Ranging in age from 7 to 70+, 250 attendees convened for an evening event sponsored by venture capital powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz. Silicon Valley titan Ken Coleman and Essence magazine founder, Ed Lewis, held a fireside chat where attendees gleaned life lessons from the two living legends.
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Ben Horowitz, co-founder and partner of the Menlo Park, California-based VC firm, was hired as an intern at Silicon Graphics by Ken Coleman at the start of his career. Horowitz paid homage to his mentor as “the ultimate boss” and launched the chat with genial warmth and frequent grins.
“I am super excited! We always like to bring great entrepreneurs here who have great stories. When you think about it, here we say one out of ten of the guys who get funded by really good people are going to make money; one out of a thousand of those will actually change the world,” said Horowitz.
“And then, maybe one out of the thousand that change the world will last 47 years and as be as important today with over 550, 000 people going to the Essence festival, which is the biggest festival in the U.S. and probably the biggest in the world. That’s how special a guest we have,” Horowitz said.
Lewis as Last Man Standing
Dapper and business casual
Lewis didn’t shy away from describing the rocky road of partnerships that dissolved as Essence evolved. Citing the title of one chapter in the book, he referred to himself as the “last man standing,” since he was the sole original partner remaining when Essence was sold to Time Warner in 2005.
Launched in May of 1970 with Lewis and co-founders Clarence Smith, Jonathan Blount, and Cecil Hollingsworth, Essence magazine’s celebration of black women is often credited with not only changing black women’s self-perception, but the world’s perception of America’s African American queens.
Lewis opined, “I humbly believe that Essence helped create the atmosphere of changing the perception of how black women are perceived in society.” Learning that the original name considered for the magazine was the provocative “Sapphire” was just one of the many nuggets he shared. According to Lewis, all previous partners declined to be interviewed for the book.
“Essence and Black Enterprise’s Turbulent History” Next–>
Essence and Black Enterprise’s Turbulent History
Lewis also spoke of the collaboration between Black Enterprise founder Earl Graves and Ebony and Jet founder John Johnson, as they collectively visited Madison Avenue advertisers to demonstrate the united power of black media. Lewis said he always considered Graves more of a business friend than he did Johnson, who owned stock in Essence
“We worked together; we respected each other, we wanted to do something for our community for black media, so it was important for us as a partnership to do this,” Lewis reflected. “Earl has done a magnificent job of starting Black Enterprise in 1970 and Essence started in 1970.”
Lewis’ chapter entitled “Selling In” includes his dismay about Black Enterprise‘s 2002 article about an agreement between Essence Communications Inc. and Time Inc. During the chat, he recalled that before selling Essence to Time Warner he went to John Johnson, who told him, “It’s a good deal—you don’t worry about my saying anything negative.”
Ken Coleman deftly directed the dialogue toward business axioms, and Lewis’ memorable mantras included “Cash is King, Queen, Jack and Ace.” His response to what it takes to be an entrepreneur included the following observation, “One has to be a little bit crazy in terms of the demands on you; it really is 24/7. It’s going to require that you believe in yourself, that you can do it, and that you can make a difference in the world.”
Those words hit home for many, including Makedah Shartukar, CEO and co-founder
of BiLD in Oakland, CA. “I think what really resonated with me is the tenacity and just the ability to be resilient in pursuit of your dream,” said Shartukar. “So what he talked about in terms of the confidence–the need to be a little crazy– really sat with me because I’ve felt that way sometimes. I’m a mother of two kids, and when you’re talking about pursuing the path of entrepreneurship, that stability goes away. It’s not just about you, but when you have your family invested in you, the stakes get a lot higher, but it’s about what you want to leave behind,” she said.“Ken Coleman Breaks Down Silicon Valley” Next–>
Ken Coleman Breaks Down Silicon Valley
As Ed Lewis autographed books and the networking reception at the main room of the Sharon Heights Country Club continued, Ken Coleman reflected on the mission of the chat series.
“What we’re about here in Silicon Valley is entrepreneurship– starting companies and creating successful lives and careers. It’s a chance for the audience to meet and hear from interesting speakers to learn something, and to have the inspiration to start their own companies, or to see that you may want to stay in a company. But this is a great valley, and I think it’s a great opportunity, an unusually great opportunity for African Americans. I want to influence that, to move that forward, and for people to know about it and be inspired,” Coleman said.
Coleman lauded Andreesen Horowitz for the opportunity to create a platform to expose a lot of thought and thought leaders. However, he said that it was “the whole Essence
opportunity,” that gave him a larger view of the world.Other tech industry leaders at the event expressed their pleasure with the discussion. They included June Riley, CEO at VC Taskforce (and a Black Enterprise TechConneXt panelist); SAP’s senior director of marketing, Gail Moody-Byrd; and Caretha Coleman, owner of Coleman Consulting, board chair, Dignity Health, and wife of Ken Coleman.
“I’d like to thank Ben Horowitz for using his position to create such a fabulous, fabulous opportunity for diversity,” Riley said. “It’s diversity at its highest level where we can make connections that are very meaningful and make friends that will connect us to who we want to be and help us grow to be that person.”
Gail Moody-Byrd added, “What a small world to make connections that can only happen face to face! There is online connecting, but there is nothing like connecting in person. . . I also had an amazing experience over here, meeting somebody who works at the same company that I work with, and I’ve never met him before, and we’ve both been there eight years! The power of networking that happens here is invaluable, it’s priceless. ”
Asked to comment on what others deemed “an amazing evening,” Caretha, wife of Ken Coleman, demurred with a smile, “Anything I said about the evening would be hopelessly biased.”
Silicon Valley tech pioneer Roy Clay Sr., who mentored Ken Coleman, summed the night up as “another evening very well done. Ken Coleman keep doing it! Well done.”
Written by  Janice Edwards