Venturing Deep

Welcome to the “Venturing Deep” Podcast!  I want you to meet Antoine Woods Jr.!  Antoine is a tech entrepreneur, advisor, and investor at BRONZE. In short, he started as a programmer, became an entrepreneur, grew into venture capital, and now leverages social capital for others.Find out more about BRONZEConnect with AntoineConnect with the Venturing Deep PodcastConnect with Ama

I want you to meet Imani Ross!  Imani Ross is a born and raised Philly native and currently works as a Senior Consultant at a Big 4 Firm. She is an author, a public speaker with a background in Tech Sales, Business advisory, and a graduate of The George Washington University with a B.A in Political Science. While it all may feel seemingly unrelated, her background and experience in corporate and start-up spaces, student activism, and consulting led her to the creation of Peerhood Development, a mentorship community elevating Black Professionals' careers across the nation. We got into a range of topics: her childhood, college life, consulting, and the Peerhood organization. This was a good one Y'all!Connect with Imani RossConnect with PeerhoodConnect with the Venturing Deep PodcastConnect with Ama

Mitchella “Mitch” Gilbert is an inclusive product designer. She was a former elite athlete and Nike employee, so she is obsessed with women's health and sportswear apparel. She attended the UCLA Anderson School of Management after earning a full scholarship to build her startup Oya Femtech Apparel. She is one of the first 200 black women to raise over $1M in venture capital and she graduated from the University of Chicago with a bachelor's degree in Public Policy. Also, Oya is not Mitch's first dance with entrepreneurship, but Oya Femtech Apparel is Mitch's fourth company!Link to OYA's WebsiteFollow Mitchella on LinkedInFollow Ama on LinkedInFollow Venturing Deep on LinkedInFollow Venturing Deep on Instagram

 Ezra is the founder and managing attorney at Ezra Law. Ezra Law is a mission-driven law firm created and geared toward supporting Black & Brown-owned startups/businesses throughout their entire life cycle, we are talking corporate formation and governance, investment and contractual agreements, to even litigation.We talked about everything, from his upbringing, to where he went to college, why he chose law, and his love for puff puff (an African pastry). This was such a great episode!Connect with the Ezra Law FirmConnect with Ezra on LinkedInConnect with Ama on LinkedIn

Our next guest is Rachel Wilson! Rachel has over a decade of global experience working across various industries including Food & Beverage, Automotive, Tech, Healthcare, Music, Fashion, and Media. As Principal and Head of Operations for Collab Capital (a VC Firm headquartered in Atlanta, GA) , Rachel runs the VC ops and fund governance processes of the fund. This includes investor relations, fund reporting oversight, impact metrics strategy, and all governance including legal and HR. She has been a long-time advocate for mental wellness and has been the Chair of the Board for her family's behavioral health treatment center, Omnis Health Life Wellness Center, for over 7 years. She has a B.A. in Economics & Business from Agnes Scott College and M.S. in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is also on the board of Black Women in Venture Capital (BWiVC), a nonprofit dedicated to supporting careers across the spectrum of venture capital and capital access networks for Black women and she is a Margaret Atwood Practical Utopias Fellow.Link to Rachel's LinkedInLink to Venturing Deep Podcast on LinkedInLink to Ama's LinkedIn

Haley is a Principal at Hustle Fund VC. Prior to joining Hustle Fund, Haley worked for Apple, worked with bootstrapped and venture-backed tech startups and scaled the b2b SaaS content marketing agency Animalz as COO. Additionally, Haley started angel investing in 2020 to support founders from or supporting underrepresented communities and has invested in over 50 companies to date! Tune into this page to hear about Haley's amazing journey to Venture Capital and supporting phenomenal entrepreneurs!Venturing Deep On TwitterVenturing Deep On InstagramFollow Haley BryantFollow Ama on TwitterFollow Ama on InstagramIf you want to start your own podcast using Buzzsprout, use this link below:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1670656

 A Bermudian native, Isis is also a business owner & serial entrepreneur. She is a graduate of the #1 HBCU, Spelman College (some notable alumni are Stacey Abrams and Rosalind Brewer). Currently, she is the co-owner of House of Isis, a brand that she runs with her mother Gina. A Plant-based product line that provides health-conscious black women with access to non-toxic hair & skin care. Isis and her mother have grown House of Isis into a 6-figure company. House of Isis has been recognized as Forward Founders by retail giant Target [Pause] and has been featured in many news outlets including Voyage ATL & the Bermuda broadcasting network. And y'all that is not even it, but we got to get the show...Y'all I know that this is going to be a good one!... Okay Isis, are you ready???Venturing Deep On TwitterVenturing Deep On InstagramFollow House of Isis coFollow Ama on TwitterFollow Ama on InstagramIf you want to start your own podcast using Buzzsprout, use this link below:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1670656

Garry is an award-winning startup founder and nationally recognized ecosystem builder working to build a more inclusive and equitable innovation economy. Garry is the Founder & Executive Director of First Founders Inc., a nonprofit organization on a mission to lower barriers to entry and increase the likelihood of success in the innovation ecosystem. Additionally, he serves as the Founder & CEO of Bison Venture Partners, a company on a mission to empower a new generation of angel investors. He is also the author of “The Ghetto VC: How to Invest Like a Venture Capitalist”. Venturing Deep On TwitterVenturing Deep On InstagramFollow Garry Johnson IIIFollow Ama on TwitterFollow Ama on InstagramIf you want to start your own podcast using Buzzsprout, use this link below:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1670656

Thank you for joining me for this episode of Venturing Deep! In this episode, we will be talking to Mitch Brooks. Mitch is the Co-General Partner of High Street Equity Partners where he invests in pre-seed and seed stage startups alongside his fellow General Partner, Tristan Wilkerson. High Street Equity Partners defines itself as a next-generation investment company that operates at the intersection of purpose and profit in the 21st-century economy. Mitch and his partner Tristan bring a fresh, new outlook on investing that is warranted in the startup world and beyond! Venturing Deep On TwitterVenturing Deep On InstagramFollow Mitch Brooks Follow Ama on TwitterFollow Ama on Instagram

Thank you for joining me for this episode of Venturing Deep! In this episode, we will be talking to Anthony Obi. Anthony was once a founder who knew very early in his entrepreneurial journey that he wanted to be on the other side of the table. Now, he is an Investment Associate at  Virginia Venture Partners investing in pre seed/ seed stage startups! It means so much that you stopped by to listen and now let's get deep!Venturing Deep On TwitterVenturing Deep On InstagramFollow Anthony Obi Jr.Follow Ama on TwitterFollow Ama on Instagram

In this episode, we talk with Niani Tolbert of the #HIREBLACK Initiative. Niani is a marketer-turned-tech recruiter-turned founder of the #HIREBLACK Initiative. #HIREBLACK started as a viral LinkedIn post requesting help in offering 19 Black womxn to receive resume feedback on Juneteenth, and grew into an initiative whose goal is to help 10,000 Black womxn get trained and hired promoted in corporate positions. #HIREBLACK is now a network of 15,000 people and counting featured on Forbes and ESSENCE.Since its inception, #HIREBLACK has worked with companies like Amazon, Disney, Conde Nast, Niantic, Spotify, Uber, and more. Their resources have reportedly increased the total compensation of the HIREBLACK members by over $1.2 million.Venturing Deep On TwitterVenturing Deep On InstagramFollow Ama on TwitterFollow Ama on InstagramFollow and Join #HIREBLACKFollow Niani Tolbert

Today we are talking about one of what I think is the greatest loves, and that is your friends…What you all do not know is that this is a topic that I have wanted to discuss for a long time. I started writing about this back in 2019, and of course I did not have the podcast then…but this has been a long time coming. I wanted to make sure that I addressed this in Q1, the first quarter…since it is the beginning of the year. It is important that you and I have this in mind, so we can start this year off with the right people...Venturing Deep On TwitterVenturing Deep On InstagramFollow Ama on TwitterFollow Ama on Instagram

Today we are talking about betting on yourself…In the previous “Annotations with Ama” we talked about “making plans” and if you have not checked out that episode already…make sure you do. In that episode, I left you with 3 suggestions for making plans. And the last one was “Believe that you can achieve your goals.” I can not stress enough how important that is to your overall success.  Along with doing the work necessary and if you are a believer… putting your trust in God… Belief is the sauce that goes on top.Follow Venturing Deep on InstagramFollow Venturing Deep on Twitter Follow Ama On InstagramFollow Ama On TwitterCheck out the article and more from Ed Latimore 

Check out the first installment of my new segment called “Annotations with Ama". This is where you get to hear what I am thinking about currently. In my original series, “Venturing Deep” but in this segment we will go a little bit deeper with some of my ideas and thoughts. In this segment It could be anything from politics, the social climate, pop culture, an old podcast episode, my faith, personal events,...it may be even something that happened in the past but I now feel inclined to speak on it. I want you to be able to take something away from this. You never know what I am going to bring up. Follow The Venture Deep Podcast on TwitterFollow The Venture Deep Podcast on InstagramFollow Ama on TwitterFollow Ama on Instagram

 In this episode, we will be talking to Josh Ogundu. Josh is the CEO and Co-Founder of Heart to Heart. An audio first dating app that lets people tell the story behind the pictures in their profiles. Before that he was working as a Product Operations Lead at TikTok and has worked across media and communication tools as a product manager before that! We discussed his upbringing, diversity and inclusion, the app, and more!  It means so much that you stopped by to listen and now let's get deep!Follow JoshFollow Heart to HeartFollow Ama on InstagramFollow Ama on TwitterFollow The Venture Deep Podcast on TwitterFollow The Venture Deep Podcast on InstagramMusic by Afua Kessie (My little sister!)

In this episode, we will be talking to Landon Campbell. Landon is the host of the popular groundbreaking podcast series “In Their 20's”! He has spoken to some of the most talented people of our day and asks them how they made it through their 20's, He is also the events manager at “Inside.com” and is what some would call a master at networking! It means so much that you stopped by to listen and now let's get deep!Follow LandonFollow "In Their 20's"Follow Ama on InstagramFollow Ama on TwitterFollow The Venture Deep Podcast on TwitterFollow The Venture Deep Podcast on InstagramMusic by: Afua Kessie (My little sister!)

Welcome to the “Venturing Deep” Podcast. My name is Ama Kessie and I consider myself a lifelong learner. With that being said, I feel that if you search deep enough you can learn from anyone or anything. This podcast will take a look at remarkable founders, interesting people and topics. Thank you for rocking with me this season and please tune in for Season 2!!!Follow the hostInstagramTwitterStay Up To Date With the PodcastInstagramTwitterMusic by@ikson

Welcome to the “Venturing Deep” Podcast. My name is Ama Kessie and I consider myself a lifelong learner. With that being said, I feel that if you search deep enough you can learn from anyone or anything. This podcast will take a look at remarkable founders, interesting people and topics. Thank you for joining me for the seventh episode of Venturing Deep! In this episode, we will be talking to Darrel Frater.  Darrel is the CEO and founder of an app called TheClub, an app that allows you to find and support top Live DJs to stream directly to your phone! He also has other pursuits that we will discuss more in this episode! It means so much that you stopped by to listen and now let's get deep!Follow the hostInstagramTwitterFollow Darrel and His app!LinkedInTheClubMusic by:@ikson

Welcome to the “Venturing Deep” Podcast. My name is Ama Kessie and I consider myself a lifelong learner. With that being said, I feel that if you search deep enough you can learn from anyone or anything. This podcast will take a look at remarkable founders, interesting people and topics. Thank you for joining me for the sixth episode of Venturing Deep! In this episode, we will be talking to Joshua Wright. Joshua is a published author of a book entitled, “I'll Help You Cheat: A Teens Study Guide To Life”, which was the # 1 New Release in Teen and Young Adult Maturing on Amazon. He has a true passion for teens and helping them navigate through such an important time in their life. It means so much that you stopped by to listen and now let's get deep!Check out Knowable Herehttps://knowable.fyi?fpr=ama79Follow the hostInstagramTwitterFollow Joshua and His Book!InstagramWebsiteMusic by:@ikson

In this episode we find out how one man wants to end poverty for our nation. The road may not be easy, but if one man can do it, it's Darryl.This podcast will take a look at remarkable founders, interesting people and topics. Thank you for joining me for the fifth episode of Venturing Deep! In this episode, we will be talking to Darryl Finkton, Jr. Darryl's organization End Poverty Make Trillions aims to end poverty in our nation. His movement is already picking up traction and has been featured on Afro Tech and Tech Crunch. Darryl has also raised $200 million of a Billion dollar fund that he is launching to help with his initiative and he is currently filming the whole thing to document it all. It means so much that you stopped by to listen and now let's get deep! Check out Knowable Herehttps://knowable.fyi?fpr=ama79Follow the hostInstagramTwitterFollow Darryl and the End Poverty Make Trillions Movement!TwitterWebsiteMusic by:@ikson

This podcast will take a look at remarkable founders, interesting people and topics. Thank you for joining me for the fourth episode of Venturing Deep! In this episode, we will be talking to Paige Finn. At the young age of 22, Paige is on track to becoming a published author, an emerging manager for a fund that has already raised over a million dollars, and an all around change maker in the VC space. It means so much that you stopped by to listen and now let’s get deep!Check out Knowable Herehttps://knowable.fyi?fpr=ama79Follow the host InstagramTwitterFollow Paige and get updates on her new book!Twitter

In this episode we find out how Tajae Mills was able to make a pivot during the pandemic. Tajae runs a successful Air BnB business in Atlanta with his family, with a total of 28 properties and counting! His business is quickly expanding and in this episode we learn more about his journey to entrepreneurship. To follow his businesses head to:Peach Pad StaysGa Luxury RentalsHost: Ama Kessie, @keepingit_kessie (Instagram) or @Ama_Kessie (Twitter)Email: venturingdeep@gmail.comMusic by: Ikson, Track: Soda

In the second episode of the Venturing Deep Podcast, Ama sits down with Amani Phipps. Amani goes into depth about his journey to success and about finding his way to venture capital. There were definitely some barriers to his success. Amani knows hard times and he stresses that things were not always easy and the path to success was not always clear. However, he never gave up! Now, he works to create room for others through many of the things that he is working on. Currently, he works with a company called Mainstreet that finds and claims tax credits for startups and founders, started a Pre-Seed fund with friend and business partner Mac Conwell, and works with Score 3 to help enable diversity and inclusivity in the venture space. His story is one that will inspire many! Find him on Twitter: @AmanimalcHost: Ama Kessie, @keepingit_kessie (Instagram) or @Ama_Kessie (Twitter)Email: venturingdeep@gmail.comMusic by: Ikson, Track: Soda

On the first episode of Venturing Deep, we sit down with Alexis Howard! She has been featured on platforms like yahoo finance and Chicago weekly. She is a personal finance coach that specializes in teaching young professionals how to build generational wealth. Alexis' brand "Financially Brave" has helped so many people reach financial independence. Find her on Instagram: @financiallybraveWork with her: https://financiallybrave.kartra.com/page/QkX9Host: Ama Kessie, @keepingit_kessieEmail: venturingdeep@gmail.comMusic by: Ikson Track: Soda

Venturing Deep is a podcast that will take a look into , remarkable founders, interesting people, venture capital, and other pressing topics. Join host, Ama Kessie as we dive deep into an array of discussions. The hope is that after listening, you will come away using something you heard here to be your best self! The only request is that you not be afraid to venture deep!