Startup Boston Week is committed to amplifying the diverse voices that make up the Greater Boston and New England startup ecosystem. By embracing a wide range of perspectives, we can collectively build a more equitable startup community, fostering support and growth across the entire ecosystem.
For SBW2024, we're proud that nearly 50% of our speakers are women and nearly 50% are people of color. This representation is a testament to our dedication to inclusivity and our belief that diversity is essential to driving innovation and progress in the startup world.
Without spoiling too much, here is a list of ten accomplished diverse founders, leaders, and entrepreneurs who will be speaking to the startup community. Yet, this list does not include everybody. There are plenty more inspiring diverse movers and shakers joining us for the week-long conference.
To get your free ticket to Startup Boston Week, happening September 9th-13th in Boston and virtually, click here.
Ten Diverse Startup Leaders Speaking at Startup Boston Week
1. Shahid Azim, CEO & General Partner of C10 Labs
About Shahid: Shahid Azim is a serial entrepreneur who specializes in advancing AI startups from concept to planetary scale impactful products. His former roles includes co-instructor at MIT Media Lab, CEO of applied AI brain health startup REACT Neuro, and Co-founder CEO of two venture backed MIT spin outs. He is now the CEO and Co-Founder of C10 Labs AI Studio & Venture Fund in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
He has degrees from MIT, Harvard, and Seattle University and is a Harvard Entrepreneur in Residence.
See Shahid at SBW2024: Shahid is presenting “AI Startup Transformation: Effective Scaling and Pivotal Tactics” on Tuesday, September 10th.
2. Pariss Chandler, Founder & CEO of Black Tech Pipeline
About Pariss: Pariss Chandler launched Black Tech Pipeline in 2020 after mobilizing the industry-changing #BlackTechTwitter movement in 2018, a global community of Black technologists that helped disprove the infamous “pipeline problem.” Pariss also sits on the board at the Museum of Science, serving as Chair of the Innovators Society, a group of young professionals dedicated to making science accessible to all.
Pariss Chandler is the Founder and CEO of Black Tech Pipeline, a platform that connects hiring companies with Black tech talent through its job board, newsletter, and talent directory.
See Pariss at SBW 2024: Pariss is presenting at “You Got It! Fostering Collaboration and Efficiency in DevOps” on Tuesday, September 10th.
3. David Chang, GM, Expert Network of Hunt Club
About David: David Chang, as an entrepreneur, has held operating roles at six internet/mobile startups that raised $150m and were acquired for $750m; he has invested in 100 companies as an angel investor. He was previously the CEO of Gradifi (E*TRADE), EIR at Harvard Business School, and Director of the Babson Summer Venture Program. David is presently the GM of Expert Network at Hunt Club and Founding Member at TBD Angels.
David holds a BS with Distinction in Computer Science from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
See David at SBW2024: David is presenting “Show me the Money: Decoding Startup Funding” on Tuesday, September 10th.
4. Piyali Chakraborty, Founder and CEO of Ashmi Health
About Piyali: Piyali Chakraborty is a pioneering entrepreneur holding a PhD in Food Tech & Nutrition. Piyali is driven by a commitment to ensure every woman has access to effective, preventive healthcare. Additionally, she is a vocal advocate for health equity, working tirelessly to expand access to healthcare solutions across socioeconomic boundaries.
Piyali is a founder of Ashmi Health, a company dedicated to transforming women’s health through personalized nutritional interventions. At Ashmi Health, she leverages cutting-edge AI technology to tailor nutrition plans that are as unique as the individuals they serve.
See Piyali at SBW2024: Piyali is presenting “Breaking Barriers: Overcoming Challenges as Underrepresented Founders” on Friday, September 13th.
5. Alexis Chan, Co-Founder of Hire Digital
About Alexis: Alexis Chan works with hundreds of organizations, from Fortune 500 enterprises to growth companies, to connect businesses with skilled digital marketers, software developers, and designers on demand. She is a Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient and was named to the Singapore 100 Women in Tech list in 2021.
Alexis Chan is the cofounder & CEO of Hire Digital, which provides on-demand talents and teams in areas such as digital marketing, web development, design, ecommerce and AI.
See Alexis at SBW2024: Alexis is presenting “By Design: Assembling your Dream Product Team” on Wednesday, September 11th.
6. Jeremy Colon, Co-Founder of Revamp Training
About Jeremy: Jeremy Colon is passionate about helping individuals of all ages and abilities achieve their fitness goals. With over a decade of experience specializing in strength, functional fitness, and programs tailored for older adults, he possesses a deep understanding of this population’s unique needs and a commitment to creating safe, effective, and empowering fitness experiences.
Jeremy is currently the co-founder of Revamp Training and recently received a grant from the city of Boston.
See Jeremy at SBW2024: Jeremy is presenting “Walking the Tightrope: Balancing Academics and Entrepreneurship” on Monday, September 9th.
7. Demetri Harrision, Co-Founder and CEO of Lockeroom Chat
About Demetri: Demetri Harrision is a seasoned entrepreneur and technology enthusiast with a robust background in the tech industry. His journey includes founding three ventures, each contributing to his deep understanding of business development, product strategy, and client relations within the sports tech sector.
Demetri is serving as the Co-Founder and CEO of Lockeroom Chat, a cutting-edge live chat analytics platform designed specifically for sports teams.
See Demetri at SBW2024: Demetri is presenting “Engineering for Scale: Crafting Solutions with Growth in Mind” on Tuesday, September 10th.
8. Jashin Lin, Founder and CEO of Growbie
About Jashin: Jashin Lin, a dynamic leader and trailblazer, stands at the forefront of social entrepreneurship, community building, and career education. Highly regarded as a speaker, Jashin shares strategies to navigate the unique hurdles confronted by first-gen immigrants in corporations, conferences, and universities around the world.
As the founder and CEO of Growbie, the first career development platform focusing on networking skills and community-building for first-generation immigrants, Jashin is dedicated to address the challenges of cultural differences and foster career readiness.
See Jashin at SBW2024: Jashin is presenting “Email Apocalypse? The Future of Reaching Prospects” on Wednesday, September 11th.
9. Sanjay Manandhar, CEO of Zifino
About Sanjay: Sanjay Manandhar is a Cambridge, MA-based tech entrepreneur who brought the internet to Nepal in 1994 where he remains actively involved in entrepreneurship and promotion of the arts. Prior to founding Zifino (zifino.com), a cybersecurity company, Sanjay founded and was CEO of Wicket (wicketsoft.com), a computer vision company he co-founded to make facial biometrics with opt-in.
Sanjay is currently the CEO of Zifino, a self-service, vulnerability scanning product that can pinpoint your cyber risks for your website and online assets in minutes.
See Sanjay at SBW2024: Sanjay is presenting “To Hoard or to Harvest: Navigating the Decision to build your Data Warehouse or Sell your Insights” on Monday, September 9th.
10. Namee Oberst, Founder AI Bloks
About Namee: Namee Oberst began her career as a corporate attorney at Latham & Watkins in Silicon Valley. She has extensive expertise in financial services, insurance, biotech and other highly regulated industries, and also served as an assistant general counsel at a leading public insurance brokerage firm. Combining her extensive experience in highly regulated, data sensitive industries with a passion for AI, Namee developed with her team an integrated framework that simplifies enterprise-grade AI adoption through open-source models and platform.
Namee is the Founder of AI Bloks, the maker of LLMWare, an innovative AI framework and small specialized models revolutionizing the landscape of LLM-based application development in financial services and legal industries using small language models.
See Namee at SBW2024: Namee is presenting “The Ethics of AI: Navigating the Moral Landscape” on Thursday, September 12th.
Nicholas Ewing is a graduate of UMass Lowell in Business Administration: International Business this year. You can connect with him here.
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