Entrepreneurial business leaders Dr. Andi Simon, Heather Cameron, Judith Goldkrand, Keisha Mabry Haymore, and Jill Johnson joined the Skandalaris Center for an event focused on understanding financial capital and how to access it. 

Each of the speakers brought a unique perspective guided by personal and professional experience. Dr. Andi Simon, an international leader in the field of corporate anthropology and co-founder of the Simon Initiative moderated the event. Heather Cameron, PhD, the Michael B. Kaufman Professor of Practice for Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Brown School, shared the impact capital has on underrepresented entrepreneurs. Judith Goldkrand, a Senior Vice President at Wells Fargo, discussed the basic types of capital and how underrepresented entrepreneurs can access it. Author, speakers, and Director of the Elevate/Elevar Accelerator for Black and Latinx Entrepreneurs at WEPOWER Keisha Mabry Haymore provided tips on how to build connections and access capital. Jill Johnson, the co-founder, and CEO of the Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership discussed the importance of access to capital for building inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems. 

Some insights shared during the event include:

Tips from Judith Goldkrand how to make capital friendly for you: 

• Nonprofit organizations are available to provide pieces of education. Ex. WeBank 
• When you go into a bank branch ask for their business banker and ask about the services they offer to businesses at your stage. 
• Don't be afraid to grow out of your banker.

Heather Cameron on opportunities in entrepreneurship: "[We] are working to learn about obstacles and some ways we can remove them... [we] need to look at different ways of leading and different ways of understanding success."

Jill Johnson on how capital is accessed: "Relationships with the people who can open doors and the decision-makers are important. Women and people of color are often not given access to make these relationships."

Keisha Mabry Haymore on what the entrepreneurial community can do: "[We] have to be intentional about the way we create programming to be able to accelerate entrepreneurs to create wealth for their families and communities."

Watch the event recording on YouTube to hear more venture-changing information. Visit the Skandalaris Center Event Page to discover more events like this one.