“We’ve deployed $1B in working capital and want to deploy the next $1B.” We’re excited to re-connect and to share our conversation with impact leaders, Ying McGuire and Vikas Shah! Ying is the CEO & President of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), a long-standing business growth engine and socioeconomic driver for minority businesses. Vikas is the Chief Revenue Officer at LSQ, a company at the intersection of technology & finance, driving working capital and...

It would be tough to choose just one quote that perfectly summarizes our thoughts and reflections this first season - we experienced a lot of Aha! moments throughout. And we quickly recognized that our key themes - Supply Chain, Technology, Sustainability, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion - are intersecting & overlapping. The result is a unique lineup of dynamic, diverse, and thoughtful speakers, who value legacy. Here’s a taste of what we heard & what inspired us along the...

“I want to be able to inspire the next generation.” Armani Johnson We are back and super excited to share the second to last episode of Season 1; it’s a very special one for us. In this episode, we sit down with Armani Johnson, Senior Account Director at LinkedIn, a community leader in Detroit, father, husband, and proud member of the Johnson family. Throughout the episode, you’ll learn about Armani’s people-centric approach to life and leading in business, how he made a career switch into...

“For me, it’s all about legacy and paving the way for the next generation.” Brian Tippens In this episode, we sit down with Brian Tippens, Chief Sustainability Officer at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). Brian oversees a global team focused on driving measurable and transparent Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategies that benefit customers, investors, employees and communities. Brian ensures the full integration of ESG into the company’s strategy, delivering business results...

“There was a big gap missing - a lot of people that owned upcoming fashion brands didn’t understand how technology like analytics, AR, or cool software can help them run their businesses. ” Coy Griffin In this episode, we sit down with Coy Griffin, the Founder of Your Own Creativity (YOC), a Fashion Technology consulting firm, the Co-founder and Operations Director at the Council for International African Fashion Education (CIAFE), an author, a TEDx speaker, a content creator, and a Senior...

“I think technology is here to challenge humans.” Ruby Kandah In this episode, we sit down with Ruby Kandah, the co-founder and CEO of CloudX. Previously, Ruby held leadership roles across Product and Engineering at Salesforce and Doordash and worked as an engineer at NASA, re-designing and building spacesuits. She’s an inventor with several patents and also has a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Harvard University. Throughout the episode, you’ll learn about Ruby’s career journey from...

“The world doesn’t believe that innovation looks like me.” Barry Givens In this episode, we sit down with Barry Givens, a techie, an entrepreneur, and a lover of all things helping to add COLOR to the tech industry. Based in Atlanta GA, he currently spends his time helping and advising emerging entrepreneurs (mostly African-American) and is working to launch several projects to bring racial parity to the economics, education, and workforce of the tech industry. He co-founded Collab Capital...

“Equity is my why and self-advocacy is my legacy.” Sage Ke’alohilani Quiamno In this episode, we sit down with Sage Ke’alohilani Quiamno, an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, and changemaker. She is a nationally-recognized diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) leader with experience in talent diversification, retention, employment development, internal and external DEI communications, DEI training, data analytics, and global DEI strategy. Both personally and professionally, Sage is...

“There’s a difference between writing a check and utilizing minority resources - there needs to be long term sustainability.” Adrienne Trimble In this episode, Adrienne Trimble, the current Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at Sysco Corporations and former President and CEO of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), joins us to talk about her unique path to becoming a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) leader in several capacities including across the...

“It’s about paying it forward.” Sid Johnson In this episode, Sid and Ashia Johnson, father / daughter co-hosts, introduce The Core Intentions podcast including how five months of quarantine influenced, inspired, and created the space for intentional conversation about their why as well as creative thinking and ultimately served as the impetus for the podcast - they also explain the importance of their core pillars including technology, supply chain, sustainability, and diversity, equity and...

“The main role of technology in society is that it brings all of us together.” Farzin Shadpour In this episode, Farzin Shadpour, VP & Managing Director of Supply Chain Innovation at Plug and Play Tech Center HQ in Silicon Valley, joins us to talk about the power of connection in the innovation and technology space as well as the importance of being intentional to create diverse, inclusive, and equitable outcomes in the world of venture.  You can learn more about Play and Play Tech...