Equipping New Majority Founders with Tools to Scale - Coming to Cleveland, Ohio
Monday June 9, 2025
9am - 2pm
Cleveland, Ohio
What to Expect
Engaging Speakers
Be inspired and gain practical insights from a distinguished lineup of New Majority Founders and business professionals who have successfully scaled their ventures. Melissa Bradley, Founder of New Majority Ventures, will lead transformative business training sessions designed to elevate your entrepreneurial path. Learn from those who have walked the same path and can guide you toward achieving your business goals.
Business Training
Throughout the summit, you’ll dive into intensive, hands-on sessions that provide the tools and strategies essential for scaling your business. Expect to refine your entrepreneurial mindset, gain a profound understanding of your customer base, build scalable processes, strengthen your approach to financial management, and explore effective fundraising techniques. Each session is crafted to empower you with actionable insights to take your business to the next level.
Networking
The New Majority Summit is more than just a learning experience—it’s your chance to actively engage and forge valuable connections. Participate in dynamic networking sessions tailored to help you build meaningful relationships with fellow founders, ecosystem leaders, and investors. Engage in interactive Q&A sessions with our speakers, where you can explore the topics that matter most to your business. You are guaranteed to walk away with new perspectives, fresh ideas, and potential collaborations to fuel your growth.
Schedule At A Glance
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Meet The Speakers.
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Melissa L. Bradley is the visionary founder and Managing Partner of New Majority Ventures, a business development program that accelerates New Majority entrepreneurs from high potential to high growth as well as a media brand dedicated to empowering diverse entrepreneurs. Through her leadership, Melissa has helped countless minority-owned businesses achieve significant growth and sustainability.
Melissa serves as General Partner of the 1863 Venture Fund and holds advisory roles with several influential organizations, including Reign Ventures and the New Voices Foundation. Her extensive board experience includes positions at Ureeka, Eat the Change, and the Motley Fool Foundation, reflecting her commitment to fostering inclusive economic opportunities.
Melissa’s dedication to social entrepreneurship and impact investing has earned her numerous accolades, including being named to the Forbes 2022 50 Over 50 list for social entrepreneurship. As a professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, she teaches courses on impact investing and social entrepreneurship, shaping the next generation of business leaders.
At The New Majority Summit, Melissa will lead key lessons, sharing her deep expertise in scaling businesses, fostering innovation, and creating a more inclusive economy. Her insights will equip you with the tools needed to transform your business from a promising startup into a high-growth enterprise.
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It all started in my garage back in 2014. I'm Christopher L. Harris, and brewing wasn't always my
full-time gig. It began as a passion project, tinkering with recipes and experimenting with hops in
a space I lovingly carved out for my brewing dreams. Those first two years were a whirlwind of
learning, tweaking, and sharing countless batches with friends and family. Their enthusiastic
feedback fueled my fire, and I knew I had something special brewing.
Fast forward to September 2016, and Black Frog Brewery hopped (pun intended!) out of my
garage and into its official home at 831 S McCord Rd in Holland, Ohio. Holland is a fantastic
community, a mix of families, young professionals, and folks who appreciate a good, honest
beer. It's a place where everyone is welcome, and that's the kind of atmosphere I wanted to
create at Black Frog.
Being the first Black-owned brewery in Northwest Ohio comes with a unique sense of
responsibility. We're not just crafting delicious beers; we're building a space where everyone
feels comfortable gathering, sharing stories, and celebrating life's moments, big or small. It's
become a community hub, and that's what makes me most proud.
In 2025 becoming the first Black owned brewery in Northeast Ohio.
Black Frog Brewery continues to thrive, not just as a successful business, but as a testament to
Harris's dedication and the power of community. It stands as a beacon for aspiring brewers and
a symbol of inclusivity within the craft beer industry.
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Dynamic leader and visionary, Tiwanna Scott-Williams is the Founder and CEO of the PearlFlower Brand, a hospitality enterprise encompassing PearlFlower Catering, Pearl’s Kitchen, and the PearlFlower Foundation. A registered nurse turned chef, Tiwanna drew inspiration from her grandmothers Pearline Scott and Delores Flowers to transform her passion for food into a thriving business. Under her leadership, the PearlFlower Brand has become a prominent name in the culinary industry, known for its commitment to excellence and community engagement.
In 2018, Tiwanna’s culinary talents were recognized when she won a chef’s showcase event, leading to a partnership with Aramark and the Cleveland Cavaliers. This collaboration resulted in the launch of Pearl’s Kitchen inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, making her the first Black woman to own a restaurant within the arena.
Building on this success, Pearl’s Kitchen expanded to locations at Case Western Reserve University and the MidTown Collaboration Center, furthering its mission to provide inspired comfort food to diverse communities.
Beyond her culinary ventures, Tiwanna is deeply committed to her family, finding her greatest joy in being a mother to her daughter, Tristan. Her entrepreneurial journey is a testament to her bold faith, courage, and perseverance. She hopes to inspire other women to pursue their passions and break new ground in their respective fields.
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Cleveland native and mother of four, LarKesha Burns is a leader in community empowerment and economic development. With a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Case Western Reserve University, she serves as the
Director of Business Development at Burten Bell Carr Development Inc., driving revitalization efforts in Cleveland's Buckeye, Central, and Kinsman neighborhoods. Her efforts focus on bridging gaps in access to capital, fostering entrepreneurship, and
delivering innovative programs.
As the CEO and Founder of MISSION:CONNECT, LarKesha fosters connections and resources for underserved communities. Mission:Connect is a full-service business development agency that connects small businesses, community organizations, and non-profits
to resources that will assist entrepreneurs and organizations in achieving business growth and success.
A former high school educator with nearly 15 years of experience, LarKesha has transformed her passion for teaching into a powerful force for equity through advocacy, education, and entrepreneurship. Since 2022, her visionary leadership has been instrumental
in securing nearly $24 million in funding for small businesses—empowering historically underserved communities and driving sustainable economic and social progress locally and beyond.
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Shanelle Johnson Zeigler is the Senior Associate of Small Business Deal Flow at JumpStart, where she supports entrepreneurs by providing strategic advising and connecting them to growth opportunities. With a background in supplier diversity, she previously held roles at the Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council and the City of Cleveland, where she advanced inclusion through certification and project oversight. She brings a wealth of experience, a passion for economic inclusion, and a deep commitment to creating pathways for underserved entrepreneurs to thrive. Shanelle holds an MBA and a Bachelor’s in Finance from Cleveland State University.
