Black Elites

Founders. Visionaries. Industry Leaders.

Discover the people building enduring companies and shaping the future of business. Through in-depth interviews, founder stories, business playbooks, and behind-the-scenes insights, Black Elites Profiles explores the journeys, strategies, and lessons of entrepreneurs and executives creating the next generation of category-defining brands.

In Profile

Inside the Rise of Calvin Butler, One of America’s Top Black CEOs

Calvin Butler isn’t just leading one of the largest utility companies in the U.S., he’s reshaping what leadership looks like in an industry at the crossroads of innovation, equity, and environmental...

How Richelieu Dennis Built a Billion-Dollar Beauty Brand by Putting Culture and Community First

Richelieu Dennis is best known as the founder of Sundial Brands, the parent company behind household names like SheaMoisture and Nubian Heritage. But his impact reaches far beyond the beauty aisle. A...

How Foxy Brown Paved the Way for Black Female Rappers in Hip-Hop

For nearly three decades, Foxy Brown has remained one of the most enigmatic and influential figures in the hip-hop genre. Born Inga DeCarlo Fung Marchand in Brooklyn, New York, the rapper burst onto...

Jon Gosier: The Black Fintech Founder Transforming Film and TV Finance

For decades, film and TV financing has been a world reserved for a select few with deep connections to Hollywood’s inner circle. Jon Gosier, founder and CEO of FilmHedge, is determined to change that...

Regina King: How a Sitcom Teen Became Hollywood’s Queen of Screen and Story

Regina King’s story is the kind of true-life script that young dreamers everywhere need to read. Born in Los Angeles in 1971, Regina’s early life was rooted in modest beginnings, raised by a single...

What Maya Angelou’s Poems Represent

Maya Angelou is one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, and her poems carry a depth of meaning that continues to resonate with readers today. Her works represent far more than just...

Mandisa, Grammy-winning ‘American Idol’ singer, passes away at 47

Grammy laureate and “American Idol” alumna, Mandisa Lynn Hundley, known to the world as Mandisa, has tragically passed away at the age of 47.  The news was confirmed by her representative on Friday...

Faith Ringgold, Who Revealed the Beauty of Black Culture to the World Through Her Art, Passes Away at 93

Faith Ringgold, a talented artist known for her beautiful quilts that tell stories about Black American life, passed away at 93 on April 13 at her home in New Jersey. Besides quilts, Ringgold also...

Meet Silas Adekunle: The Black Innovator Behind the World’s First Intelligent Gaming Robot

Silas Adekunle, a visionary Nigerian inventor and technology entrepreneur, has made remarkable strides in robotics and gaming innovation.  He is best known for creating the world’s first...