Elevate Inclusion Summit Attracts Nearly 300 Minority Entrepreneurs, Investors, Inclusion Supporters for Important Discussions on Diversity and Inclusive Investing

What:

Elevate Capital, which manages one of the nation's first venture capital funds to support inclusion and diversity, is hosting its first annual Elevate Inclusion Summit investment conference tomorrow on Friday, October 12, 2018. Nearly 300 attendees including women founders, entrepreneurs of color, entrepreneurs from other minority communities, venture capitalists and other investors, and inclusion supporters from Portland, Seattle, Silicon Valley and beyond are expected to attend the event. More than 50% of attendees are women and approximately 90 percent of the panelists are women.

Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici and Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith will be speaking at the event.

Highlights of the Summit will be a Fireside Chat with Nitin Rai interviewed by Anita Kissée, Public Relations Manager for St. Luke's. Health System and former KATU-TV news anchor; and a Fireside Chat with Kathryn Finney, Founder and Managing Director, digitalundivided, interviewed by Paige Hendrix Buckner, Program Director, Founder Gym, and instructor with TiE Oregon.

The Summit's line-up of attendees and panelists is a who's-who list of business leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs. Serial entrepreneur, angel investor and chair of TIE Silicon Valley Angels Kumar Sripadam and other top investors will be participating in the event.

Agenda highlights include: 

Panel: Tenacity & Success – Inspiring Stories from Entrepreneurs

• Paula Hayes, President and CEO, Hue Noir Cosmetics
• Ana Chaud, Founder and CEO, Garden Bar
• Steven Sperry, Co-Founder and CEO, Minnow
• Lili Yeo, Co-Founder and CEO, Goumikids
• Chelsea Deloney, Founder and Head Designer, Chelsea Deloney Collection
• Gabe Paez, Founder and CEO, The Wild
• Moderator: Malia Spencer, Reporter, Portland Business Journal

Panel: Inclusive Impact – Inclusion in Investing & Business is Win-Win

• Sayer Jones, Director of Finance and Mission Related Investing, Meyer Memorial Trust
• Tory Campbell, Manager of Entrepreneurship & Community Economic Development, Prosper Portland
• Ganesh Shankar, Co-Founder and CEO, RFPIO Inc.
• Steve Marsh, Founder, Archivist Capital
• Sabrina Parsons, CEO, Palo Alto Software, Board of Directors Member, Oregon Growth Board and The Oregon Community Foundation
• Moderator: Mark Zusman, Editor and Publisher, Willamette Week

Panel: Funding With Purpose – Women VCs Making A Difference

• Diane Fraiman, Partner, Voyager Capital
• Anarghya Vardhana, Partner, Maveron
• Nita Shah, Executive Director, MESO
• Julie Harrelson, Founder, Cascade Angels
• Priya Saiprasad, Principal, M12 (fka Microsoft Ventures)
• Jesse Draper, Founding Partner, Halogen Ventures
• Moderator: Robin Jones, Venture Partner, Elevate Capital

Panel: She Means Business – The Power of Investing in Women-Led Companies

• Sharon Richardson Howell, SVP of Strategy, Affiliations and Partnerships, PeaceHealth
• Sadhana Shenoy, Board Chair, Oregon Public Employees Retirement System, and Board Member, TiE Oregon
• Melissa Freeman, Director of Strategic Projects, Oregon Community Foundation
• Anyeley Hallova, Partner, project^
• Kate Delhagen, Founding Partner, Oregon Sports Angels
• Moderator: Anita Kissée, Public Relations Manager for St. Luke's. Health System , and former KATU-TV news anchor

Panel: Sharing the Message of Inclusion - Reaching Underserved Communities Locally, Nationally & Globally

• Kari Naone, Executive Director, TiE Oregon
• Carol Dahl, Executive Director, The Lemelson Foundation
• Caroline Cummings, Executive Director and Venture Catalyst, Oregon RAIN
• Shelmina Abji, Board Member, TiE Seattle, and Advisory Board Member, United Nations Foundation's Girl Up Initiative
• Crystal Sincoff, Manager of Workplace Experience, Diversity & Inclusion, Zapproved
• Moderator: Mike Rogoway, Senior Business Writer, The Oregonian

Entrepreneur Spotlight: Managing Growth & Pursuing That Next Round of Funding

• Allison Magyar, CEO, Hubb

All day – Entrepreneurs from Oregon, Washington, California, and Maine will be making company presentations throughout the day and demonstrating their companies' products and solutions.

Company presenters who will be talking about their innovative startups and growing companies include Ben Berry of AirShip, Mandana Salehi-Stewart of ZibaHub, Gabe Paez of The Wild, Ana Chaud of Garden Bar, Jon Gosting of Locket Estate, Paula Hayes of Hue Noir, Genevieve Brazelton of RAFT, Jennifer Jones of PostCart, Rita Hansen of Onboard Dynamics, Yumi Alyssa Kimura of Lead, Steven Sperry of Minnow, Patti White of Hemex Health, Apama Ppujar of Enfavr, Kwame Boler of Neu Cleans, and Robin Jones of Public Market.

Sponsors of the Elevate Inclusion Summit 2018 include First Insight Corporation, Archivist Capital, Business Oregon, Jones & Roth, Oregon Community Foundation, Prosper Portland, Securus Contact Systems, Tonkon Torp LLP, and Zapproved.

Who: 

This event is being hosted by Nitin Rai, Founder & Managing Director, Elevate Capital and the Elevate Capital team.

Why: 

Interviews are available with all company founders, sponsors, the Elevate Capital team, and other executives, by contacting McKenzie Worldwide (contact information below). 

Attendees of the annual Elevate Inclusion Summit will meet with a large group of entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds, startup companies, venture capitalists, and investors for a day of inspiration, discussions about inclusion and empowerment, and learning about new funding opportunities.  

When:

8:30 am – 7:30 pm (Pacific time zone), October 12, 2018

Where:

The event is being held at the Portland Center Stage at The Armory.

How:

Register online at https://elevate.vc/events/elevate-inclusion-2018