Igniting Cultural Capital is a series about what it means to be a Black founder in the inclusive capital ecosystem. We will be bridging the intersections of retail, fintech, healthcare, ed-tech, and artificial intelligence across the entrepreneurial sector that's deeply aligned with culture. Together with founders, investors and direct stakeholders involved in innovation planning and deployment for the next generation, we will unpack the important products and services needed to support this demographic.

As we move the cultural capital dialog forward, join UBS and CultureBanx to explore long-term concrete actions with change agents, experts and thought leaders accelerating the economic success and impact needed to guarantee the spark being ignited by Black entrepreneurs.

CultureBanx + UBS

info@culturebanx.com

KJ Miller is the Co-founder and CEO of Mented Cosmetics, a multi-million dollar beauty brand celebrating women of all hues. Since its 2017 launch Mented has achieved rapid growth by helping women feel seen and empowered with its inclusive shade range. KJ led the company in securing over $9M in venture funding, and has been featured in several publications including Forbes, Fast Company and The New York Times for her authentic, relatable approach to entrepreneurship.

Prior to founding Mented KJ spent most of her career working in retail, with a two-year hiatus to attend Harvard Business School graduating in 2014. Her immense retail and product experience spans across functions including merchandising, assortment planning, and supply chain management.

Outside of Mented, KJ has mentored and advised dozens of entrepreneurs, guest lectured at top-ranked business schools across the country including Harvard Business School, Yale School of Management, and Columbia Business School, and created a ground-breaking course, Startup Starter Kit, that levels the entrepreneurial playing field and makes the business world accessible to all.

Ita Ekpoudom works as a Partner at GingerBread Capital, where her mission is to engage, educate, and elevate the next generation of successful women business leaders and investors. As the Founder & CEO of Tigress Ventures, an advisory and consulting firm she started in 2014, Ita tapped her considerable network to bring together visionary entrepreneurs with seasoned pro’s to help women scale their businesses and hone their leadership skills. Tigress Ventures hosted a monthly speakers series featuring thought leaders and industry experts, and provided private consultations with individual clients.

Ita also served as Venture Partner at Plum Alley Investments, where she oversaw investment opportunities and pipeline for high-growth female-founded and gender-diverse startups.

Previously, Ita held product management roles at TravelClick and American Express. She began her career at Goldman Sachs as an analyst in Credit Capital Markets and then as an institutional trader of preferred stock.

Ita holds an MBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurial Management from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, with a certificate in Finance, from Princeton University.