Basi Affia, founder of the Des Moines-based comic book production company Sensi’il Studios, took second place in the 2025 Athene Black & Brown Business Summit Pitch Competition, held in West Des Moines April 16-17. “It’s an honor to be on stage with so many high-caliber business owners and people who are doing so many cool […]
The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce has announced seven finalists for the 2025 pitch competition at the fifth annual Athene Black & Brown Business Summit. Seven finalists were chosen from over 400 applicants from across the world. These finalists will each present a five-minute pitch to the judges. An additional competitor will be randomly […]
The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce has announced Rachelle Long, founder and executive director of Taste of the Junction, as the recipient of the 2025 Mel Essex Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The award recognizes community members who have made an impact by fostering and supporting small business success and inspiring others. Long will […]
The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce has announced Kely Nascimento, co-founder and chief impact officer of Hadaf Global, will be a keynote speaker at the 2025 Athene Black and Brown Business Summit. Hadaf Global is a consultancy firm focused on sports diplomacy. According to a news release, Nascimento’s work focuses on on fostering cultural connections, […]
The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce has opened registration for the fifth annual Athene Black and Brown Business Summit and announced Christine Hà as the keynote speaker. Christine Hà is a Vietnamese American chef, writer and TV host. Hà lost her vision due to an autoimmune condition called neuromyelitis optica. She competed and won […]
The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce has announced seven finalists for the 2024 pitch competition at the fourth annual Athene Black & Brown Business Summit. An eighth finalist will be randomly selected on the day of the event on April 18. The finalists were chosen from a pool of over 100 applicants from across […]
The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce is accepting applications now through Jan. 31 for the 2024 Athene Black and Brown Business Summit pitch competition. Applicants must be a for-profit business that is 51% minority owned and has been in business for at least two years. The selected businesses will be invited to participate in […]
The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce has announced seven finalists for the 2023 pitch competition presented by Bank of America at the third annual Athene Black & Brown Business Summit. The finalists were selected out of 47 applicants from across the U.S. including Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, Louisiana, Georgia, Texas, Pennsylvania and several from […]
The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce has announced several keynotes for the third annual Athene Black and Brown Business Summit presented by Wells Fargo. Wealth strategist Pamela Jolly will be the keynote speaker. Jolly also gave the keynote address at the 2022 event. Additional national speakers include real estate expert Shawn Goldstein, finance leader and triathlete […]