Black founders in the United States have faced a decline in venture funding since 2021, with only 0.48% of all venture dollars going to Black-led startups in 2023. This is the lowest percentage in recent history, and is down from 0.74% in the first half of 2023 to 0.13% in the third quarter. This panel will unpack the conscious and unconscious bias that impacts founders and will uncover why betting big on Black Ambition needs to happen.

Black women Chief Creative Officers — that’s not something you say in a sentence every day. Well, these (four) women personify a movement in the advertising industry that is starting to gain momentum. In an industry where most creative campaigns are still driven by a White male psychology, what happens when you get a Black woman’s perspective? During this panel discussion, we will find out. Discussion topics to include: challenges Black women creatives face in advancement, getting their ideas heard, and what they bring to the table.

In 2024, 90% of all digital media investment will be made programmatically. However, there are very few diverse-owned programmatic platforms. With more money being invested in programmatic advertising, it’s essential that we see the emergence of diverse-owned ad tech companies. In this panel, we will uncover the monopolies that exist in ad tech, the corresponding impact for publishers, and what it will take for a diverse-owned player to break through.

We are living in the most polarizing time in modern history, where it seems like we are in a perpetual political cycle, where campaign narratives are focused on division not unification. In this 45 minute fireside chat moderated by Arturo Nunez, Senatorial candidate, Hill Harper will discuss the current state of democracy, the challenges with the democratic party, how diversity impacts election results and how being in a perpetual political cycle will continue to be a challenge in unifying our country.

The self-proclaimed Michael Bay of advertising, because of her penchant to blow shit up, Cindy Gallop is never uncomfortable in making the advertising industry uncomfortable. In this provocative discussion, Cindy will discuss the advantages of embracing diverse women’s perspectives in advertising and how the industry’s future is tied to how aggressively it embraces women in leadership. The talk will address the dangers of perpetuating white male psychology as its predominate form of expression, and how that will and can alienate certain consumer groups critical for business growth.

Ever wonder how brands like Apple, Nike, and the NBA consistently rank among the most beloved in the world? Arturo Nuñez, one of the industry’s top marketing minds with senior roles at these companies and more, will reveal the secrets to building brand loyalty. In today’s competitive marketplace, forging meaningful emotional connections is crucial. Arturo will explain how to create these connections and transform them into tangible ROI.

The world and country are getting more diverse by the day, but unfortunately, Healthcare marketing hasn’t changed much—if at all. With the country getting older (1 out 5 Americans being senior citizens), and many of them being diverse consumers, is the healthcare industry prepared to engage all consumers authentically? In this panel, we will examine the following: what it will take to drive meaningful engagement with audiences that are historically distrustful of healthcare companies, what is the evolving role of media, agencies, content, influencers, and data, and how can they be effectively used to create more culturally relevant communications for audiences that deserve optimal care.

In this panel, Amber Guild, CEO of McCann NY, will talk with executive leaders Charisse Hughes, Chief Growth officer of Kellanova, and Allison Stadd, SVP of Brand, Culture & Media at Shipt, who continue to pave a new way forward for their industries by prioritizing diversity as a key driver of business growth.

They will discuss what this has meant for their internal teams and workplace culture, as well as how it has impacted and informed the way they identify and engage the audiences that will grow their businesses.

They’ll get real about the barriers they have personally faced as leaders and what that has meant to their leadership opportunities. Lastly, they’ll give counsel and learnings on how perseverance is what has allowed them to carve new paths forward.