Episode 554: 3-4-20
Jim Fried interviews Leigh-Ann Buchanan, Esq., Executive Director of Venture Cafe Miami. Venture Cafe exists to grow the ecosystem around entrepreneurs and innovators and connect them to local resources in order for them to scale. Leigh-Ann shares the different opportunities available to entrepreneurs through venture, including their FREE Thursday meet-ups full of advising opportunities, breakout sessions, networking and much more.
Leigh-Ann shares with Jim the reason she moved to Miami from Canada but more importantly the reason she stayed in Miami and what she hopes to build into the community here. She also talks about how she left her career as a successful lawyer to become an integral part of Venture Cafe Miami.
For more information about Thursday meet-ups and other great opportunities through Venture Cafe Miami, visit their website at http://venturecafemiami.org.
–
Leigh-Ann A. Buchanan, Esq., is the founding Executive Director of Venture Café Miami. In this role, she works to facilitate sustainable growth, increased diversity and inclusion, and greater connectivity within Miami’s innovation and entrepreneurial community. Since launching in mid 2016, VCM’s innovation programming has attracted over 30,000 attendees, resulting in content partnerships with 700+ organizations and 1500+ free educational sessions.
Leigh-Ann frequently speaks on and writes about cultivating inclusive innovation communities, experiential leadership development and strategies for social justice innovation. Previously, she served as legal counsel to entrepreneurs, startups and multinational corporations in a wide variety of complex business litigation matters and commercial disputes.
Leigh-Ann is the founder of the Nyah Project, an exclusive fellowship which develops diverse youth leaders from underserved communities through transformative experiences abroad, where 100% of Nyah fellows receive college acceptance and 90% win scholarships.
She has been recognized as a Harvard Business School Young Leaders of America (2018); Miami Fellow (2017); Black Enterprise Magazine, Miami Tech Trailblazer (2017); Dade County Bar Association, Woman on the Rise Award (2017); Legacy Magazine, Under 40 Achiever (2017); Miami Girls Foundation (2017); Miami Dade Chamber Young Innovator of the Year (2016); Aspen Institute’s National Working Group on Inclusive Innovation (2016); American Bar Association Top 40 Young Lawyers (2016); Bethune Cookman University, 40 Under 40 (2016); Daily Business Review, Rising Star (2015); Greater Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce, HYPE Award finalist (2014); National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division Rising Star Award (2013); and South Florida’s 40 Under 40 Black Leaders (2013).
Episode 554: 3-4-20