There are always new movers and shakers in the world of technology. Meet them here and learn about their journey to success (and their struggles along the way).

Up & Coming Tech Leaders

A group of hexagonal portrait pods showing faces of all genders and races.
Slidebean founder Jose Cayasso leaning on an old Sony reel to reel tape recorder
Jose Cayasso Helps Founders Master Their Pitches
Cherie Kloss, founder of SnapNurse.
Cherie Kloss Uses Tech to Help Nurses Land Jobs
Headshot of Lola Han, Founder and CEO of CultivatePeople
Meet Lola Han, Founder and CEO, CultivatePeople
April Johnson, Co-founder and CEO of Happied
Meet April Johnson, Co-founder and CEO of DC-Based Happy Hour App
Obie Omile, Jr. headshot
Meet Obi Omile Jr., Co-founder and CEO of theCut
Headshot of Dawn Myers, Founder and CEO of The Most
Meet Dawn Myers, Founder and CEO of The Most
Shavini Fernando with her arm resting on a bookshelf
Meet Shavini Fernando, Founder and CEO of OxiWear
Portrait of May Habib
Writer CEO, May Habib, Leads With Words
Coleman chatting with attendees at a past Meaningful Gigs event.
Meet Ronnie Kwesi Coleman, Co-founder and CEO of Meaningful Gigs
Ante Afahame
Meet Ante Afahame, Co-founder of HPMA Solutions
A candid photograph of Taylor Dent.
Meet Taylor Dent, Founder of Orcinus Media
Portrait of Naza Shelley
Meet Naza Shelley, Founder and CEO of CarpeDM Social
headshot of Stephanie Cummings, CEO of Please Assist Me
Stephanie Cummings: Helping You Manage Household Upkeep
DeShuna Spencer
DeShuna Spencer: Changing the Narrative About Black Entertainment
Portrait of Rhett Lindsey
Rhett Lindsey: Combating Recruitment Bias With an App
An outdoor portrait of Kevin Dedner
Kevin Dedner: Leader in Mental Health Tech
A self portrait of Anna Spearman
Anna Spearman: A STEM Advocate Creating Opportunity for Tech Workers
A portrait of Khang Vuong
Khang Vuong: Healthcare Advocate for the Middle Class
A snapshot of Monica Kang founder of InnovatorsBox.
Monica Kang: Creativity and Innovation Warrior
Portrait of Hassan Riggs.
Hassan Riggs: Helping Real Estate Agents Thrive
Caitlin Kalinowski headshot
Caitlin Kalinowski Is Leveling the Playing Field in STEM
An outdoor portrait of Sherrard Harrington.
Sherrard Harrington: Startup and Venture Capital Maven
A portrait of Tiffany Yau.
Tiffany Yau: Inspiring Community-Minded Young Entrepreneurs
You Mon Tsang, Founder of ChurnZero.
You Mon Tsang: Customer Success Leader
A business portrait of Demetrius Gray.
How Demetrius Gray Built a Tech Company to Help Homeowners
A portrait of Janet Phan.
How Janet Phan Helps Young Women Succeed in Tech
A portrait of Craig Lewis
How Craig Lewis Helps Employees Get Paid in the Gig Economy
A closeup portrait of Preet Anand
How Preet Anand Uses Tech to Help People Living Alone Feel Safe
Josh Dzime-Assison, Vendoo Co-Founder.
How Josh Dzime-Assison and His Team Help Resellers List Items Faster
Travis Holoway
Meet App-Based Loan King Travis Holoway
An outdoor portrait of Vivianne Castillo.
How Vivianne Castillo Challenges Tech Leaders to Focus on People
A portrait of Chris Witherspoon.
Chris Witherspoon: Amplifying the Voices of Minority TV and Film Junkies
Nhon Ma
Nhon Ma: Closing Educational Opportunity Gaps
Headshot of Natalie Coleman.
Natalie Coleman: Making STEAM Programs Accessible to Diverse Students
Lauren Maillian
Lauren Maillian: Elevating Black and Latinx Women Founders
Patrick Hill
Patrick Hill: Empowering Indie Musicians and Podcasters
Shilla Kim-Parker
Shilla Kim-Parker: Making Vintage Online Shopping Easy
Headshot of Kevin Wu
How Kevin Wu Helps Tech Professionals Find New Jobs
Rachel Angel
How Dr. Rachel Angel Helps Students Find a Career
A portrait of Blondy Baruti.
How Blondy Baruti Empowers People to Control Their Social Media Presence
Jehron Petty speaking in a classroom.
Jehron Petty’s Nonprofit Inspires BIPOC Computer Science Students
How Seamon Chan Helps Fund Underserved Businesses Globally
Nikolas Woods, founder and CEO of Hohm.
How Nikolas Woods Makes Sleep More Accessible Everywhere
Ruben Flores-Martinez
How Ruben Flores-Martinez Helps Small Businesses Launch Faster
Chao Cheng-Shorland headshot
Chao Cheng-Shorland’s ShelterZoom is Helping Make Online Contracting Easy
Shy Pahlevani
How Shy Pahlevani Is Taking Food-Tech Capabilities to the Next Level
Ashish Toshniwal
How Ashish Toshniwal Empowers Companies Through Tech
Pablo Martinez, Pay Theory CMO
How Pablo Martinez Helps Ease Digital Payments for Everyone
Dean Haynesworth
How Dean Haynesworth Helps Improve Diversity
Nashlie Sephus
How Nashlie Sephus Works To Boost Jackson’s Tech Ecosystem
Dilip Rao
How Dilip Rao Uses Tech to Help Fight Childhood Hunger
Portrait of Jay Veal.
How Jay Veal Wants to Improve Tutoring in BIPOC Communities
A portrait of Everett Harper.
How Everett Harper Puts People at the Center of Tech
Ianacare cofounder, president, and COO, Steven Lee.
Steven Lee Helps Caregivers Connect Through Tech
A portrait of Marwan Forzley.
Marwan Forzley Helps Small Businesses With Easier Online Payments
Paula Mora Arias speaking at South Summit.
Paula Mora Arias Helps Build Careers for BIPOC Women
A black and white portrait of Jack Li.
How Jack Li Brings AI and Restaurants Together
A portrait of Jeff Sawyer Lee.
Jeff Sawyer Lee Builds Smart Scales That Help You Attain Your Goals
A protrait of Elias Torres.
Elias Torres’ Tech Removes Friction From Online Shopping
Headshot of Samir Diwan, co-founder and CPO of Polly
Samir Diwan’s Tech Helps Businesses Gather Employee Data Better