Candice Matthews Brackeen will serve as the event’s keynote speaker. She is a general partner of venture capital fund Lightship Capital, where she finds and supports high-achieving and minority-led companies in underserved ecosystems.

The luncheon serves as the primary fundraiser for ULGC’s Center for Economic and Black Business Success (CEBBS), one of three empowerment centers at the Urban League. The CEBBS, formally the entrepreneurship center, aims to provide a culturally responsive ecosystem of support for African American and other minority-owned businesses to accelerate growth, and expand networks, access and knowledge for business success.