Ferreyra, 44, arrived in the U.S. from Argentina 20 years ago with just a few hundred dollars. Today, she’s a thriving entrepreneur and small business mentor. In 2018 she cofounded Porteñas with Gretel Pellegrini and Fernanda Tabares, which aims to bring her homeland’s yerba mate beverages, dishes and sweets stateside. Brooklyn foodies ate it up and Porteñas is in expansion mode, opening another café and expanding its product reach to cafes across New York and Virginia.
COFOUNDER-CEO
Carmen Ferreyra
Porteñas
BROOKLYN, New York
Carmen Ferreyra
Courtesy Carmen Ferreyra
Courtesy Travis Holoway
Travis Holoway
Travis Holoway
Founder, SoLo Funds
Los Angeles, California
Courtesy of Roshunda Buchanan
Roshunda Buchanan
Roshunda Buchanan
Founder-CEO, 2Unique Community Salvation Foundation
Memphis, Tennessee
Courtesy Monique Little
Monique Little
Monique Little
Founder-CEO, You Go Natural
Dallas, Texas
Courtesy of Robert Tankson
Robert Tankson
Robert Tankson
Cofounder-COO, PrestoDoctor
New York, New York
Lyles-Williams’ began her biotech career as a college freshman with a part-time job at the Howard University Cancer Center. Today the 37-year-old is the founder-CEO of LucasPye BIO, a startup that manufactures and helps companies accelerate the clinical development of biologic drugs—while opening the market to more affordable drugs. Lyle-Williams
is one of the few queer Black women leading a biopharmaceutical manufacturing company. Founded in 2018, LucasPye BIO employs a diverse executive team that’s 85% African-American and 50% female.
FOUNDER-CEO
LucasPye BIO
PHILADELPHIA, PA
Tia Lyles-Williams
Tia Lyles-Williams
Photo by Chi-Chi Ari, Curated by PoweredByCue
Courtesy Katrina Mason
Katrina Mason
Katrina Mason
Founder, Midwest Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Courtesy Brandon Slade
Brandon Slade
Brandon Slade
Founder-CEO, Stride Learning
Broomfield, Colorado
Courtesy Tony Michuda
Tony Michuda
Tony Michuda
Cofounder-Chief Strategy Officer, InHealth Life Sciences
Chicago, Illinois
1.4 MILLION
OPPORTUNITY | WEST
Number of small businesses in
the West are minority-owned;
1.2 million are in California
Courtesy Olajumoke Ogunyemi
Olajumoke Ogunyemi
Olajumoke Ogunyemi
Founder, Glammednaturallyoil
Harriman, New York