Credit Suisse Seeks To Accelerate Wealth Creation Among African American Entrepreneurs

Lee is also looking forward to the curriculum from Credit Suisse advisors. “I don’t have an MBA, I have a law degree. Being a part of the circle will help me as I troubleshoot through the different phases of my business.”  Speaking specifically about her New York-based entertainment company, ToniK Productions, she notes that the access to capital (her biggest challenge) will be extremely helpful as well. “In my production work, about 85% to 95% of what I am doing is trying to raise capital to fund my projects.” Recent projects include The Watsons Go To Birmingham. Moreover. “I financed my website myself and it is to the point where I can no longer to do that.”

Lee recently landed her first equity investment for the ecommerce site from a woman angel investor in California, who has runs a fund specifically focused on women in the health and wellness space. “It is hard certainly in tech for women and minorities to raise capital. Tech is an insular community; the venture capital world is insular; you have to figure out who the people are and to get to know them and for them to get to know your business. It is not easy. It’s not just access to capital but access to individuals who have capital and expertise.”

Angel investor, serial entrepreneur, and fellow circle member Troy Carter knows all too well that African Americans are underrepresented in technology and the investment community.  For his business, he is looking to gain out of the program access to Credit Suisse’s global resources.

“Having them as a financial partner, dealing with global markets, and using them as advisors to scale our business, I think that it is a great partnership,” says Carter. “Just pulling together a circle of other entrepreneurs and being able to tap into their resources, knowledge base, and network as well as opening up mine to them was attractive to me as well.”

Carter is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Atom Factory, an entertainment and music management company based in Los Angeles. He has established the careers of numerous recording artists, from rapper/actress Eve to multi-platinum Grammy Award winner Lady Gaga. His company currently manages R&B Grammy Award winner John Legend and new pop sensation Meghan Trainor, whose debut single “All About That Bass” is the longest-running Number 1 Billboard song of 2014 so far by a female lead artist.