learning labs speakers

Nani Israel

Chief Scaling Officer, Digital Marketing Strategist

Nani Israel is the founder of Air Assistant.io, a digital growth marketing firm that scales mission-driven founders to 5-figure months and 10-hour work weeks using “flirt-to-convert” social media automation sales systems and A.I.- powered marketing assistants.

Specializing in grassroots marketing that requires ZERO startup funding, Nani has helped founders and large corporations alike amass over $18M in sales through highly successful marketing and social media campaigns with low follower count. Her clients have been featured in Goldman Sachs, Target, Barnes & Noble, Inc, Essence Magazine, Hulu, Official Black Wall Street and Sephora among others.

As a travel enthusiast who RV’s the country with her hubby & high school sweetheart, Nani has been on a mission to help no less than 1000 BIPOC and women-owned businesses effortlessly achieve $100K-$1M+ in revenue while working less to enjoy a freedom lifestyle most can only dream of.

Angela scarlett

Principal Lawyer – Business Law | Immigration | Ethical AI Governance

Angela Scarlett is an adept lawyer specializing in start-up legal services and cross-border immigration law, with a focus on incorporation, company setup, and immigration pathways for entrepreneurs and highly skilled professionals to Canada, the USA, Mexico, and Portugal.

Beyond traditional corporate and immigration practice, Angela is a leader in the field of Ethical and Responsible AI Services, offering comprehensive legal and strategic guidance for governments, corporations, unions, and academic institutions.

Her services include:

  • Employee & Executive Training on the ethical use of AI across enterprise corporations, healthcare systems, financial institutions, and academia.

  • AI Policy & Procedure Drafting tailored for governments, corporations, the medical industry, and financial organizations.

  • Seminars & Strategic Consultations on the implementation of AI tools.

  • Advisory Services for Workers' Unions on AI-related bargaining positions, workforce transition, and risk management.

  • AI Risk Audits – Independent legal and technical evaluations of AI systems addressing bias, accountability, legal exposure, and reputational risk.

  • AI Procurement Due Diligence – Risk-based evaluations of third-party AI vendors and tools, ensuring algorithmic integrity, privacy compliance, and reputational safeguards before adoption or deployment.

  • AI Governance Framework Design – Creation of customized governance systems aligned with evolving regulatory and operational standards, including compliance with Canada’s AIDA, the EU AI Act, and U.S. federal and state AI guidelines.

Angela combines her deep legal expertise with a forward-looking approach to AI ethics and compliance, making her a trusted advisor for corporations navigating both global expansion and technological transformation.

Amiah Sheppar4d

Pitch Coach ǀ Funding Expert..

Amiah Sheppard is an impact enhancer. As an organizational and industrial consultant and internationally sought out pitch coach, Sheppard combines transformational leadership, holistic self-confidence training, and strategic development with tested methodology that position her clients' companies for funding immediately through her firm, Sheppard Consulting Group.

We focus on leveraging creative, unique and cultural knowledge to drive founder innovation. As entrepreneurial ecosystem builders, we provide unique solutions for visionary leaders to tell their stories and use their own voice for the funding they need to change the world.

Sheppard brings with her years of experience in venture capital, executive coaching and leadership, and talent and performance management. After joining Backstage Capital, Sheppard leveraged her skills bridging the digital divide, focusing on startup customer acquisition, strategy, and capital efficiency strategies for diverse founders. While there, she led investments and accelerated 24 underrepresented founders internationally, as well as helped invest and support 100 other underrepresented founders across the US.

Afterwards, she went on to run a pro-bono accelerator at Watts Labor Community Action Committee for 6 local startups and small businesses, be featured on HBCU.vc’s 2019 30 under 30 The Future of Venture Capital, be voted Visionary Investor of the Year 2019 via VentureFuel, become a founding member of The Gathering Spot Los Angeles, as well as be a board member of the American Red Cross Northern Valley Chapter Board.

Shane Kelly

CEO

Shane has mobilized capital and community across technology and media ventures for 2 decades, having led venture funds, angel syndicates, and media investments. He founded Cinematica Labs to build ecosystems for mission-driven entrepreneurs, partnering with organizations including Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition, BOMESI, and General Motors to deeply engage 500+ founders and 100+ mentors. By designing for founder well-being and underserved communities, Cinematica Labs catalyzes economies centering people and the planet.

Shane also serves as Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship for the Greif Center for Entrepreneurship at University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business where he teaches the Venture Lab, guiding students to make $50k startup investments out of the USC Marshall Venture Fund, with investments including Dora Maar and Adway. He previously taught Venture Capital to emerging investors through his role as Investor in Residence for HBCU.vc, after which Fellows were placed into paid internships with top Venture Capital firms including Foundry, Slauson & Co, and Bloomberg Beta. An active member of the tech startup community, Shane serves on the investment committee for Cap Table Coalition, a community of over 1,000 angel investors and fund managers.

Shane's work has been featured by TenOneTen’s LA Venture podcast, AI on the Lot, Google Developers, and Forbes. As a tech investor, Shane founded Wolverine Angels, an angel syndicate for University of Michigan alumni where he invested in startups including FEM Prizma (Acquired by Nielsen Gracenote) and Neurable. He went on to run investments for Titan Fund, powered by CrowdSmart. The company’s proprietary platform combines human expertise and artificial intelligence to increase transparency and reduce bias in the venture investment process. Shane led 15 investments for the fund including Air and Syntiant.

Previously, Shane helped GreeneStreet Films raise several rounds of venture capital.

pitch day judges

Tanya walker

First Black Female Bencher Elected from Toronto, Law Society of Ontario
Award-Winning Commercial Litigation Lawyer

Tanya Walker is the founder and managing partner of Walker Law, a Toronto-based civil litigation firm. She earned her law degree from Osgoode Hall at York University in 2005 and her Honours Bachelor of Commerce with a minor in Economics from McMaster University in 2002. Called to the Ontario Bar in 2006, Tanya is known for her dedication to client-focused advocacy and community engagement.

In 2016, Tanya made history as the first Black woman elected Bencher from Toronto in the Law Society of Ontario’s 228-year history. She is now serving her third term, having been re-elected in 2019 and 2023.

Tanya is active in several professional and community organizations, including the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers, WEConnect, and WBECC. Through Walker Law, she supports initiatives like StepStones for Youth, reflecting her commitment to equity and youth empowerment.

She has been recognized in the Lexpert Guides (2017 & 2018) as a Leading Lawyer to Watch in Corporate/Commercial Litigation and received the 2018 Women’s Business Enterprise of the Year Award. Tanya is also a regular legal analyst on CTV’s Your Morning and a frequent speaker on legal issues across Toronto.

ERIK MOORE

Founder & Managing Director

Erik Moore is the founder and managing director of Base Venture Partners, an early stage tech fund. Prior to Base Ventures, Erik spent 15 years in investment banking at Merrill Lynch and 10 years as a successful angel investor. He made early investments in Zappos (sold for 1.2B to Amazon in 2009) and Plangrid (sold to Autodesk for $875mm in 2018) among others.

In the 11 years since its inception, Base Ventures has raised three funds and invested in more than 100 startups, including three unicorns ($5.2B, $4B and $1B), and six companies worth $500MM+. Notable investors include: Tony Hsieh (Zappos CEO), Prakash Janakiraman (Founder of Nextdoor), Harper Reed (former CTO of the Obama campaign), Eric Ryan (Co Founder of Method Home, Olly Vitamins, Welly, Cast Jewelry and Will Perform), Google Ventures (GV), Partners at Welsh Carson, Greenspring and Berkshire Partners, and Serena Williams.

Featured in publications such as the WSJ and USA Today, Erik is regularly referred to as one of the most prominent African Americans in technology. In 2013, Business Insider named him one of the ten most influential blacks in Silicon Valley, along with David Drummond (Chief Legal Officer at Google) and John Thompson (Chairman of Microsoft). In 2016, the Silicon Valley Black Chamber of Commerce awarded Erik with their Next Generation of Excellence Achievement Award. In 2017, he was the recipient of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from The Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce and he was named a Ford Man of Courage.

Erik is a sought out board member for arts, business, and social change. He serves on the board of The Black Ambition Prize, founded by Pharrell Williams. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf recruited Erik to the City of Oakland’s Fund Advisory Board, and finally, he was named to the Alumni Advisory Council at his undergraduate alma mater, Dartmouth College. Erik earned his MA in French from the University of Pennsylvania, and his MBA from The Wharton School of Business.

REGINA GWYNN

Entrepreneur, Advisor, Co-Founder of Black Women Talk Tech

Regina Gwynn is the co-founder of Black Women Talk Tech, the organization that aims to identify, support and encourage black women to build the next billion-dollar business. Black Women Talk Tech is the largest collective of black women tech founders that brings a unique understanding of the challenges Black women face and the advantages they offer to the tech industry. As co-founder, Regina co-leads marketing, business strategy, and strategic partnership development.

Regina Gwynn launched her first tech startup in 2014 with TresseNoire, a platform that empowers women of color to celebrate their textured hair with a personalized beauty routine that works. TresseNoire was selected to Google's first Black Founder Exchange program in 2016, is a part of Backstage Capital, and participated in several accelerator programs.

Regina has been named one of the 100 Most Powerful Women by Entrepreneur Magazine and Top Ten Women in Tech by Essence Magazine. Her features include BET Her, Black Enterprise, Wall Street Journal, Crain’s Business and more. She’s on the Cabinet of Black Entrepreneurship for the City of New York, a Women.nyc Advisor and an Adjunct Professor at Montclair State University. Regina loves to travel, dance and watch football (Go Giants?!).

MICHAEL HYATT

INVESTOR

Michael Hyatt is a serial entrepreneur and investor who sold his software companies for over $1 billion. He co-founded BlueCat, which was acquired by Madison Dearborn Partners in Chicago, IL, and Dyadem, acquired by IHS (NYSE: IHS). Presently, Michael serves as a Senior Advisor at Northleaf Capital Partners and shares his business insights as a commentator on CBC. Michael was also a Founding Partner at the prestigious Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) within the Rotman School of Management.

Michael holds the role of Executive Chairman at DataStealth.io, an enterprise cybersecurity firm that allows organizations to discover, classify, and protect their most sensitive data and documents, ensuring that sensitive data and documents are secure and that they meet applicable privacy, regulatory, governance and compliance requirements.

Beyond business, Michael is active in philanthropy, leading the Hyatt Family Foundation. The foundation's primary areas of focus encompass women's health, critical hospital research, and support for underprivileged minorities.