SpecialityFounder & CEO, Black Professionals Network

BiographyKenasha Paul, J.D. is an award-winning social entrepreneur and business professional who has dedicated her life to building thriving pathways lined with access points, opportunities, and resources for underrepresented communities. A dynamic force in community building, her first major feat started in 2008 when Paul helped the Black Student Union at FIU go from a student club with a then operating budget of $500 to a university-wide council managing a six-figure plus budget and representing nearly 12% of black students on campus. After graduation, she was asked to found and lead the FIU Black Alumni Chapter representing over 25,000 black alumni nationwide. This work inspired her launch of the Black Professionals Summit conference in (2014) while in law school at Nova Southeastern University, later advancing the Summit into the Black Professionals Network (BPN) in 2016, as a non-profit social learning organization serving all of South Florida’s black professional community. In 2022, the organization expanded nationwide and currently has chapters in Miami, Broward, Chicago, and Los Angeles with more markets on the way. Black Professionals Network's (BPN) mission is to advance careers, power up businesses, and build up social capital for black professionals on a journey to become certified legacy builders. Providing them along the way with programs, connections, and resources to assist them in excelling and thriving. Her success in building social capital across private and public sectors caught the attention of the venture and tech community. As of December 2021, she was announced by the City of Miami’s Mayor Francis Suarez as the Director of the Venture Miami Opportunity Program as part of a novel partnership between the City of Miami and FIU. In 2023, she transitioned to the role of Special Advisor to the Venture Miami Office where she continues serving as a critical connector, alongside the Venture Miami team, by connecting women entrepreneurs of color with investors, venture capitalists, and resources in #MiamiTech.