Founders

Orleatha Smith

Orleatha Smith is a serial entrepreneur with a proven track record of building impactful businesses across diverse industries. With over a decade of expertise in wellness and consumer goods, she co-founded Sip Herbals to revolutionize the coffee experience, offering a delicious herbal alternative that provides sustainable energy without the crash. Orleatha’s deep understanding of wellness stems from her lived experience overcoming personal health challenges, coupled with her professional qualifications as a Certified Master Herbalist and her advanced degree in education with a biology teaching credential. This unique blend of lived and learned expertise positions her as the ideal leader to develop innovative, health-focused products. Under her leadership, Sip Herbals has gained national recognition, airing on Shark Tank and featuring in Forbes, First For Women Magazine, WebMD, and various podcasts and television shows. Orleatha’s passion for creating products that nurture well-being continues to fuel her mission to transform the way people enjoy their daily rituals, blending science, sustainability, and care into every cup.

Aziza El Wanni

The Potion Studio is a luxury haircare brand that believes in the power of nature and quality ingredients for both men and women with all hair types. Our mission is to simplify and refine your hair care routine with intentional products designed for not so simple hair.

Chaka Stewart

Chaka Stewart is the Founder & Owner of Flipside Event Services LLC. Flipside is your one stop shop for all your event cleaning needs. Servicing Los Angeles County and surrounding areas, Dallas & Austin Texas.

Dr. Qiana O'Leary

Dr. Qiana O'Leary, founder of Minty Educational Services, is a distinguished educational consultant and edupreneur who blends her lived experiences in urban communities with scholarly expertise in educational research. Known as a "hood scholar," she creates transformative spaces through workshops, conferences, and retreats, prioritizing inclusivity and diversity in schools. With extensive experience in TK-12 teaching and administration, Dr. O'Leary has dedicated her career to building equity-centered schools and dismantling systemic barriers. In 2020, Dr. O'Leary, alongside co-creators Ernani Santos and Dr. Ijeoma Ononuju, launched Blackademx, a groundbreaking TV show. Blackademx is a teaching competition that celebrates educators of color, showcasing their innovation and creativity as they work with students of color. The show has been leveraged to offer professional development at Los Angeles Unified School District, Texas A&M International University, Houston Independent School District, Upland Unified School District, Touro University, as well as a host of educational conferences and workshops across the United States. A trailblazer in educational consulting, Dr. O'Leary is also the author of Lead with Truth, a groundbreaking exploration of authentic leadership in education. Her passion for equity and transparency continues to shape the future of learning environments.

Adimika Meadows Arthur

Adimika Arthur, epithet “Madam Medicaid,” is a well sought after hospital/health system leader, social entrepreneur, board member and revolutionary changemaker. She is a visionary and strategic executive who has spent over two decades in healthcare and whose experience in health equity and investments in underlooked populations is invaluable. She currently serves as the Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Executive Director for Health Tech for Medicaid (HT4M), a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting innovation in Medicaid, the nations’ largest insurer. By further improving the quality, equity and access to care for vulnerable Medicaid populations, their families and communities, HT4M is radically changing the pace of innovation in Medicaid through innovative program service delivery, infrastructure/ecosystem development and issue/policy advocacy.

Jaime Masters

Hi, I’m Jaime, the founder of 826 & Co. In just 8 months, I lost a parent to suicide, another to a heart attack, and then my dog. I was deep in grief. I didn’t know how to cope, but my body found a way to. I developed a serious scalp issue and started scratching the same spot over and over—until the hair was gone. I caused so much scar tissue, the doctor said the hair would never grow back in that spot. Still nothing was helping the itching. So, I began researching and experimenting, until eventually I created something that soothed the inflammation and stopped the scratching. That product is now known as our Crown Scalp Serum. I turned my pain into purpose—and 826 & Co. was born. I create skin and hair care that supports visible results. I use high-performance botanicals and aromatherapy to deliver a sensorial self-care experience and we support suicide prevention, one bottle at a time.

Camara Samuel

Camara is the Founder and CEO of Wadadli Naturals. She started the business out of frustration of not finding a natural deodorant that worked for her. She used her experience as a Chemical Engineer and formulator to create the Natural Shea deodorant during Covid, and Wadadli Naturals was born. She went on to create more natural solutions for everyday life. Outside of work, Camara enjoys crocheting and exploring Austin with her husband and daughter.