Moving the Needle23 Juni 2025

Redefining Wealth: The Blueprint for Black Venture Capital with Kwame Anku

As founder of the Black Star Fund, Kwame Anku is investing in the future of Black innovation—one transformative founder at a time. In this episode, he shares how his upbringing as a first-generation Ghanaian American gave him a dual lens on American opportunity and systemic barriers. From answering Prince’s provocative question—“Where are the Black Mark Zuckerbergs?”—to backing visionary founders with capital, networks, and belief, Kwame lays out a bold blueprint for closing the wealth gap through ownership, equity, and strategic investment.

Moving the Needle is hosted by Christopher Gergen & Johnathan Holifield, and is produced by Earfluence.

If you like our podcast, you'll also like our books:

The Future Economy and Inclusive Competitiveness: How Demographic Trends and Innovation Can Create Economic Prosperity for All Americans, by Johnathan Holifield
Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives, by Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek

Thank you to our sponsors:

Live Oak Bank is on a mission to be America's small business bank and has the privilege of helping thousands of passionate, driven entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality. These small business owners aren’t in it for the fortune or the fame. They’re in it to make a difference, just like Live Oak.
SHRM has created better workplaces by supporting diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the world of work and society. It’s why they developed the Together Forward@ Work initiative to drive racial inequity out of the workplace. It’s why SHRM made a capital commitment to support minority-owned business enterprises.

If you like our podcast, you'll also like our books:

The Future Economy and Inclusive Competitiveness: How Demographic Trends and Innovation Can Create Economic Prosperity for All Americans, by Johnathan Holifield
Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives, by Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek

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Avsnitt(37)

Leading Authentically in a Fractured World with Christopher & David Gergen

What does authentic leadership look like in today’s divided world? In this intimate conversation, Moving the Needle co-host Christopher Gergen sits down with his father, legendary advisor and commenta...

14 Juli 202551min

Debt, Dignity, and Disruption: Financing a New Future for Higher Ed with Dr. Mark Anthony Brown

As the first alumnus to serve as President of Tuskegee University, Dr. Mark Brown brings a powerful blend of personal experience, military leadership, and policy innovation to the future of higher edu...

7 Juli 202548min

From Corporate Ladder to Capital Ownership: One Man’s Wealth-Building Journey with Robert Jones

With roots in West Virginia and Detroit, Robert Jones rose through the ranks of corporate America—then turned his attention to closing the racial wealth gap. In this episode, he shares how a growth mi...

30 Juni 20251h 9min

Place, Power, and Possibility: How Cities Can Ride the Reindustrialization Wave with Bruce Katz

Bruce Katz has spent decades shaping policy at the intersection of cities, innovation, and inclusive growth. In this episode, he unpacks why now is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for communities t...

16 Juni 202544min

From C Student to CEO: Redefining Success with Felecia Hatcher

Felecia Hatcher’s journey—from a self-described “C student” to CEO of Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition—is a masterclass in resilience and reinvention. In this episode, she shares how her early experi...

9 Juni 202527min

Future-Focused, People-Driven: Designing Inclusive Economic Strategies With Tracye McDaniel

Tracye McDaniel brings three decades of expertise to this conversation on the future of economic development. As President of TIP Strategies, she explores the power of foresight, data, and place-based...

2 Juni 202532min

Reviving the Motor City: Detroit’s Comeback and the Power of Inclusive Growth with Kevin Johnson

Detroit’s comeback is one of the most remarkable economic stories in America—and Kevin Johnson has been at the heart of it. As President and CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, he shares h...

26 Maj 202536min