My Founder’s Keeper Forum is a conference bridging the gap between startups and investors of all stages to help people of color build wealth.  The conference features informative panels, fireside discussions, networking, investment opportunities for funders, and funding opportunities for founders. Join us as we connect investors, general partners, corporate leaders, founders, and influencers united in efforts to build businesses, solve problems, and build wealth through inclusive investing.

2025 MY FOUNDER’S KEEPER FORUM AGENDA

Friday, October 24

LOCATION: TROUTMAN PEPPER LOCKE, 401 9TH ST, NW #1000, WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004

  • Registration and networking

  • Sponsored by Troutman Pepper Locke

  • Make a powerful new friend

  • Ingenuity is abundant, but in a world where financial resourcing is not, we sometimes have to get clear, concise, and creative on all of the various ways to capitalize our brilliance. Join this session to learn about all of the different types of capital an entrepreneur can stack in his or her quest to build the technology of tomorrow.

  • Make a powerful new friend

  • The hard thing about hard things is that we often save them for last. Learn from expert attorneys how to design with success in mind, focused on creating strong companies capable of withstanding the challenges that come with building disruptive technology.

  • Make a powerful new friend

  • Hosted by Troutman Pepper Locke

Saturday, October 25

LOCATION: LATHAM & WATKINS, 555 11TH ST NW, WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004

  • Registration and networking

  • Setting the Table: Join us for a working breakfast

  • Join us for opening remarks

  • For Investors - The Art of Picking Winners

    Cash. Gold. Real Estate. Public equities. Crypto. Myriad investment opportunities exist, but not everyone is invited to the table. Learn from seasoned investors across sports, art, entertainment, and crypto about how they approach capital allocation and building a balanced portfolio.

    For Entrepreneurs - From Idea to App: How Non-Technical Founders Can Build without Breaking the Bank

    Are you an entrepreneur with a new app idea, but no idea how to get started? Are you a multi-founder with a new feature idea, but want to build as fast and efficiently as possible? It used to take months, but the rapid adoption of AI has made delay a thing of the past. Join a room of product development experts for a guided facilitation on how to engineer prompts to build a working app in under one hour.

  • Sponsored by Latham & Watkins

  • Highly networked investment vehicles consistently outperform the market. Join us for a plenary session on how to catalyze community for commercial success. Hear from big banks, local governments, and private corporations the roles we can all have in building extraordinary ecosystems.

  • Make a powerful new friend.

  • Pitch Competition

Past Speakers

  • Spectra Asala

    CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER

    SAIA VENTURES

  • Omi Bell

    FOUNDER

    BLACK GIRL VENTURES

  • Haley Bryant

    PRINCIPAL

    HUSTLE FUND

  • Felix Chevalier

    CO-FOUNDER

    URBAN CAPITAL NETWORK

  • Seven Cohen

    SENIOR ASSOCIATE: INNOVATION AND GTM STRATEGY

    CAPITAL G

  • Baheejah Crumbley

    SENIOR INVESTMENT ASSOCIATE

    COLLAB CAPITAL

  • Alphonso David

    PRESIDENT AND CEO

    GLOBAL BLACK ECONOMIC FORUM

  • Conway Ekpo

    GLOBAL HEAD OF PRODUCT AND PRIVACY LEGAL

    APPOLO.IO

  • Rakia Finley

    MANAGING PARTNER

    COPPER & VINE STUDIO

  • Mike Henry

    MANAGING DIRECTOR

    WAFRA

  • Jeffery Kennerly

    VICE PRESIDENT, EXECUTIVE FINANCIAL SERVICES

    MORGAN STANLEY

  • Charlotte Newman

    GLOBAL HEAD OF UNDERREPRESENTED FOUNDER STARTUP BD

    AMAZON WEB SERVICES

  • Ade Omitowoju

    PRINCIPAL

    1863 VENTURES

  • Jeff Osuji

    CO-FOUNDER

    EVENTNOIRE

  • Fitzann Reid

    GENERAL COUNSEL & CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICER

    HUNTERBROOK

  • Jerika Richardson

    SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, EQUITABLE JUSTICE & STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

    NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE

  • Jamie Roberts

    HEAD OF NORTH AMERICA VENTURE STUDIO

    STELLANTIS

  • Duane Rollins

    WEALTH MANAGEMENT ADVISOR

    FIRST FINANCIAL GROUP

  • Sankeetha Selvarajah

    FOUNDER

    ZENSEI, LLC

  • Nate Saint Victor

    EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL

    LPL FINANCIAL

  • Naza Shelley

    FOUNDER AND CEO

    CARPEDM

  • Zaria Smith

    GROWTH AND VENTURE CAPITAL

  • Amanda Spann

    CREATOR

    THE APP ACCELERATOR

  • Stacy Spikes

    FOUNDER AND CEO

    MOVIEPASS

  • Shannon Steel

    FOUNDER

    STEEL PRIVATE FUND

  • Cathleen Trigg-Jones

    FOUNDER

    iWOMANTV

  • Nneka Ukpai

    VENTURE PARTNER

    SPRINGBOARD ENTERPRISES

  • Chika Umeadi

    CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER

    PARALLELSCORE

  • Fay Wells

    VC IN RESIDENCE

    TECHSTARS

  • LaToya Wilson

    MANAGING DIRECTOR, INCLUSIVE VENTURES GROUP

    MORGAN STANLEY

Bridging the gap between Innovators and Investors

About My Founder’s Keeper

My Founder’s Keeper is a collective of professionals working together to empower underrepresented communities by providing access to wealth-building tools, investment opportunities, and entrepreneurial resources, fostering economic growth and prosperity.

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