Esosa Ighodaro

Co-Founder & CMO of Black Women Talk Tech

Esosa Ighodaro-Johnson co-founded Black Women Talk Tech (BWTT) launched in 2017 – and the largest collective of Black women tech founders, extending more than 50,000 global scalable entrepreneurs. As a changemaker, Esosa is leading the charge in helping black women build the next billion-dollar business, all while breaking barriers against the unique challenges they face in the tech industry. In the last five years, BWTT has supported female entrepreneurs, through the annual Roadmap to Billions Conference –with over ten local chapters (including London), providing access to real funding opportunities, an informative podcast, eLearning webinars, year-round live events, and more. In her current role, Esosa co-leads business strategy and partnership development, alongside the organization’s marketing endeavors. In 2023, Esosa launched AcceleratorCON, the largest accelerator event in America – and the #1 place startups and accelerators connect to provide resources, access to capital, and networks that help them grow; further reimagining a pipeline to investors and accelerators.

She’s leveraged her 15+ years of serial entrepreneurship and corporate experience, including founding two influencer marketing businesses and time as a former bank executive at Citigroup. Reflecting on Esosa’s impact across the industry, she’s been named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s 100 Most Powerful Women (2019), one of the 50 Inspirational Entrepreneurs to Watch (2017), and Top 10 Female Entrepreneurs to Watch by Paste Magazine and featured in various media outlets like ELLE, Forbes, NBC, Huffington Post, Essence, Refinery29, Crain’s Business and more.