Before it was fashionable, Almaz Negash, born in Eriteria, based in Silicon Valley, began the African Diaspora Network (ADN) in 2010 to inform and engage Africans in the Diaspora and facilitate direct collaboration with social entrepreneurs, innovators, and business leaders to invest in Africa. For the last two decades, Negash has sought to improve the quality of life of our communities through both local and global partnerships.
Almaz was named as one of the 100 outstanding Silicon Valley Women of Influence for her work in social innovation. As founder and Executive Director, her leadership and vision has positioned ADN as the home of The African Diaspora Investment Symposium (ADIS), an annual convening in Silicon Valley, Builders of Africa’s Future, and Impact & Investment Forums. Currently, Almaz is exploring ways to provide access to capital to Black led startups and SMEs via the newly program called: Accelerating Black Leadership & Entrepreneurship (ABLE).
Whether creating market driven solutions to reduce homelessness and mental health with Pay for Success (a.k.a. Social Impact Bond) – a more than $28 million project in Santa Clara County, supporting women to gain financial security through microenterprise development, international trade, or engaging former heads of states on Global Leadership & Ethics, she’s a committed and inspiring social change agent.
Almaz, will join us at “Shifting Mindsets to Ignite Growth” in Atlanta on Dec 11th, to share her evidence based recommendations for Zambians to fast track their Diaspora engagement. The session will be moderated by Soneka Kamuhuza