Gravity Speakers

Book Me to Speak at Your Next Event! With fresh energy and even more passion, I’m excited to dive back into the things I love in 2025—new ventures, dynamic and meaningful partnerships, and especially speaking opportunities. My speaker journey has taken me from speaking to small, local groups to international events and from speaking to an audience of 10–20 people to addressing thousands. In 2025, I’m eager to continue sharing the insights I’ve gained along the way—from launching a tech startup in college as a non-technical founder, navigating the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, building a financial technology (fintech) company in a regulated industry, and beyond. My Popular Speaking Topics: • Entrepreneurship • Fintech & Financial Inclusion • Bootstrapping vs. Fundraising • Women and Minority Entrepreneurs / Empowerment NEW in 2025: Workshops! Leveraging my experience from building my first startup, Sheena Allen Apps—a mobile app studio that generated millions of app downloads and high rankings in the App Stores—I’m introducing workshops tailored to small businesses and non-technical founders looking to turn their app ideas into reality. The Mobile App Mapping & Strategy workshop includes: • Mastering Ideation: From concept to clarity • UI/UX Collaboration: Designing for usability and impact • Outsourcing & Offshoring Guidance: Spotting red flags and making informed decisions Let’s make your next event unforgettable and impactful together! 📅 Book me today via Gravity Speakers: https://lnkd.in/gKVqYkaF 🌐 Explore more resources: SheenaAllen.com AppItOut.com

Thinking about starting a VC fund under $10M? The math doesn’t math, the grind is real, and there are no Birkins in sight. But if you’re ready to grind and do the work, here’s what it really takes 👇

Sharing a snippet of my talk during a workshop at the Interledger Foundation Summit in Cape Town a few weeks ago. In discussing the unbanked and underbanked, I spoke about how, although the core issue may be the same, the reasonings differ across different races. In this snippet, I speak to how many Black Americans not only deal with financial trauma, but it is often generational financial trauma, especially when it comes to being unbanked, underbanked, and part of the working poor class. Many of the reasons listed below apply to all races but have a greater significance within the Black culture. 1. Parents who are already struggling financially are not able to provide much financial help to their children without adding more financial stress or having to rely on a predatory financial option. [15.4% of Black families live below the poverty line in the United States, per 2023 data / 4 in 10 Black adults are unbanked or underbanked, per 2022 data] 2. BLACK TAX: The children turned adults who are able to put themselves in a better financial position than their parents often have to deal with Black tax, often causing them to be financially strained even if they make six figures. 3. In many Black households, NOT ALL, it is more usual to have our parents push us out to be on our own after graduating from high school or college even though we are likely not financially ready to do so. It is more frowned upon to hear about a 30-year-old still living at home with Mom in the Black culture than other cultures. Statistics have shown that the unbanked and underbanked population has decreased over the past few years, in large part due to financial technology and digital inclusion. However, there is still much work to be done overall within the financial inclusion space. 

I speak with passion because I truly understand resilience. It’s only when you deeply grasp the concept that you can offer an unbiased perspective, inspiring and motivating others to embrace challenges and persevere. Key takeaway: True resilience comes from understanding that setbacks are opportunities for growth, and the strength to keep moving forward lies within. Learn more at norliza.com. #Resilience #Perseverance #GrowthMindset #EmbraceChallenges #Inspiration #Motivation #OvercomeObstacles #InnerStrength #PersonalDevelopment #Norliza #internationalkeynotespeaker

Hey LI, this episode is 🔥 But you know what is even more 🔥 ? The report that Elke Jones and I reference in the pod. It's called the Global Brand Experience Index. You can check it out at this link after checking out the episode. And yes #experiential #marketing and #eventpros, you'll be delighted to know that we think Jersey Mike's absolutely killed it this year with their experiences. https://lnkd.in/gDKK5GN8

You know when you meet people and you just click? That's how I felt when I met Nausheen Abdul Aziz and Ranveer "Ricky" Singh at Gravity Speakers. Maybe it's because we're all from the West Coast, or maybe it's because we've each reinvented ourselves several times to get to where we are today. Whatever the reason, I really like them as people and it's such a blessing to be able to collaborate with people who get you. I'm so proud to be listed on their website, and they did a phenomenal job creating a page that represents me in the best way possible. Check it out! https://lnkd.in/ev79ME_D You can't make an impact by yourself, and with partners like Gravity Speakers and the amazing Michelle Carter, I know next year will be one for the books. Here's to a fantastic and fruitful 2025! #GravitySpeakers #collaboration #keynotespeaker #speakerbureau

I know a lot of y'all must be itching to leave the USA right now... Or maybe you're just curious about taking a career break 👀 Either way, you're gonna love today's new podcast episode with Stephanie Perry (@vaycarious)! Stephanie has built an incredible business helping black women and their families to move abroad. She's building a mighty community over at @exodussummit. But we wanna go bigger 🔥 Can we scale Stephanie's business to $1M? Let's find out... Happy listening y'all! https://hubs.li/Q02YT3fl0

We’re bragging from now on. Agreed? cc: Carley Deardorff (she/her)

🎉Mark Your Calendar for the Famm Connect Launch Party! On December 11th, Famm is launching a new social networking app created for LGBTQ+ professionals and business owners, and they’re kicking it off with a free virtual launch party! 🌈✨ Join Blair Imani as she moderates a powerful conversation with Max Siegel, Gravity's Exclusive Madison Butler 🏳️🌈🦄, and Spencer Hoddeson on redefining professionalism and creating inclusive workspaces for LGBTQ+ professionals. Register today! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gzBUfkSC #FammConnect #LGBTQProfessionals #QueerNetworking #InclusiveNetworkingApp #LGBTQCommunity #QueerEntrepreneurs #SupportLGBTQBusinesses #CommunityOverCompetition

I am not for everyone. Guess what? Not trying to be. One of the highlights of my speaking career was at the Boss Babe Network Brunch where I gave a keynote. I decided to make it rain on my way to the podium. Was it risky? Was the money real? YES and YES. In order to breakout of our fears we must embrace them and then throw them in the air. You’ll notice a change in my content moving into 2025. Perhaps you are a bit like me and are learning from the world around you. Maybe you too are realizing it’s time to stop letting politeness and fear of appearing desperate hold you back. Am I thirsty? Yes. Am I eager? More than you know 😉 Once we accept what the worst can be from a risk we can move into what the best might look like. Throw those fears out like dollar bills and watch what happens.👀 ***** DM me or ping Gravity Speakers when you’d like me to emcee your conference or gala. Chief Brand Officer of The Basketball League + The Basketball Super League #fear #speakingtips #indiana #magley