Evelyn Mora, Founder & CEO, VLGE Inc.

VLGE is a 3D immersive world creation tool that enables users to socialize, gamify and monetize their real-time AI generated their experiences.

Evelyn Mora is an awarded inventor, tech entrepreneur, and sustainability strategist based in France. She is the Founder of VLGE Inc., a groundbreaking start-up that offers an AI Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform connecting people to the immersive web through the physical world. The company empowers communities, creators, and brands to create, monetize, share, and connect in the immersive spaces seamlessly. Her start-up is backed by the likes of BOLD by Loreal Group, Venture Reality Fund, British Fashion Council, and Venrex.

Arion Long, Founder & CEO, Femly

Meeting the demand of period equity legislation, Femly provides smart restroom dispensers and eco-friendly period care.

Arion Long is not just a CEO; she’s a visionary who is revolutionizing the FemTech industry. As the Chief Estrogen Officer of Femly, Arion has transformed a subscription box service into a multi-million-dollar enterprise with patented technologies. She is the mastermind behind the world’s first touchless pad and tampon vending machine, a game-changing innovation that is increasing period care access in restrooms across the nation. More than 25 states require access to period supplies in restrooms around the U.S Unlike public faucets and hand dryers, Arion’s invention uses sensors that work for Black & Brown skin and allow women to wave “hello” to access organic sanitary products from Femly.

Gerry Poirier, Founder & CEO, AngeLink

AngeLink is the world’s first AI-Driven crowdfunding platform developed and powered by women.

Gerry Poirier is the Founder and CEO of AngeLink, the world’s first crowdfunding platform powered by women. Visionary thought leader, champion of female empowerment and financial equity, Gerry is a diversity change agent with agility born from over 2 decades in finance. FinTech experience with leadership roles at Credit Suisse, Lazard Freres and Equity Growth Partners.

Briana Franklin, Founder & CEO, Cadet Prosparette

Closing the knowledge gap that turns debt from a tool into a trap.

Bri is the living embodiment of resilience and distance traveled. In 2017, she began her foray into life under the weight of debt constraints following her graduation from Dartmouth College with $100K in student debt principle (eventually $123K + interest and other forms of debt) and channeled her lived experience into action through meeting the moment of summer 2020 by forming The Prosp(a)rity Project.

Arlan Hamilton, Founder, Managing Partner, Backstage Capital

Arlan Hamilton built a venture capital fund from the ground up, while homeless. She is the Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital, a fund that is dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women, and/or LGBT. Started from scratch in 2015, Backstage has now raised more than $15 million and invested in more than 170 startup companies led by underestimated founders. In 2018, Arlan co-founded Backstage Studio which launched four accelerator programs for underestimated founders in Detroit, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and London.

Shelley Zalis, Founder & CEO, The Female Quotient

Shelley Zalis is the CEO of The Female Quotient, a woman-owned business working with companies and conscious leaders to curate experiences, thought leadership, and solutions designed to achieve gender equality in the workplace and beyond. The FQ’s end-to-end equality platform includes co-branded research, content campaigns, and partnership opportunities at its signature Equality Lounges®. Visibility is further driven through The FQ’s robust social, media, and editorial channels. The FQ approach is intersectional, inspirational, and inclusive, working with leaders and rising stars in every industry and around the world.

Zalis is a pioneer for online research, becoming the first female chief executive ranked in the research industry’s top 25. Today, Zalis works with Fortune 500 companies, impact organizations, and conscious leaders to advance equality in the workplace. A firm believer in giving back with generosity, Zalis is a proud mentor to women around the world.

Zalis authors a Forbes column that provides virtual mentorship for women in middle management. She is co-founder of #SeeHer, a movement led by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) to increase the accurate portrayal of women and girls in advertising and media.

Nneka Ukpai, Head of Financial Innovation, Better

Nneka is the Head of Financial Innovation at Better. In her current role, Nneka advises the tech unicorn on business and legal strategy, new financial technology products, and strategic investment. In addition, Nneka has created and operationalized new affiliates like the Better Opportunity Fund, a nonprofit arm focused on closing the racial and gender wealth gaps. In her prior role as Senior Director of Business and Legal Affairs, Nneka led cross-functional teams developing solutions to eliminate friction in homeownership and align the right incentives for borrowers to have the best customer experience imaginable.

Prior to Better, Nneka was a senior associate at a global law firm where she specialized in defending large corporations, boards and individual members of the C-suite in multi-jurisdictional enforcement actions. When Nneka is not practicing law, she is a two-time tech founder, angel investor, and advisor to startups and accelerators.

Nneka is a proud graduate of Howard University and Harvard Law School, where she currently serves on the distinguished teaching faculty of Harvard’s Trial Advocacy Workshop. Nneka also serves on the Board of Better UK, London’s largest digital mortgage broker, and on the Advisory Boards of Brex, Dandi, and Arara.io.

Kerry Rupp, General Partner, True Wealth Ventures

Kerry Rupp is General Partner at True Wealth Ventures, an early-stage VC fund investing in women-led businesses that are improving human and/or environmental health, where she sits on six company boards. For five years, she also taught for the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps innovation program. Kerry was previously CEO at DreamIt, a Top Ten US startup accelerator and VC fund. Before that, she founded Holiday Golightly, a group travel service for women, and held leadership roles at various startups and larger corporations. Kerry serves on several non-profit/advisory boards for organizations focused on healthcare, entrepreneurship and other civic improvement initiatives. Kerry holds an MBA from HBS and a BA from Duke.

Anna Consani, Head of Community, Goodwater Capital

Anna Consani is Head of Community at Goodwater Capital, the largest consumer tech focused VC fund in the world. Goodwater’s mission is to empower exceptional entrepreneurs everywhere to change the world for good. At Goodwater, Anna works within Portfolio Services to better connect the Goodwater community of founders and support the growth of portfolio companies which range from seed to pre-IPO. Prior to Goodwater, Anna was Vice President of Community and Partnerships at Springboard Enterprises, a global network for women-led tech and healthcare companies. Anna led the Springboard Dolphin Tank program, a “friendly-feedback” pitch session for entrepreneurs as well as the Women’s Health Innovation Coalition. She has hosted and moderated pitch events in over 30 cities, across 6 countries and 50+ virtual events. Anna has worked for Members of Congress in both Washington, D.C., and California, and was a Panetta Congressional Fellow in 2012. Anna holds a B.A. in Political Science with a Minor in Sociology from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and is currently based in Sacramento, CA.