May 15-16, 2025
Join 600+ tech founders, investors, & Innovators for Roadmap to Billions New York!
Showcase Your Startup at This Year's RTB No Pressure Pitch!
“If you are a Black woman founder or aspiring founder, this conference is a must-go.”
What Makes This Conference Different?
SNAG A JOB TO FUND YOUR STARTUP
What Makes This Conference Different?
BLENDED IRL & VIRTUAL CONFERENCE EXPERIENCES
What Makes This Conference Different?
LIVE INTERACTION WITH TITANS OF INDUSTRY
What Makes This Conference Different?
DYNAMIC ROADMAP TO YOUR GOALS AND GROWTH
About Roadmap to Billions
It’s year 9 – Whaaaaat?!
Roadmap to Billions is designed for you, by women like you. Full of exciting, engaging, and enlightening experiences, you’ll leave the conference feeling powerful, motivated and ready to take the next steps on your journey.
Roadmap to Billions takes on The Big Apple May 15-16th, 2025.
2025 has been an absolute roller coaster already, but there's a space being created just for you. A space where your brilliance, your resilience, and your entrepreneurial spirit will not only be recognized—but celebrated and elevated. We’ve designed a new experience where your dreams, challenges, and triumphs will find resonance among innovators who understand your journey like no one else can.
This year’s 9th Annual Roadmap to Billions Conference will feature a short Application process with a focus on black women entrepreneurs. Applications will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis.
We’re bringing 8 years (!) of learnings, networks, connections, insights, failures and opportunities to an exclusive group of high growth companies. Think powerful workshop intensives with actionable takeaways led by the brightest minds in the industry, and masterclasses with real-world operators who know what it takes to scale.
Register now to access valuable resources for your business, networks to build clientele, and design your own Roadmap to generational wealth for your family and community.
Recommended Hotel
Element New York Times Square West
311 West 39th Street, Between 8th and 9th Avenue
New York, New York 10018
Book Online or call (212) 643-0770
Use code: E0030 for 20% off 2 Night Stay
Your ticket gives you access to:
CUSTOM
CONTENT TRACKS
MASTER
CLASSES👩🏾🏫
EXPERT SPEAKERS
VC OFFICE HOURS💸
TECH
INDUSTRY MEETUPS
LUXURY FOUNDERS
RETREAT🧖🏾♀️
AGENDA
Check back often for updates
3:00 pm - Welcome Reception, DMZ 10 Dundas Street, 6th Floor
6:00 pm
The Story of Black Women Talk Tech, Founder Panel
All
9:00 am - VIP Breakfast
10:00 am
10:00 am - Welcome Address from The Founders
10:10 am
10:10 am - Wellness Moment
10:15 am
10:15 am - Land Acknowledgement
10:20 am
10:20 am - Welcome Remarks, MPP Charmaine Williams
10:40 am
10:40 am - Morning Keynote, Claudette McGowan
11:20 am
11:20 am - The State of the Black Canadian Tech Ecosystem
12:00 pm
12:00 pm - Life's a Pitch: Nail Your Story With Every Audience!
12:40 pm
12:40 pm - Lunch, Networking, Partner Expo
1:50 pm
1:50 pm - Building a Sustainable Funding Path
2:30 pm
2:30 pm - Unleash the Power of AI
3:10 pm
3:10 pm - Next Level Career Moves
3:50 pm
4:00 pm - Pitch Competition!!
5:00 pm
5:40 pm - Afternoon Keynote, Lauren Maillian
5:40 pm
5:40 pm - Closing Remarks
6:00 pm
6:00 pm - Closing Reception
8:00 pm
Day 1
Thursday May 15th 2025, Microsoft Times Square NYC
Doors Open at 1:30pm
Recharge at the Founders Retreat, Powered by Brooklyn Wellness Club
Founders, it's time to prioritize YOU. Join us for an exclusive wellness retreat to reset and refocus.
Enjoy yoga, meditation, and mindfulness, while connecting with fellow visionary leaders.
• Reclaim clarity through restorative practices
• Build resilience to thrive under pressure
• Network with like-minded founders
• Leave re-energized with new strategies
• Connect with other leaders in industry meetups
• Enjoy Happy Hour cocktails - TBD
Take a break, recharge, and return with purpose. Ready to reset? Your journey starts here. Hosted by Paris Alexandra
Day 2
Friday May 16th 2025
Doors Open at 9:00am (Registration & Breakfast)
Workshop Sessions
10:00am: Founder Firsts: The First Investor Check, First Investor Call, First Bad Hire
Explore all of the lessons learned from the 'firsts' a Founder makes in her entrepreneurial journey. How to consider avoiding mistakes, preparing for opportunities and gathering the right resources for long term growth and scale.
Speakers: Kunbi Tinuoye, Lenore Champagne Beirne
10:40am: The Operations Arsenal: Accounting, Legal & Consulting for Growth
Hiring the right accountants and consultants can make or break your business. This session covers how to think about hiring for key financial roles, what to manage in your first accounting team, and how to choose the right consultant for your needs. Whether you’re bringing in outside expertise or stepping into a consulting role yourself, learn how to build a strong foundation for success.
Speakers: Diane Moss, Tricia Taitt, Jacqueline Twillie
11:30am: The Ultimate Fundraising Playbook: Crack the Code on Pre-Seed & Seed Rounds
Investors are changing the game—are you playing it right? Get inside tips on structuring your round, securing early checks, and avoiding rookie mistakes.
Speakers: Elise King, Victoria Yampolsky, Lance Mason, Jordan Sawadogo
12:20pm: The Art of the Pivot: Transforming Challenges into Opportunities
Master the strategic pivot - a critical skill for business survival and innovation. This workshop examines successful pivot case studies, teaches methodologies for identifying pivot triggers, and provides frameworks for executing change while maintaining team alignment and customer trust. Learn when to persist and when to pivot for maximum business impact.
Speakers: Lindiwe Davis, Dreena Whitfield, D'Janae Robinson, Nekpen Wilson
12:20pm: Agentic AI: Your Business on Autopilot
AI isn’t the future - it’s now. Learn how startups can leverage AI to automate workflows, accelerate growth, and scale smarter — from writing better prompts to building custom GPTs, using workflow automation tools, and exploring AI agents. Walk away with real-world examples and a simple way to choose the right solution for your business.
Speaker: Nelly Yusupova
2:20pm: How to Close Big Money Clients (Even If You're a Startup)
Startup Enterprise clients are sitting on billion-dollar budgets—let’s get you a piece of that. Learn how to sell into Fortune 500s and secure high-value deals.
Jeanelle James
2:20pm: The Future is Female (and Funded): Black Women Raising Capital
The funding gap will continue to plague us, but what else is new? We have to rewrite the rules, so hear from the ladies who are changing the game. The funding gap is real, but Black women founders are rewriting the rules. Hear from those who’ve cracked the code on raising millions.
Speakers: Antonia Dean, Tiffany Kelly, Gayle Jennings-O'Byrne, Sankeetha Selvarajah.
3:10pm: AI is the new co-founder: How Startups Can Win with Custom GPTs
AI powered hustle. Learn how to build custom GPTs that work for you, from automating customer service to supercharging product innovation.
Speaker: Stephanie Assi Durand
3:10pm: The Modern Tech Stack: Architecture Decisions for Early-Stage Startups
Make informed technical decisions that won't limit your growth. This workshop guides non-technical and technical founders through critical early architecture choices, covering scalability considerations, build vs. buy decisions, and technical debt management. Learn how to balance speed-to-market with building for future scale without overengineering your initial product.
Alfred Ojukwu, Dominique Aubry
5:00pm Closing Reception at Fushimi NYC Times Square, 311 W 43rd St
All Roadmap to Billions Attendees will close out the conference at Fushimi Times Square where we will host the No Pressure Pitch Practice, network with investors and enjoy sips & bites!
Sessions Group 1
The Future is Female (and Funded): Black Women Raising Capital
The funding gap will continue to plague us, but what else is new? We have to rewrite the rules, so hear from the ladies who are changing the game. The funding gap is real, but Black women founders are rewriting the rules. Hear from those who’ve cracked the code on raising millions.
Agentic AI: Your Business on Autopilot
AI isn’t the future—it’s now. Discover how to create an AI agent tailored to your business, automate workflows, and enhance decision-making. From selecting the right model to training and deployment, this session will demystify AI so you can integrate it seamlessly into your operations.
How to Close Big Money Clients (Even If You're a Startup)
Startup Enterprise clients are sitting on billion-dollar budgets—let’s get you a piece of that. Learn how to sell into Fortune 500s and secure high-value deals.
Sessions Group 2
The Art of the Pivot: Transforming Challenges into Opportunities
Master the strategic pivot - a critical skill for business survival and innovation. This workshop examines successful pivot case studies, teaches methodologies for identifying pivot triggers, and provides frameworks for executing change while maintaining team alignment and customer trust. Learn when to persist and when to pivot for maximum business impact.
The Ultimate Fundraising Playbook: Crack the Code on Pre-Seed & Seed Rounds
Investors are changing the game—are you playing it right? Get inside tips on structuring your round, securing early checks, and avoiding rookie mistakes.
The Modern Tech Stack: Architecture Decisions for Early-Stage Startups
Make informed technical decisions that won't limit your growth. This workshop guides non-technical and technical founders through critical early architecture choices, covering scalability considerations, build vs. buy decisions, and technical debt management. Learn how to balance speed-to-market with building for future scale without overengineering your initial product.
AI is the new co-founder: How Startups Can Win with Custom GPTs
AI powered hustle. Learn how to build custom GPTs that work for you, from automating customer service to supercharging product innovation.
Sessions Group 3
The Operations Arsenal: Accounting, Legal & Consulting for Growth
Hiring the right accountants and consultants can make or break your business. This session covers how to think about hiring for key financial roles, what to manage in your first accounting team, and how to choose the right consultant for your needs. Whether you’re bringing in outside expertise or stepping into a consulting role yourself, learn how to build a strong foundation for success.
Founder Firsts: The First Investor Check, First Investor Call, First Bad Hire
Learn proven strategies to make the most of your first big investment. This workshop covers risk assessment, diversification techniques, market timing considerations, and how to align investment choices with your long-term goals. Perfect for new investors looking to build a strong foundation for financial growth.
Platform Economics: Building Multi-Sided Marketplaces in Tech
Unlock the power of network effects with platform business models. This strategic workshop explores marketplace dynamics, solving the cold start problem, balancing supply and demand, and monetization strategies for different platform types. Learn from successful and failed tech marketplaces to design your own platform for sustainable growth.
Execution Excellence: Best Practices for Operators
Elevate your operational leadership to drive exceptional results. This advanced masterclass workshop covers operational frameworks, decision-making models, resource optimization, and performance management systems used by elite operators. Designed for experienced leaders ready to refine their execution capabilities and build high-performing organizations.
Experiences
Ask a Venture Capitalist
Looking for funding advice? Join the Ask a Venture Capitalist session to get expert tips on market validation, team building, and fundraising strategies.
Mike Ma, Sadeyah Howard, Kimmy Paluch
Headshot Studio 📸
Refresh your profile pic with a professional headshot! Quick sessions, high-quality results will be available on-site.
Got an idea, challenge, or burning question? Share it a the Brain Date.
Post a topic you'd love to explore or need help with and others who share your curiosity or experience can book time to connect and dive in with you at the Brain Date marketplace. Whether you're looking to explore a new idea, swap strategies, or dive into a shared challenge, others will discover your topic and book a 1-on-1 or group chat to connect. It's not just networking—it’s intentional, purpose-driven dialogue with people who get it.
No Pressure Pitch: The Stage is Yours, But the Stakes Are Chill
The Closing Reception features our No Pressure Pitch Practice, Investor Networking and a close out to Roadmap to Billions 2025!
No Pressure Pitch is your chance to pitch to a crowd of fellow founders, investors, dreamers, and doers—no judging, just learning.
You bring the pitch.
We bring the vibes.
And our feedback coaches bring the helpful tips to help you sharpen your story and grow your confidence.
Whether you're practicing for investors or just getting comfortable talking about your vision, this is the place to test it out—with zero pressure and maximum support.
💡 Bold ideas.
🎯 Real talk.
🙌🏾 A hype squad disguised as feedback coaches.
Pitch. Listen. Level up.
Ticket TYpes
Speakers
Antonia Dean
Principal of Black Ops VC
Tricia Taitt
CEO of FinCore
Dreena Whitfield
Founder & CEO of WhitPR
D'Janae Robinson
Founder of BTO (Beat the Odds)
Mike Ma
Managing Partner at Sidecut Ventures
Sankeetha Selvarajah
Partner, Mergers & Acquisitions Attorney at Romano Law PLLC & Zensei LLC; Corporate Chair of MA
Nelly Yusupova
Fractional CTO at TechSpeak.co
Kange Kaneene
Venture Partner at Level Up Ventures
Elise King
Managing Director at American Heart Association, Women's Health Fund
Stephanie Assi Durand
CEO of Meraky Tech, Inc
Kimmy Paluch
Managing Partner at Beta Boom
Lenore Champagne Beirne
Founder & Managing Partner at Bright Ventures
Lindiwe Davis
Founder of FutureState Collective | Coach | Speaker
Tiffany Kelly
Founder & CEO of Curastory
Kunbi Tinuoye
CEO of UrbanGeekz
Victoria Yampolsky
President of The Startup Station
Jacqueline Twillie
Head of Learning and Development at ZeroGap
Dominique Aubry
Principal & CEO at Beacon Insights
Jordan Sawadogo
Pre-seed / Seed Investor at 500 Global
Maci Philitas
Member of 929 Group, Eagle Rock Kids
Saydeah Howard
Managing Partner at Cherryrock Capital
Lance Mason
Founder & Editor in Chief at Rise Over Run
Nekpen Wilson
Career & Executive Coach at SBW Coaching
Mita Carriman
Founder of Adventurely & Co-Founder of Caribbean Venture Collective
Dianne Moss
Counsel at Lowenstein Saunders
Gayle Jenning-O'Byrne
CEO & General Partner at WOCSTAR
Stephanie Leblanc-Godrey
CEO & Founder of Mother AI
Alfred Ojukwu
Sr. Virtualization Solution Sales at Microsoft
Jael Joseph
Founder & Creator of Black Island Girl Multimedia
Alexia Beckford
Program Manager at Jamaica Technology & Digital Alliance
Yinka Adesesan
Black Innovation Programs Manager DMZ
Dwania Peele
Founder of Canadian Small Business Women
Estelle Inack
Research Scientist at Perimeter Institute
Kanishia Mensah
Program & Event Coordinator at Black Entrepreneurship Alliance
Melisa Ellis
Founder & C.E.O of Nobellum
Nunu Francisco
Tech Program Officer at Black Entrepreneurship Alliance
Tashua Case
Director, Business Intelligence at Bluum
MPP Charmaine Williams
MPP for Brampton Centre, Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity
Claudette McGowan
Founder & CEO, Protexxa & Co-founder, The Firehood
Kishawna Peck
Founder & CEO at Women in Data Science
Stacey Ann Berry
Chapter President, BIT Toronto
Amoye Henry
Co-Founder & Lead Investment Manager at Pitch Better
Ashley Wright
Founder at Blacks On Blockchain
Giselle Melo
Managing Partner at MATR (matter) Ventures
Lauren Maillian
Founder and CEO, LMB GROUP
Faizah Balogun
Program Coordinator at Black Founder Network
Treasa Brown
Founder, Professionelle House, Inc
Chi-Chi Egbo
Founder and Principal Consultant, Workthrough
Vania Abdul-Badee
CMO, 360, Advertising and Communications
Gayle Jennings
CEO, Wocstar Capital LLC
Modupe Olufemi
Advisor, Business Development, MITAC Inc
Sponsors
Media Partner
Meet the Founders
Esosa Ighodaro, Co-founder
Regina Gwynn, Co-founder
We are a collective of passionate Black women tech founders.
We have a unique understanding of the challenges Black women founders face and the advantages we bring in the industry. We’re here to identify, support and encourage Black women to build the next billion dollar business.
We’re unapologetic in our support because we believe Black is worth the investment. It’s time we are heard and seen because we know different perspectives bring new opportunities. We’re building community and profitable, scalable businesses for self-identified Black women in tech, together.
From Our
Community
"Black Women Talk Tech has helped our organization find two portfolio companies for venture capital investment and we look forward to many more."
Candice Matthews Brackeen
Lightship Capital
"Black Women Talk Tech made me re-imagine the possibilities of Black women coming together to celebrate one another. I’m so grateful to be a part of the BWTT network."
Roshawnna Novellus
EnrichHER
"The event brings together a vibrant collection of entrepreneurs and investors, which offers invaluable networking opportunities. Can't wait for the next event!"
Louise Broni Mensah
Shoobs
"We won 'Best in Cohort' at Founder Gym, were admitted into the New York Fashion Tech Lab and we joined Backstage Capital’s portfolio in 2020 all because of Black Women Talk Tech."
Tope Mitchell
ReflektMe
Empower Yourself
#RTBNYC
May 15-16, 2025
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August 21-22, 2025
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