black investors, and, shortly after college, founded an online marketplace to provide college advisory and professional development services, which was acquired four years later. Earnest is an alum of Columbia University and earned his MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

Claire Coder launched her first company at age 16, designed a bag for Vera Bradley that sold out in 24 hours, and has her own line of GIFs. The 22-year-old founder has been featured in TeenVogue, Forbes, and starred in TLC’s Girl Starter Season 1. When she is not jamming out to Macklemore and India Arie, she is pretending like she knows how to run Google ads.

Ms. Ellington West, CEO, and Mr. Brandon Dottin-Haley, CBDO, talk with the MIW Podcast team about launching the health-tech startup Sonavi Labs from an idea developed at The Johns Hopkins University, raising funding, and growing Sonavi Labs into an innovative device and software company focused on developing modern medical products that analyze body sounds for the diagnosis of diseases. Sonavi Lab's technology rooted in artificial intelligence that will evolve the patient experience and enhance the capabilities of providers world-wide.

In this episode with the MIW Disruptive podcast, we sit down with Dr. Tiffany Gray, Public Health Advisor & Data Scientist to discuss the cross section of technology and public health. We also discuss The Entrepreneurship Diet which covers Dr. Gray's journey into entrepreneurship.  Take a moment to listen to this podcast while we cover topics such a blockchain and its application in the global response to COVID-19, artificial intelligence, Big Data vs. Data Science, and Dr. Gray's advice for other entrepreneurs. About Dr. Tiffany Gray Tiffany R. Gray, DrPH, MPH has over 9 years of experience in the field of public health, regulatory compliance and behavioral health research. Dr. Gray holds a Doctorate in Public Health in Health Behavior and a Master’s in Public Health in Maternal and Child Health, from the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University in Washington, DC. Currently a public health advisor for the DC Department of Health, as well as Adjunct Faculty at the Milken Institute School of Public Health, Franklin Pierce School of Law at the University of New Hampshire, and Columbia University. She is also Associate Editor for Frontiers in Blockchain, Co-Chair of the Blockchain in Healthcare Global-IEEE Research Subgroup Committee and Fellow, and an Ambassador for Patientory, Inc. Dr. Gray serves as Research & Science Advisor to Axes & Eggs, a DC/Dubai based blockchain think-tank, focused on the applications of distributed ledger technologies in public health, global health, and healthcare administration. In addition, she serves as an advisor at Aventura Engineering, as well as TruDiary, a tech-based application focused on improving health and reducing health disparities and inequities among women of color. She is also a board member of the Black Women in Blockchain Council.

Joycelyn S. Brown, Esq. is the managing partner at IPS Legal Group, P.A.. After receiving a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University, Ms. Brown worked as an engineer in the semi-conductor industry for several years. Ms. Brown received her law degree from the University of Miami School of Law in 2008. Following law school, Ms. Brown worked as an associate at one of Florida’s most respected law firms where she represented companies in a variety of matters including intellectual property and contract disputes, complex litigation, and employment matters. Ms. Brown went on to serve as a law clerk to Judge Marcia Cooke on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Aside from the practice of law, Ms. Brown has served the Miami-Dade community as the President of the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Bar Association, a member of the Dade-County Bar Association, and an advocate for women’s sports. In 2015, Ms. Brown was recognized as one of the top 40 Under 40 Black Professionals in Miami. Ms. Brown is also an adjunct professor at Miami-Dade College.

On this episode of MIW Disruptive, Jason Tagler & Calvin Young of PitchCreator.com discusses startups navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic.

On this episode of MIW Disruptive, Jason Tagler & Calvin Young talks about PitchCreator.com. PitchCreator.com helps entrepreneurs learn how to communicate with investors and raise capital.

Michelle Dhansinghani is the CEO of Elan Strategies, a Washington D.C based boutique consulting firm with a global presence focused on business development for non-profit organizations, private sector investments, and political campaigns. We generate growth and revenue for our clients through access to a powerful and expansive network of corporations, civil society organizations, and public sector entities in the United States and in Latin America. Described as a connector and relationship builder, Michelle loves brainstorming with clients and developing strategy to ensure her clients succeed. Prior to founding Elan Strategies, Michelle worked for the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), the largest Hispanic business organization in the United States, managing fundraising efforts with Fortune 500 companies in the energy, technology, hospitality, and consumer goods industries. She was part of a team of two in charge of fundraising over $6 million a year from Corporate America. Previously, Michelle worked for the Cesar Chavez Foundation as the Regional Director of Outreach, building national relationships with labor, farm worker, and non-violent organizations. While in Austin, Texas Michelle worked at Gerson Lehrman Group focusing on investment decisions in the energy and industrial industries.

McKeever’s primary role at TEDCO is to find, help make investment decisions on, and help build Maryland-based startups. McKeever (Mac) works closely with many TEDCO portfolio companies to help them secure customers, partnerships, and funding. Mac also conducts extensive outreach to all of the tech communities and ecosystems in Maryland and does a lot of work supporting founders who consider themselves to be economically or socially disadvantaged. In 2017 Mac helped launch the Minority Business Pre-seed Fund and what was later transitioned to the Builder Fund. Mac uses the knowledge he gained working in both public and private sectors as a software engineer and CEO to help startups be successful. A Baltimore native, Mac joined a co-op program with the Department of Defense in 2006 and obtained a top-secret security clearance. He went on to become a government contractor working in software development for several companies, including Northrop Grumman and Booz Allen Hamilton. In October 2009, he co-founded his first tech startup, Given.to, which completed two accelerators, Accelerate Baltimore and NewMe Accelerator. Mac was later named entrepreneur-in-residence at NewMe. Mac and his team sold the technology in 2014. His next venture, RedBerry, was accepted into the Dreamit Ventures Accelerator in Philadelphia. Mac has been a guest on Huffington Post Live several times and his companies have been featured in many media outlets such as USA Today, Washington Post, BET, CNN Headline News, and Black Enterprise. He attended Morgan State University, majoring in Computer Science.

Joey Price is an award-winning Human Resources executive, business coach, thought leader, and professor. He is the founder of Jumpstart:HR, LLC, an HR Consulting Practice specifically for small businesses and startups, and host of Business, Life, and Coffee, a weekly personal and professional development podcast. As the CEO of Jumpstart:HR, LLC, Joey innovates by creating HR solutions for small business owners and start-up founders who want to build better, more competitive businesses. As a podcaster on the Business, Life, and Coffee show, Joey shares carefully curated conversations on personal finance, psychology, workplace culture, professional development, and business for emerging professionals and business owners alike. BLC is a podcast focused on enhancing the quality of your business and life through relevant content that endures over time. Joey is a recent HR Executive Magazine Top 100 HR Tech Influencer, SHRM Top 30 Under 30 award winner, one of Forbes Magazine's Kevin Kruse's Top 100 Employee Engagement Experts in the World, and frequently cited HR and Startup Thought Leader in publications such as Forbes, HR Magazine, Inc., Businessweek, AMEX Open Forum, Money Magazine, and more. Joey serves on the Board of Governors at The Center Club - A Top 100 Private City Club in the World.

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