Sofiat Abdulrazaaq is the co-founder & CEO of Goodfynd, a fintech platform enhancing accessibility for mobile food businesses. A serial entrepreneur and privacy expert, who brings a decade of experience translating business goals into developed products. She has held prior leadership positions at some of the largest Fortune 500 and billion-dollar nonprofit organizations and operates her own consulting practice. As a founder of SBA Strategies, she empowers entrepreneurs and champions underrepresented voices in business.
Sheena Allen is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and creative architect. She is the CEO and Founder of TOO.AI, an AI venture focused on advancing human health, wealth, and capabilities. She also founded CapWay, a fintech ecosystem for financial inclusion. Sheena has been featured in various documentaries and publications, including Inc Magazine and Forbes.
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.
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.
Aubrey Blanche-Sarellano is The Mathpath (Math Nerd + Empath), VP of Equitable Operations at Culture Amp, and a startup investor, and advisor. She questions, reimagines, and redesigns the systems that surround us to ensure that all people access equitable opportunities.
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.
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 also directs programming 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.
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.
Madison Butler is a Black, queer woman, and a survivor. Her work is focused around designing spaces and creating scalable strategies to achieve psychological safety. An outspoken advocate for mental health, she is passionate about facilitating hard conversations through storytelling, data, and tough empathy, removing stigma around trauma, and advisor for being “human at work”.
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.
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.
Cheryl Campos is a serial maverick, aligning her passions to achieve success across multiple arenas. As the CEO of a leading financial nonprofit and a professional model and actress, Cheryl possesses a unique and powerful dual perspective that bridges the analytical and creative worlds. Her dynamic career embodies innovation, resilience, and the limitless potential of following one's diverse passions.
Kanika Chadda Gupta is a seasoned CNN television journalist turned podcaster and mother of three (including twins). As a television personality and seasoned journalist, Kanika knows how to deliver as a live speaker, moderator, and emcee. She speaks on topics including modern motherhood, women’s empowerment, DEI, guiding corporations to better serve their employees who are parents (parental leave, benefits, etc), living a life of purpose (discovering your dharma), AAPI & South Asian heritage, lifestyle and entertainment.
Heidi Connal is a seasoned technology executive with over twenty years of experience building collaborative, compassionate, and high performing individuals and teams. She works with visionary leaders to identify new opportunities within themselves for growth, learning, and contributions. Her techniques cultivate emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and courageous introspection.
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.
Britteny Floyd-Mayo, affectionately known as “Yoga Bae”, is the mastermind behind one of the most diverse and inclusive wellness spaces across the globe. In her untouchable lane, she’s curated an innovative yoga experience designed to affirm lifestyles of wellness and total self-care.
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_.
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.
Harold Hughes is the CXO and co-founder of Catalyst Labs, an entrepreneur support organization he co-founded to help provide entrepreneurs with the resources and community they need to launch, build, and scale their companies. As a web3 builder, he is the founder of Bandwagon, a South Carolina-based live experience technology company. 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.
Shontavia Johnson is an entrepreneurship and innovation expert who has helped hundreds of people build personal brands, businesses, and intellectual property portfolios. Founder of the Brand and Business Company. Shontavia is an entrepreneur, creator, Liberty Fellow through Aspen Institute, and a Fulbright Specialist. She shares her message to audiences globally.
Max Lenderman has a pulse on the future so that you and your business can win today. As founder and chief creative officer, he is a pioneering authority on purpose-led brand building, experiential marketing, and large-scale advertising campaigns.
Mark Levy is a seasoned globally-minded Employee Experience Leader who has chosen to work for big-hearted companies and focus on how he can unleash the talents and passions of a company’s employees. Mark was the pioneer of designing the Employee Experience at Airbnb and most recently at Allbirds, showing organizations what is possible when you empower employees and rethink HR.
Called a “master storyteller,” Anthony McLean delivers lively, actionable presentations on Culture, Wellness, and Inclusion. Author of “All Fired Up: Optimize Mental Health to Ignite Joy and Fuel Peak Performance”, he’s worked with leading organizations such as PepsiCo, AT&T, Intel, TD Bank, Coca-Cola, and more. McLean shows audiences how human connection is the key to boosting individual and team performance.
A survivor, entrepreneur, and international keynote speaker – Norliza is a force globally recognised for her achievements and accolades. She is Founder of Mind Hub Directory, improving mental health is a passion and commitment for Norliza and her team. She is a qualified psychotherapist, transformation executive coach, entrepreneur, storyteller, and keynote speaker, inspiring individuals to live their best possible life. Norliza 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 (they/them/theirs) 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.
Rachel Rodgers is the CEO/Founder of Hello Seven, a company empowering women, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA individuals to build seven-figure businesses. She's a bestselling author and has appeared on major media outlets. As an attorney-turned-entrepreneur, Black woman, and self-made millionaire, Rachel's mission is to help end the cycle of overworking, under-earning, and financial stress. She also runs The Hello Seven Foundation, a non-profit addressing disparities in maternal health care.
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.
Dona Sarkar is the Chief Troublemaker of Microsoft’s AI Extensibility Program, a BIPOC woman in tech leader, Multi-published author, and Owner of the ethical luxury fashion brand Prima Dona Studios. She was recently named one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Productive People and Cosmopolitan magazine's Businessperson of the Year.
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.
Lolita Taub is a GP at Ganas Ventures where she invests in pre-seed and seed community-driven companies in the US and Latin America. She is a woman of color with 13 years in tech, micro-influencer, an international keynote speaker, 2x TEDx speaker whose work in venture capital and tech has been recognized on Forbes, Inc.com, The Huffington Post and Entrepreneur.com among other publications.
Dan Walters has been a journalist for nearly 60 years and has written about California and its politics for a number of publications, including the Sacramento Bee and The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Walters frequently appears on CNN, Fox, and other networks, commenting about political developments in California.
Aniyia Williams is a creator, inventor, and tech changemaker. She serves as Executive Director of Black & Brown Founders, co-founder of Zebras Unite, and founded and led the fashion tech company, Tinsel. Aniyia addresses topics of diversity, equity and inclusion in tech, the economic future of creativity, self-awareness and mindfulness, alternatives to venture capital, fashion technology, hardware design, and parenting while building a startup.
Rodney Williams is the Co-founder of SoLo Funds, the largest community finance platform and the US’s only Black-led Certified B Corp fintech grounded in the hope and mission to build a community that enables financial autonomy for all. Prior to SoLo, Rodney founded LISNR and led the company to over $40M in funding, numerous awards, and partnerships across retail and financial services. Rodney’s career started at Procter & Gamble in brand management where he was a critical catalyst in the company’s digital strategy and started in eCommerce & social media.
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.
Gravity Speakers, LLC (“Company”,“We”, or Us”), respects your privacy and is committed to protecting it through compliance with this policy.
This policy describes the types of information we may collect from you or that you may provide when you visit the website www.gravityspeakers.com (“Website”) and our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information. Company is the data controller for information processed through the Website.
Please read this policy carefully to understand our policies and practices regarding your information and how we will treat it. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, your choice is not to use our Website. By accessing or using this Website, you agree to this privacy policy. This policy may change from time to time (see Changes to Our Privacy Policy). Your continued use of this Website after we make changes is deemed to be acceptance of those changes, so please check the policy periodically for updates.
Our Website is not intended for nor targeted towards children as defined by applicable law. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are younger than the age of consent in your jurisdiction, do not use or provide any information on this Website or on or through any of its features or provide any information about yourself to us, including your name, address, telephone number, email address, or any screen name or user name you may use. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under the applicable age of consent, please contact us at Privacy@gravityspeakers.com and we will delete it.
For more information, see International Data Transfers
When you use the Website and provide information to Company through the Website, your information may be transferred to a destination outside your jurisdiction, including to the United States. The United States has not received a finding of “adequacy” from the European Union under Article 45 of the GDPR. Company has executed agreements between its affiliates and subsidiaries in accordance with Article 46 of the GDPR. Company also relies on derogations for specific situations set forth in Article 49 of the GDPR in order to transfer personal information across international borders outside of Company, its affiliates, and subsidiaries. In particular, Company transfers personal information across international borders only: with your consent; to perform a contract with you; or to fulfill a compelling legitimate interest of Company in a manner that does not outweigh your rights and freedoms.
Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information.
We may disclose aggregated anonymized information about our users without restriction.
When you use the Website and provide information to Company through the Website, your information may be transferred to a destination outside your jurisdiction, including to the United States. The United States has not received a finding of “adequacy” from the European Union under Article 45 of the GDPR. Company has executed agreements between its affiliates and subsidiaries in accordance with Article 46 of the GDPR. Company also relies on derogations for specific situations set forth in Article 49 of the GDPR in order to transfer personal information across international borders outside of Company, its affiliates, and subsidiaries. In particular, Company transfers personal information across international borders only: with your consent; to perform a contract with you; or to fulfill a compelling legitimate interest of Company in a manner that does not outweigh your rights and freedoms.
We do not control third parties’ collection or use of your information to serve interest-based advertising. However, these third parties may provide you with ways to choose not to have your information collected or used in this way. You can opt out of receiving targeted ads from members of the Network Advertising Initiative (“NAI”) on the NAI’s website: https://www.networkadvertising.org/.
To the extent required by law, Company provides you with (i) reasonable access to the personal information collected through the Website, and (ii) the ability to review, correct, export, and delete such personal information. Please contact us using any of the methods identified in the “Contact Information” section if you would like to exercise your individual rights and for information on any fee required to obtain copies of your personal information. We may need to obtain or confirm certain personal information in order to accommodate your request. We will not accommodate a request to change information if we believe the change would violate any law or legal requirement or cause the information to be incorrect.
California Civil Code Section § 1798.83 permits users of our Website that are California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please send an email to Privacy@gravityspeakers.com or write us at: 570 El Camino Real, #150-250, Redwood City, CA 94063, Attn: General Counsel.
We use commercially reasonable measures to secure information collected through the Website. Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted to our Website. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk. We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the Website.
We retain your information for as long as needed: (i) to conduct business with you; (ii) as needed for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy; (iii) as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce any agreements.
It is our policy to post any changes we make to our privacy policy on this page with a notice that the privacy policy has been updated on the Website home page. If we make material changes to how we treat our users’ personal information, we will notify you by email to the email address provided by you or through a notice on the Website home page. The date the privacy policy was last revised is identified at the top of the page. You are responsible for ensuring we have an up-to-date active and deliverable email address for you, and for periodically visiting our Website and this privacy policy to check for any changes.
To ask questions or comment about this privacy policy and our privacy practices, contact us at:
570 El Camino Real, #150-250, Redwood City, CA 94063, Attn: General Counsel
Email: Privacy@gravityspeakers.com
European Union: Company’s Data Protection Officer is Nausheen Razzak, and can be contacted using the information above. You can request copies of Company’s GDPR Article 46 agreements from the Data Protection Officer. Please contact the Data Protection Officer if you believe Company has processed your information in a manner inconsistent with your privacy rights. You also have the right to contact a supervisory authority if you believe Company has processed your information in a manner inconsistent with your privacy rights.
Rachel Rodgers is the CEO/Founder of Hello Seven, a company empowering women, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA individuals to build seven-figure businesses. She's a bestselling author and has appeared on major media outlets. As an attorney-turned-entrepreneur, Black woman, and self-made millionaire, Rachel's mission is to help end the cycle of overworking, under-earning, and financial stress. She also runs The Hello Seven Foundation, a non-profit addressing disparities in maternal health care.
Kanika Chadda Gupta is a seasoned CNN television journalist turned podcaster and mother of three (including twins). As a television personality and seasoned journalist, Kanika knows how to deliver as a live speaker, moderator, and emcee. She speaks on topics including modern motherhood, women’s empowerment, DEI, guiding corporations to better serve their employees who are parents (parental leave, benefits, etc), living a life of purpose (discovering your dharma), AAPI & South Asian heritage, lifestyle and entertainment.
Called a “master storyteller,” Anthony McLean delivers lively, actionable presentations on Culture, Wellness, and Inclusion. Author of “All Fired Up: Optimize Mental Health to Ignite Joy and Fuel Peak Performance”, he’s worked with leading organizations such as PepsiCo, AT&T, Intel, TD Bank, Coca-Cola, and more. McLean shows audiences how human connection is the key to boosting individual and team performance.
Sofiat Abdulrazaaq is the co-founder & CEO of Goodfynd, a fintech platform enhancing accessibility for mobile food businesses. A serial entrepreneur and privacy expert, who brings a decade of experience translating business goals into developed products. She has held prior leadership positions at some of the largest Fortune 500 and billion-dollar nonprofit organizations and operates her own consulting practice. As a founder of SBA Strategies, she empowers entrepreneurs and champions underrepresented voices in business.
Rodney Williams is the Co-founder of SoLo Funds, the largest community finance platform and the US’s only Black-led Certified B Corp fintech grounded in the hope and mission to build a community that enables financial autonomy for all. Prior to SoLo, Rodney founded LISNR and led the company to over $40M in funding, numerous awards, and partnerships across retail and financial services. Rodney’s career started at Procter & Gamble in brand management where he was a critical catalyst in the company’s digital strategy and started in eCommerce & social media.
Buffalo, New York, USA
Buffalo, New York, USA
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. The ShearShare app gives licensed beauty and barbering professionals the freedom and flexibility to rent workspace by the day in cities all over the world, while salon and barbershop owners make money on unused space.
Prior to co-founding ShearShare, Inc., a 2022 Fast Company World-Changing Ideas App, Google Demo Day winner 2018, Tech. Co’s Startup of the Year, and a YC Fellowship and 500 Startups alum, Courtney managed an award-winning salon with her husband and cofounder, which was the genesis behind ShearShare. Before that, Courtney ran a boutique consulting firm where she fast-tracked international sales and marketing success for brands such as Zendesk, Zenefits, and Qualtrics.
Courtney spent two decades building winning teams in tech marketing and has held leadership positions in both early-stage and late-stage technology organizations: vice president of marketing for Marketing Advocate, global director of Oracle’s worldwide digital marketing strategy and innovations group, head of digital demand generation and JAPAC field marketing at RightNow Technologies. Her leadership in demand and revenue generation at RightNow Technologies was instrumental in the $1.45B acquisition of the company.
Courtney received an honorary doctorate degree from Miracle University and is the 33rd African-American female to raise $1 million in venture funding. She was named a 2022 Hype Hair magazine 30 for 30, first African-American female to be inducted into the 2021 Texas Military Institute Hall of Fame, Inc. magazine 2019 Female Founders 100 list, is the first African-American female to be named the SMU Cox School of Business Outstanding Young Alumna, the 2019 Ada Lovelace Female Tech Founder of the Year, is a 2018 Dallas Business Journal Women in Technology, and the 2017 L’Oreal Women in Digital NEXT Generation Award winner. Courtney has her BBA in Honors Marketing from Southern Methodist University and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Texas at Dallas.
She volunteers with various children’s, education, and civic organizations, and serves on the Advisory Board for Ogle Cosmetology School, the Alumni Board for Southern Methodist University, the President’s Council at SMU, the Board of Trustees for Texas Military Institute, and the Board of Directors for the UT-Dallas Entrepreneurship Council.
Courtney relocated from McKinney, Texas, to Buffalo, New York, with her cofounder husband, Dr. Tye Caldwell, and is mom to their 22-year-old son, Trey, a senior cadet and football player at the United States Air Force Academy. Courtney recently summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa, in seven days.
Courtney Caldwell can speak on a variety of topics ranging from women in leadership, business, startups, bootstrapping and investments, building and leading remote teams, digital marketing, the B2B demand generation, faith and spirituality, and being married in tech.
Courtney Caldwell and Dr. Tye Caldwell, husband and cofounder of ShearShare, are available for joint appearances.
"My team and I are beyond happy that we chose Courtney as our speaker for our Black HERstory month event! From the second we jumped onto our pre-event call, Courtney was so friendly and truly eager to help us achieve our goals. She really took the time to get to know our organization and ensure she had the impact we were looking for. On the day of, Courtney arrived early to ensure that everything was setup properly to deliver a great experience. Her content was informative, and our team truly enjoyed listening to all her stories. We received incredible feedback about our event and how grateful our team was to welcome Courtney for that time. We really appreciated Courtney’s willingness to answer all our questions, her bright and bubbly personality, her incredible insight, and the advice she left our team with at the end of our call. I would highly recommend choosing Courtney as your next speaker!"
"Honestly, she was one of the best speakers I have seen in my career. -- Her story was inspiring, engaging, relevant, and just brought so much joy to me. After hearing her talk, I took to heart some of the things she does and even took a few of them and implemented them in my daily routine. -- I had a banana for breakfast too! Anyhow, this was a fantastic speaker -- Incredible."
"The way she moved between talking about her marriage, family, work, teams, and values was almost effortless and it showed an incredible amount of EQ in all facets of her life. -- I honestly wished that I had that level of EQ to be able to do that. In addition, most people who have done as much as she is can get a little ego-centric... but she was so far from it. She addressed her mental health habits openly, and disclosed things that were very personal and did so in a way where no one (as best as I could tell) had any discomfort. Her routines such as starting the day with fruit, meditation, and in prayer with gratitude acknowledges hit me the most. She is an incredibly blessed individual that was a born leader."
"... I don't believe you could have done a better job on this event. I mean, this one was as close to perfection as I've been a part of in a LONG time"