General Networking/Advice

  • Watkins, Lawrence

    Lawrence Watkins is a nationally recognized speaker, entrepreneur, and economic development strategist committed to building generational wealth in Black communities. He currently serves as Managing Director at Malcolm Garvey, where he partners with foundations to help deploy philanthropic capital that fosters a thriving Black economy. Lawrence is also the co-founder of The Black Business School,…

  • McCalla-Taylor, Renee

    Renee McCalla-Taylor is an accomplished private equity investor and operator with more than 15 years of leadership experience in healthcare, manufacturing, and business services. As Co-Founder and Managing Partner of 4C Capital, she leads investment strategy, origination, and portfolio value creation across the lower middle market. Her track record includes thirteen completed transactions, four platform…

  • Mazzone, Mario

    I am an entrepreneurially minded investor with a strong track record of supporting companies and small businesses across diverse sectors, including CPG, SaaS, niche manufacturing, and technology.

  • Pendarvis, Jay

    Jay Pendarvis is the Co-founder and CEO of Enclave Holdings, a strategic Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) platform focused on the acquisition and long-term growth of small to mid-sized companies operating within the Intelligence Community. Backed by deep industry expertise and committed to national security objectives, Enclave partners with founders and teams to preserve mission-critical capabilities…

  • Celistan, Chelsea

    Chelsea Celistan is a Principal at Avante Capital Partners. Based in New York, Chelsea is responsible for identifying, underwriting, executing and managing investment opportunities. Chelsea joined Avante in 2024. Chelsea has over 11 years of middle-market investing experience. Prior to Avante, Chelsea worked as a Vice President at Providence Equity Partners, where she focused on…