The Region’s Largest Gathering of Underrepresented Founders
The Summit is always an uncommon opportunity to meet inspiring entrepreneurs and investors in our local community, whether Female, Black, Latino, Veteran, LGBT, Asian, Indigenous, etc., who all together still represent a minority of venture capital investments in the USA. Help us, help them, to change the status quo by participating in this event.
Doors open at 5pm. Summits formally begin at 5:30pm. Diverse-founder startup pitch presentations usually begin around 8pm, and each startup team has their own demo tables in the mixer area. Guests are welcome to stay for the afterparty mixer, meet the founders personally, and meet all the other guests. Light snacks and beverages are served. Parking is always free and easy.
Agenda
5:00 Doors open (please register up to 48 hrs in advance for Early Bird discount)
5:30 Session begins with introduction of Keynote Speaker, Earl Valencia
6:15 Gender Panel led by Dana Sather Robinson
7:00 Break for light dinner and beverages
7:20 Race and Ethnicity Panel led by AR Bell
8:05 Pitches by six diverse startup founders
Tuvache Betton, Founder and CEO of Kadago
Brittany Bell, Co-founder and CEO of Gametime Hero
Joshua Ahmed, Founder and CEO of RealEngineers
Kathy Green, Founder and CEO of CargoCheck
Josh Green, Co-founder of Deadlift Studios
Divya Agarwal, Founder and CEO of TheCustomBake
8:50 Identity group introductions (BFF, FFF, VFF, LGBTQFF) and upcoming events
9:00 Afterparty begins at the demo tables
Next Summit: October 28th, 2024
Keynote Speaker: Earl Valencia
Earl Martin S. Valencia is a venture-backed startup founder, investor and corporate innovation executive that has worked in Silicon Valley, New York and Southeast Asia. In 2023, he was appointed by the President of the Philippines as an Executive Member of the National Innovation Council representing the Business Sector. He is the co-author of Startup Mindsets: A Blueprint to an Innovation-Driven and Globally Connected World that will be published by Penguin Random House in November 2024.
Earl spent his time in Wall Street in the data team of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund, and a Managing Director of Digital at Charles Schwab. He also spent several years in enterprise tech working at the Emerging Technology and Innovation teams at Cisco, VMWare and Dell EMC. He was the VP of Corporate Development and Innovation at Smart-PLDT at 29, and became one of the youngest executives in the entire Philippines during his time. He also co-founded IdeaSpace, the leading incubator and accelerator based in Manila and QBO, the public-private innovation center of the Philippines, both with a combined 100+ incubated companies.
For his contributions to emerging market innovation, he was honored by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader, and awarded by the President of the Philippines as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men and Women of the country. He was also featured in the NASDAQ Times Square Billboard for being selected in NASDAQ Centers Milestone Makers program.
Earl started at the University of the Philippines and completed his degree in Electrical Engineering, Summa Cum Laude, from Boston University. He also has a Masters in Systems Engineering from Cornell University, and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is currently an adjunct faculty for global leadership at the Jack Welch College of Business and Technology at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut and the Asian Institute of Management.
Earl’s keynote will be followed by two discussion panels:
Panel 1: Empowering Women in Entrepreneurship
This panel moderated by Dana Sather Robinson.
Dana is a fervent supporter of all startup entrepreneurs, but has a particular passion for inspiring women to enter into the field and succeed beyond their dreams. In her “day job,” Dana helps founders to give pitches with impact, clarity, and authenticity. She works with founders raising their seed or Series A and up rounds, to give great pitches to the right investors.
A diversity of life and work experience gives Dana unique perspectives. She has lived in several different countries and worked with people and teams in companies from a broad spectrum of sectors – from large financial companies to cleantech entrepreneurs. This breadth and depth gives Dana the ability to help you craft messages that resonate and to teach you to communicate them with impact and authenticity.
Panelists TBA
Panel 2: Empowering People of Color in Entrepreneurship
This panel moderated by Alex Ray (“AR”) Bell.
AR Bell is a visionary leader, passionate developer, and the driving force behind Gametime Hero. With a relentless commitment to growth and innovation, AR has built a reputation for seamlessly blending leadership with technical expertise. Their career includes a standout role at Google, where they honed their skills in cutting-edge technology and software development.
AR holds an MBA in Computer Information Systems from DeSales University and a Bachelor’s degree in Media Business. Their expertise spans from initial project conception to successful delivery, bringing analytical acumen and structured solutions to every endeavor.
Outside of the tech world, AR’s love for sports fuels their personal growth and passion, balancing a fast-paced professional life with the joys of recreational activities.
Panelists include: Gerome Seeney, Founder of Madd Kitchen. Others TBA shortly.