101 LGBTQIA+ in Tech & Venture Capital 2022

A 2022 Gallup study shows that 7.1% of Americans identify as LGBTQ+, a number that is growing as the world becomes more inclusive and understanding. Although this is progress and should be celebrated, we cannot forget that intersectionalities compound with gender race, religion, identity, ableism, colorism, etc., leaving many people on the fringes, especially Black trans folx.

“With great power comes great responsibility,” and the Tech industry has been relevantly quiet about things like Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. In 2022 social impact efforts by corporations have been seen as coercive, extractive, and motivated by financial gain. At BAM we practice using our positionality to give flowers to the people already doing the work. Creating our 101 LGBTQIA+ lists would be impossible without organizations like StartOut, Out in Tech, Lesbians Who Tech & Allies, and last but not least, the Black and Latinx activists that created the movement.

As a PR company working closely with Tech and Venture, it is essential to call ourselves and our industry in with the intentionality of representation and to not continue the echoes of rainbow capitalism — when corporations attempt to capitalize off Pride without actually supporting the LGBTQIA+ community.

2022 is another year where BAM celebrates Pride Month by appreciating 101 LGBTQIA+ leaders in Tech and Venture Capital. These LGBTQIA+ leaders are not in order of importance because they are all changing the world. Our goal is to hear, share, and celebrate stories less told because all stories must be told to truly move the world forward.

We have a part to play in elevating all voices, Happy Pride.

Don't see your favorite LGBTQIA+ leaders? Please contact us and share your thoughts.

Please enjoy the BAM Pride Month Playlist as you scroll through the list.

Venture Capitalists & Investors

1. 1. Arlan Hamilton is the Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital. This fund is dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women, and/or are LGBT. Remarkably, she started her company while homeless. In April 2022, Backstage Capital recived $1 million from Comcast to invest in underrepresented founders. Today, Backstage has invested a total of $20 million in 200 startup companies led by underrepresented founders. Arlan is also the author of “It’s About Damn Time,” a narrative about her journey into entrepreneurship and venture capital. Recently Arlan founded Hire Runner, a temp-to-hire operations and HR talent for inclusive startups.

2. 2. Joe DiPasquale is CEO of BitBull Capital, a hedge fund that manages cryptocurrency. Before BitBull Capital, Joe formerly built his own company, Regroup. Joe is also on the board at Startout, whose mission is to accelerate the growth of the LGBTQ+ community to drive its economic empowerment, in order to build a world where every LGBTQ+ entrepreneur has equal access to lead, succeed, and shape the workforce of the future.

 

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   3. Bryan Janeczko is the CEO and Co-Founder of Nunbelievable, a snack social impact venture that combats food insecurity. He has successfully founded a multitude of companies. Bryan is also well-known for co-founding Startout, a non-profit that connects and educates LGBTQ entrepreneurs and empowers great leaders and businesses. 

4. 4. Monique Woodard is the Founding Partner at Cake Ventures, a Seed stage venture firm. Investing in where we're going, not where we came from. In 2022, Monique appeared on Fast Company’s second annual list of LGBTQ women and nonbinary innovators in business and tech. Monique can also be found in our 101 Black Titans in Tech list for 2020 & 2021. 

5. 5. Peter Thiel is a tech investor who recently stepped down from Meta’s board after 15 years. Peter was an early investor in LinkedIn, Yelp, and dozens of other startups. He is the Co-Founder and CEO of PayPal and serves as a director and Co-Founder of Palantir Technologies, where he serves as chairman. In 2011, Peter started the Thiel Fellowship, which funds young entrepreneurs, and he leads the Thiel Foundation, which works to advance technological progress and long-term thinking. He is also the #1 New York Times bestselling author of “Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future.”

6. 6. Keith Rabois is the General Partner at Founders Fund and previously worked at Khosla Ventures. Keith focuses on early-stage investments and provides seed capital for Airbnb, Lyft, YouTube, Wish, DoorDash, and many more. He is an entrepreneur, investor, and contrarian known for roles at PayPal and Linkedin.

7. 7. Lorenzo Thione (He/Him) is an Entrepreneur and VC as well as the Managing Director at Gaingels, a leading LGBTQIA+/Allies investment syndicate, and Managing Producer of “Sing Out, Louise!”. Lorenzo is also Co-Founder of StartOut, a non-profit that centers on LGBTQ+ entrepreneurship.

8. 8. Amy Errett, Founder and CEO of Madison Reed, an omnichannel beauty brand that is challenging industry titans in the hair color space. In April 2022, Madison Reed raised $33 million in new financing led by Sandbridge Capital and Marcy Venture Partners. Amy is also a Venture Partner at True Ventures focusing on investments in consumer and eCommerce startups. 

9. 9. Rose Marcario is a Venture Partner at ReGen Venture, an early-stage venture fund investing in regenerative technologies to tackle the climate crisis. She is a Board Member and Advisor to two private companies: Meati, which makes plant-based meat substitutes, and Rivian, which makes electric cars. Rose is the former CEO of Patagonia, a clothing company known for being unconventional and under Rose’s tenure, Patagonia saw its profits triple from 2008 to 2021.

10. 10. Tim Gill is a software engineer who was one of the first openly gay people in the Forbes “400” list. He is an LGBTQ activist and has invested more than $370 million with his foundation. Tim founded the Gill Foundation, one of the nation’s leading funders of the LGBTQ community and holds the record for the most significant personal donation to LGBTQ rights with a total of $500 million. The Center recently awarded Tim the Edie Windsor Trailblazer with their husband, Scott Miller.

11. 11. Jennifer Pritzker, Founder and CEO of private wealth management firm Tawani Enterprises, is one of 11 billionaire heirs in the Chicago-based Pritzker clan and is the world's only known transgender billionaire. Pritzker inherited stakes in the family's Hyatt Hotels chain and industrial firms run by her late father, Robert, and her brothers, Jay & Donald. The retired Army lieutenant colonel came out as a transgender woman in 2013.

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    12. Densil Porteous (He/They) is the CEO of Pride Fund 1, a fund dedicated to empowering LGBTQ+ Communities Through Venture Capital. He is also the Executive Director at Stonewall Columbus, a company dedicated to increasing visibility, inclusion, and connection for the LGBTQ+ community. 
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14. 13. Pocket Sun is a Venture Capitalist and the Co-Founder & Managing Partner at SoGal Ventures, a next-gen early-stage venture capital firm backing world-class, diverse entrepreneurs outside of Silicon Valley. SoGal Ventures hit $1.4 million in revenue with 100 customers in 2022.

Tech Entrepreneurs

12. 14. Andrew Goetz is the Co-Founder of Malin + Goetz, an uncomplicated skincare and fragrance brand specializing in natural ingredients, catering to all skin types and genders, and focusing on sustainability. Andrew previously worked as U.S. Marketing Director for Vitra before teaming up with his partner Matthew Malin to create Malin + Goetz in 2004. Their company now has sales of over $10 million a year.
    
    

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   15. Brandy Hoffman is the Chief Operating Officer & Co-Founder at Volition Beauty, a company that lets anyone submit a unique beauty idea with exciting ingredients. If the product and development team decides to move forward, the product goes to the pre-order stage, and ultimately the submitter can earn a commission on all net sales. Brandy served as the VP of Operations before founding Volition and has been featured in Forbes, The New York Times, and as one of Entrepreneur’s "100 Powerful Women."

1. 16. Bunny McKensie Mack (they/them) is the Co-Founder and CEO of MMG, a Black and nonbinary-led global research and change management firm redefining innovation in the white-dominant change management industry. MMG leverages system-thinking and data analytics to design policies through the lens of equity, accountability, and anti-oppression. Bunny is also an advisor for PBS via their BlackSciGirls initiative and featured in Fast Company, Refinery29, and Teen Vogue. 
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15. 17. Courtney Craven (they/them) is the founder and former editor-in-chief of Can I Play That? (CIPT), an accessibility-focused game reviews and news site. Courtney works as a captioner, an accessibility consultant for the video game industry, and is currently the Captioning Manager for Epic Games. They have a background in sociology and writing and are passionate about inclusivity and accessibility initiatives for marginalized communities, especially relating to how companies cater products and services to customers.

16. 18. Dan Owens-Reid (he/they) is a blogger, author, and CEO of Radimo.LA, a gender-fluid clothing marketplace and inclusion consulting agency. Dan Owens MGMT is a talent company focused on managing creatives working toward active change in queer and trans spaces, mental health, and racial justice. In 2010, Dan created the blog "Lesbians Who Look Like Justin Bieber" and later co-founded the LGBTQ youth organization, Everyone is Gay. Dan also wrote "This is a Book for Parents of Gay Kids," released in 2015. Dan has spoken at over 150 universities in the US and Canada, and led business/staff training, faculty/admin training, and student-led organizational consulting.

17. 19. Isabella Giancarlo (she/they) is the Founder & Creative Director of Tart, a boutique branding & creative studio specializing in the expressive, unexpected & downright fun. Isabella has a decade of experience in branding & communications with clients big (such as Hoegaarden Beer, Facebook, & Hilton Hotels) and small (founders with a brilliant ideas). Isabella’s work has been featured in Fast Company, Vogue, Forbes, Buzzfeed, Paper Magazine, Dazed, WWD, and Refinery29, among others. They have been invited to speak about their work at Brown University, Urban Outfitters, and the Decoded Fashion Conference.

18. 20. Jess Page is the co-founder and chief brand officer of Open Water. Jess founded Open Water with Nicole Doucet after being horrified by the single-use plastic pollution problem. They worked to develop fully recyclable and reusable aluminum bottles and cans of purified water. Open Water sells its products in all 50 states and has become the world’s first certified climate-neutral bottled-water company as of 2020. Jess received their bachelor’s in studio arts and economics from the University of Miami and currently resides in Chicago. 

19. 21. Kell Rakowski (she/her) is the founder and CEO of Lex, the social app where LGBTQ+ people can meet new friends, build relationships, have fun, and belong. Apple's App Store selected Lex as Top App for Pride 2021. Kell has worked in the NYC creative industry for nearly two decades and has been an avid community builder and creative visionary both online and off. Kell has written for Vogue, interviewing her hero, photographer Joan E. Biren and in 2018, Lex was profiled in The New York Times. Kell was previously a photo director at Metropolis's design magazine and is Co-Founder of the textile studio New Friends.

20. 22. Nicole Doucet is the CEO and Co-Founder of Open Water, along with Jess Page, where they fight ocean plastic pollution with their recyclable and climate-neutral bottled water. Before that, Nicole was a risk management consultant and received her degrees from the University of Chicago School of Business and the University of Miami. 
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101. 23. Pedro Pina (He/Him) is the VP - Head of YouTube Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Pina formerly worked for Google where the Portuguese-born executive lead the relationship of Google with 10 of the largest companies in the world (representing $770B in sales and $19B in advertising spend) as they went through their multi-year digital transformation process. 

22. 24. Michelle Kim (she/her) is a Korean American woman writer, speaker, activist, and entrepreneur. She is the author of “The Wake-Up” and CEO and Co-Founder of Awaken, a leading provider of interactive equity and inclusion education programs facilitated by most BIPOC educators. Michelle has consulted hundreds of organizations and top executives from Fortune 500, tech giants, nonprofits, and government agencies to spark meaningful change. Michelle has been a lifelong social justice activist, working with the San Francisco LGBTQ Speakers Bureau, San Francisco Human Rights Commission’s Advisory Committee, LYRIC nonprofit’s Board of Directors, and Build Tech We Trust Coalition. Michelle currently serves on the Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality (AACRE) board. Her work has appeared in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, The New York Times, and NPR.

23. 25. Rachael Rapinoe (She/Her) is the CEO + Co-Founder of Mendi, a distributor of functional wellness products to help you thrive naturally. Mendi’s goal is to create a cannabis company and help athletes across the United States. Rachael is a Former UP soccer player and after retiring, Rachael supported the career of their sister, Megan Rapinoe, while putting their talent and aptitude for sports to good use by pursuing a Master’s degree in Health Studies in Exercise from Portland State University. 

1. 26. Scott Lewallen is the cofounder of Grindr, the largest and most popular all-male location-based social network, and is currently the founder and CEO of Mezic Media. He also advises UI/UX, mobile, design, and branding entrepreneurs. Scott is also the Vice President of TAG Gallery, a fine art gallery located on Museum Row of the Miracle Mile district in Los Angeles, California.

25. 27. Stephanie Lampkin (She/Her) is the CEO and founder of Blendoor, a diversity analytics and hiring software company that ranks employers on their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) performance to create a tech industry with less hiring bias and a more diverse workforce. Stephanie is a data scientist and thought leader, has been listed on Fortune's "40 under 40" list, is a Stanford and MIT grad, ski racer, and has helped companies including Microsoft, TripAdvisor, and Deloitte with software solutions. Stephanie was also featured in our 101 Black Tech Titans of 2022.

26. 28. Suki Sandhu (He/Him) is CEO and Founder of INvolve and Audeliss, two globally-recognized consultancy firms that champion diversity and inclusion in business. He is an akt patron, Board Director of OutRight Action International in New York, and leads a fund via GiveOut to financially support LGBT+ activists in Asia. In early 2022, Suki co-authored a book titled “How To Get Your Act Together: A Judgement-Free Guide to Diversity and Inclusion for Straight White Men” with Felicity Hassan.

     

27. 29. Brooklyn Wright (They/Them/She/Her) is the Senior Director of Global Partnerships at Out in Tech and an entrepreneur, marketing strategist, and advocate for underserved communities. For over 20 years, they have used the power of media, storytelling, and event curation to help top organizations engage diverse audiences. In 2019, Forbes featured them as one of the "5 Inspiring Black Entrepreneurs Changing Our World." In 2019, Brooklyn started Boi Society, Inc., an agency to bring together LGBTQ and cultural influencers to help companies better engage intersectional audiences.

28. 30. Gigi Chao is the Co-Founder of Hong Kong Marriage Equality and an advisor/board member of six LGBTQI+ organizations, such as OutRight Action International (formerly the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission IGLHRC). This global organization has ECOSOC consultative status at the UN and annual reports to the UN General Assembly. Gigi is also the chairman of Faith in Love Foundation, which helps marginalized youth, and vice-chairman of Cheuk Nang Holdings. Gigi is currently the Vice Chairman of Cheuk Nang Holdings.

29. 31. Jon Hall (He/Him) is an openly gay programmer and worked as the Department Head of Computer Science at Hartford State Technical College. He is currently the Board Chair for the Linux Professional Institute and CEO. The Linux Professional Institute is a career-support organization for open-source professionals. Jon is also the president and evangelist for Project Cauã, which he describes as "a project to help create millions of sustainable, private sector, entrepreneurial jobs in dense urban areas in Latin America." The project is based around an open hardware and software design for small, low-power computers, which will be the basis for small-scale entrepreneurs using this platform to bring networking and entertainment to urban areas. 

     

30. 32. Jeff Tidwill is the founder of Next For Me, which he started in 2017 to help people make career transitions in their stride. Jeff began his career with alternative newspapers before transitioning online. He has worked in Silicon Valley and New York, overseeing online communities and user experience for E*TRADE, WebMD, Oncology.com, MarketTools, Chirp Interactive, and many startups. Jeff has been a featured speaker at TechInclusion, and Boomer Business Summit and is the author of Forbes’ “Chronicles of a 50+ Entrepreneur” and a guest on career podcasts. He is the co-author of “Next For Me: A Guide To Change For Everybody.”

31. 33. Kyle Waters (He/Him) is the Co-Founder and CPO of Ash Wellness, a company that is paving the way for more inclusive and accessible healthcare by enabling providers and businesses alike to provide at-home diagnostics care to their patients. Kyle is also a Batch 27 founder, Cornell MBA graduate and former Deloitte Digital Senior Consultant.

32. 34. David Stein (He/Him) is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ash Wellness, where David is building the future of at-home healthcare through remote diagnostics. Ash Wellness Inc. has raised a total of $6.6 million in funding over three rounds. Their latest funding was raised on May 1, 2022 from a Seed round.

33. 35. Lex Gillon (She/Her/They/Them) is the CEO and Founder of Modality Group, a custom research and insights agency for the sex industry, designed to help your business thrive. Lex is also the Special Project Manager at Parity Technologies, a blockchain infrastructure company.

34. 36. Serge Gojkovich is the Head of Marketing, Content & Partnerships at Pluto TV, a ViacomCBS company. Serge is a Marketing/PR professional with 19+ years of experience working with Grindr, CurbStand and ParkMe.

36. 37. Bryan Hughes (He/Him) is a Staff Software Engineer at Patreon. Previously, Bryan was a full-stack Software Developer at Observable, a Collaborator on the Johnny-Five project, and a former leader of Node.js. An advocate for diversity in tech, you can find him public speaking at software conferences about engineering and inclusivity. 

38. 39. Marceau Michel (It,Its,He,Him) is the Managing Director of Black Founders Matter, a $10 million seed-stage investment fund. Before Black Founders Matter, Marceau worked at Rogue Venture Partners. Recently Marceau challenged VCs to commit to diversity with the 25 by 25 Pledge. According to a Tech Crunch article, the pledge “Encourages venture capitalists to commit to investing a quarter of their funds into BIPOC women founders by the year 2025. The pledge also requires VC firms to have 25% of their staff be BIPOC women, believing the increase in diversity behind the scenes will help pivot more deal flow into marginalized communities.”
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39. 40. Torrence Boone (He/Him) is a Vice President at Google. Torrence is responsible for driving Google’s strategy and multi-billion dollar business. Prior to Google, Torrence held senior agency leadership positions with WPP & Publicis.

40. 41. Elizabeth Galbut is the Co-Founder & Managing Partner at SoGal Ventures. Elizabeth has been recognized as Entrepreneur Magazine's “100 Most Powerful Women”, Forbes “30U30 in Venture Capital”, TechWeek’s “100 Innovative Investor”, and NYC’s “33U33”. Elizabeth is also Co-President of the SoGal Foundation, a non-profit on the mission to redefine the next generation of diverse founders and funders.

42. 42. Breanne Acio (She/Her) is the Co-Founder of Sekr, a technology platform simplifying the outdoor travel planning experience. Breanne also founded San Diego Campervans, a manufacturer of custom Class B RVs at affordable prices, and previously acquired and built Bongo Buggies, a campervan rental company, which she later exited.

43. 43. Mio Akasako is the Co-Founder & VP of Design at Ash Wellness, a company that focuses on at-home healthcare through remote diagnostics. Previously Mio was Neuroscience Researcher at Kallyope. She is positioned at the intersection of neurology, tech and design.

44. 44. Glenise Kinard-Moore (she/her) is the Founder and Creator of SkiiMoo Tech. Glenise’s focus is on creating tech-based consumer products for niche markets. Their premier product, The VDOM, is the first app-connected prosthetic genital device. The VDOM opened its seed funding round in March 2022 with the goal of raising $1.5 million by mid-2023.

45. 45. Liz Klinger (She/They) is CEO & Co-Founder of Lioness, the first and only vibrator that helps you improve your orgasms. The technology is more akin to an early smartphone or a fit bit. Klinger has been featured in The New York Times, onTEDx, at SXSW, and at Women's Health Innovation Summit among many other features.

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47. 47. James Felton Keith (He/Her/Heru𓅊) is an Engineer and Economist. They were the first Black LGBTQ person to run for US Congress. He is the Chairperson & CEO of InclusionScore, the World's #1 D&I Operating System and has founded a myriad of companies across the non-profit, insurtech, fintech and adtech sectors including Slay TV, LGBT Chambers, and Accrue.com.

48. 48. Leanne Pittsford (She/Her) is an Entrepreneur & Investor. She is the CEO and Founder of Lesbians Who Tech & Allies, the largest LGBTQ+ tech community in the world. Hosting 60,000+ members in 40+ cities. In 2021 they teamed up with Fast Company to produce the second annual list of LGBTQ womxn and nonbinary innovators in business and tech. The organization has helped individuals access 600,000+ job opportunities.

49. 49. Chris Hughes is the Co-Founder of Facebook turned philanthropist and equity advocate. His book, “Fair Shot”, makes the case that one percenters like him should pay their fortune forward in a radically simple way: a guaranteed income for working people. He is currently the Senior Fellow at The New School’s Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy, a progressive research institute examining strategies for an inclusive economy and Co-Chair at Economic Security Project.

50. 50. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple is an Executive and Successor of the late Steve Jobs. He took over Apple in 2011 and has created both social and operational innovation within the company, doubling the company’s revenue in the process. In 2022 Apple became the first company to reach a market value of $3 Trillion. Tim Cook also balances time on the Board of Directors at Nike and as an active philanthropist. 

51. 51. Sam Altman is the CEO of Open AI, a for-profit research company he founded with Elon Musk whose goal is to advance digital intelligence to benefit humanity as a whole, rather than cause harm. In 2019, OpenAI received a $1 billion investment from Microsoft. In 2021 Open AI introduced DALL•E 2, a new AI tool that can create and edit images from natural language instructions. Altman is the former president of Y Combinator, an American seed money startup accelerator.

52. 52. Kara Swisher is the Host of the Sway podcast, a Contributing Opinion Writer for The New York Times,  and Co-Host of the Pivot podcast for New York Media. Annually Kara co-produces the Code Conference with Walt Mossberg, covering tech and media titans such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and many other thought tech leaders.

1. 53. Angelica Ross is the Founder & CEO of TransTech Social Enterprises, an incubator for LGBTQ Talent in our community. Her breakthrough role was as “Candy” in Fx’s Pose. She is a self-taught computer programmer who accredits technology for keeping her from living in the margins.

54. 54. Juergen Maier is an Austro-British Industrialist who is the former Chief Executive of Siemens UK, where he worked for 33 years. He is a passionate advocate for post-Covid politics and economics, which he believes should provide stronger leadership for innovation and technology-led ‘frontier industries’ and industrial tech start-ups. In 2019, Insider Magazine named Maier as the “Most Influential Business Person in North West England”. Juergen Maier was ranked number 5 in Glassdoor’s Top CEOs for 2019.
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57. 55. LaFawn Davis is the Senior Vice President of Social & Governance at Indeed, the world’s #1 job website. She has 15 years of experience in strategic leadership and previously used her experience with Twilio and PayPal’s inclusion department. LaFawn has a deep understanding of HR and worked in People’s Operations at Yahoo and Google. In 2020 & 2021 she was named to Fast Company "Queer50" and she was mentioned in 2021 Entrepreneur Magazine “100 Women of Impact”.
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55. 56. Megan Smith is the CEO at shift7, a collaborative platform that focuses on economic, social, and environmental challenges. She is the former Chief Technology Officer of the United States, and was appointed in 2014 by President Obama as the first-ever female in the role. Prior, she was a VP at Google, where she helped launch the company's Solve For X and Women Techmakers initiatives. She's also previously served as CEO of LGBTQ+ online media company Planet Out.
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56. 57. Megan Rose Dickey (She/Her) is the Chief Content Officer at Backstage Capital. Megan was previously a Senior Reporter at TechCrunch and Protocol. There, she focused on diversity and inclusion in tech, and the intersecting worlds of tech and social justice activism. She has extensive experience in print, radio, and television journalism, covering a wide array of topics such as technology and startups, city government, education, community activism, non-profit organizations, recreational activities, the judicial system, and business. Megan can also be found on our “Black Tech Tech Titans for 2022”.

57. 58. Sally Susman is the Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Pfizer, one of the world's premier biopharmaceutical companies. Pfizer continues to be a household name as they distributed the Pfizer vaccine against Covid-19. She is an advocate for the LGBTQ community and believes that working alongside underrepresented groups is ideal for social progression. Previously Sally worked at Estée Lauder and American Express.

58. 59. Kyle Pierce is the Co-Founder of Options MD, the largest community of people with severe and treatment-resistant depression. In October 2021, Options MD closed a $1 million pre-seed round.

 

59. 60. Claudia Brind-Woody (She/Her) is the Vice President & Managing Director for Global Intellectual Property Licensing at IBM/Kyndryl Partnership and Co-Chairs the company’s LGBTQ taskforce. In 2019 she was named to Business Insider's “23 most powerful LGBTQ+ people in tech”.

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   61. Suresh Raj (He/Him/His) is the Global Chief Growth Officer at VIRTUE Worldwide, a Vice Media Group Company. Raj previously worked at Vision7 / BlueFocus International driving growth strategies for the network in collaboration with Amazon, Samsung, Nike, Coca-Cola, Tencent Gaming, and Alibaba.

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   62. Pips Bunce (She/Her/They) is Director and Head of Global Markets Technology Core Engineering Strategic Programs at Credit Suisse, a global investment bank and financial service. In Pips 25 year career in IT, they have worked for leading global financial organizations including Goldman Sachs, UBS, British Telecom and the Bank of England. 

62. 63. Elaine Montilla (she/her) is the founder of 5xminority.com and the Assistant Vice President for Information Technology/CIO. She is a Forbes contributor and Technology Council member. In 2019 she became a TEDx Speaker, and in 2021 she was named to Yahoo Finance 2021 “Top 100 Outstanding LGBTQ”.

63. 64. Lara Shewchuk (she/they) is the COO & CFO of Architech, a mid-size global technology company headquartered in Toronto. She partners with Pride at Work Canada and Black Professionals in Tech creating safe spaces for conversation and representation.

 

64. 65. Chris Sinton (He/Him) is a Chair Emeritus at StartOut's, a non-profit which fosters LGBT entrepreneurs. Previously, Sinton trail-blazed the development of the largest e-commerce site of the ‘90s with Cisco.com and the largest nonprofit site of the ‘00s called NetAid. Chris was a founding board member of the ePhilanthropy Foundation, founded Cisco’s ePhilanthropy office, and was Co-Founder and CEO of Network for Good, raising $1B for nonprofits. 

 

65. 66. Ana Arriola (they/them or she/her) is a Latinx woman of trans and non-binary experience. She is currently the Director of Product Design + Enterprise Metaverse at Microsoft. Previously, she led teams at Microsoft, Apple, Playstation, Samsung Design Sony, Meta Theranos, and Adobe. Ana focuses on human-centered product design and product management, with every experience crafted as it should be - Human. Simple. Authentic. 

 

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67. 67. Jacqueline Guichelaar is the Group Chief Information Officer at Cisco and is responsible for all Technology Infrastructure and Application Development. Previously, she was the Group Chief Information Officer at Thomson Reuter’s where she built and led a Technology Transformation program. She is actively involved in many non-profit organizations and is currently a Board member of the Center for Anti-Violence Education.

67. 68. Sara Sperling is a partner at Oxegen Consulting, an HR consulting business for fast-moving companies in the high-tech sector. She specializes in facilitation, learning & development, building out an HR function, and executive coaching. Sarah was previously the Head of HR at Snapchat and Doordash. She also pioneered the Diversity & Inclusion program for Facebook, which was instrumental in building a culture of inclusiveness. Sarah is recognized in BusinessInsider’s “13 Secret Rock Stars of Silicon Valley” and “The 31 Most Important LGBT People in Tech”.  
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68. 69. Dr. Vivienne Ming is a Professional Mad Scientist, Co-Founder & Executive Chair at Socos Labs and Dionysus Health. She is an advocate for inclusiveness in AI and transgender rights. In 2017 she was named one of the BBC 100 Women and named one of “10 Women to Watch in Tech” by Inc. Magazine. Ming is a Neuroscientist and entrepreneur who invented AI systems to help her diabetic son with treatment. She is frequently mentioned in Forbe’s, Financial Times, the Atlantic and the New York Times. 

 

69. 70. Martine Rothblatt is the Chairman & CEO of United Therapeutics Corporation, a biotechnology company she founded to save the life of one of her daughters from a rare disease. In 2021 she won the NBAA's 2021 Meritorious Service to Aviation Award and Forbes ranked Martine Rothblatt on America's Self-made Women Net Worth, at $585M million. She is the founder of Sirius XM and brought satellite radio to the world. Rothblatt is an advocate for transgender rights in society and the workplace. Rothblatt is also an author of numerous books including her latest, "Virtually Human: The Promise--And the Peril--of Digital Immortality."

70. 71. Hayley Sudbury (She/Her) is the CEO and Founder of WERKIN, a platform that uses behavioral science to help master inclusive leadership behaviors. The company has raised $3 million from angel investors. She was named to Yahoo Finance’s OUTstanding Top 100 Role Model LGBT+ Executives in 2020. 
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71. 72. Peter Sisson (He/Him) CEO & Co-Founder at Yaza, the #1 real estate app for recording and sharing virtual home tours. He is an entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in telecommunications. Peter is also the founder of Line2, a wifi support app that reached #3 on the App Store.

72. 73. Lynn Conway is an 83-year-old computer engineer, who was recently given a Lifetime Achievement Award by IBM Corporation. Her inventions were revolutionary for the development of the tech industry. In 1968 she was fired from IBM because of her gender transition and in 2020 IBM publicly apologized for the firing. Conway is currently the Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Emerita, at the University of Michigan.

73. 74. David Bohnett serves as the Chair of the David Bohnett Foundation, a global private foundation that gives grants to LGBTQ+ rights organizations. He is known for founding GeoCities in the ‘90s, which was acquired by Yahoo. Another one of Bohneet’s companies is Baroda Ventures, a venture capital fund that invests in technology companies. 

     

    

    75. Debra Chrapaty (She/Her) is the Vice President and COO of Amazon Alexa. She is an entrepreneur and an active investor. Previously she was the Chief Technology Officer at Wells Fargo. With more than 35 years as an executive for startups and global tech giants, she brought her skills to Amazon. She’s currently involved with Amazon’s employee LGBTQ group, Glamazon. In 2021 she was named to Fast Company’s “Queer50 list,” a list of LGBTQ women and nonbinary innovators shaping our world.

 

74. 76. Gina Trapani (She/Her) is the Managing Partner at Postlight, a digital transformation platform. She is an engineer, web developer, and tech writer. Before Postlight she founded Lifehacker, which was acquired by Univision in 2016. Gina was named to Fast Company’s Most Influential Women in Technology in 2010 and Business Insiders’ 2019, 23 Most Powerful LGBTQ+ people in tech.  

75. 77. Jimena Almendares (She/Her) is a General Manager, Product + Engineering, Customer Experience at Meta. Previously, she was the Vice President of Global Expansion at Intuit. Once upon a time, she was the Chief Product Officer at OkCupid and she was part of the c-suite that lead them through IPO.

76. 78. Caitlin Kalinowski is the Head of AR Hardware for Meta’s AR/VR division. Caitlin designed the newest Oculus, a Virtual Reality Headset. In 2018 Caitlin was named to Business Insiders’ “39 most powerful female engineers of 2018.” Previously she worked at Apple and co-produced the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. Caitlin is on the board of Lesbians Who Tech, the largest LGBTQ tech event in the world.  

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78. 79. Beth Ford is the President and CEO of Land O’Lakes and the first openly gay woman CEO of an American Fortune 500 company. Land O’Lakes is a farmer-owned cooperative that works across the United States and in dozens of countries around the world. When she was appointed CEO, she was 1 of only 25 women leading Fortune 500 companies. Beth is an advocate for broadband and new technologies in agriculture and rural communities so they can stabilize. She believes the key to preserving American agriculture relies on innovation, technology, and political stability. In the past, Ford brought her talents to Exxon Mobil, Pepsi, Scholastic, and other companies. She was named to Fortune’s “Most Powerful Women” list three times and Fast Company’s “Queer 50” list for her influence and accomplishments.

77. 80. Peter Arvai, a Hungarian/Swedish entrepreneur, is the Executive Chair and Co-Founder of Prezi, a video and visual communications software company with 100 million users worldwide. He is at the forefront of molding technology with storytelling. Arvai is also the Chair of the Association at Bridge Budapest, a platform that shares the stories of Hungarian entrepreneurs. Prezi was the first Hungarian company to participate in the Budapest Pride.  

79. 81. Brad Lande-Shannon (He/Him) is the Chief Marketing Officer of Madison Reed, a sustainable subscription-based luxury hair brand. Previously Brad was Cheif of Maretking at Spring Health, a mental healthcare platform. He is a Brand Alchemist who uses creativity to make a social impact. Brad is formerly an SVP of Global Brand & Marketing at Culture Amp, an employee culture management system. He is currently on the Strategic Advisory Board at FREQUENCY, a live-stream emotional fitness platform. 

80. 82. Tara Bunch (She/Her) is the Global Head of Operations of AirBnB. She is a DEI leader and works closely with Out & Equal, a nonprofit that promotes equality in the workplace for people that identify as LGBTQ. Before working for AirBnB she worked for Hewlett-Packard and Apple. In 2021 Vanguard Tara was named to Vanguard’s board of trustees. Vanguard is an American registered investment advisor with about $7 trillion in global assets.

81. 83. Brandon Anderson is the Founder of Raheem, the world's first public police accountability dashboard. He started Raheem after losing his life partner to police violence. Raheem builds tools for communities to report and track police and leverages open complaint data to find ways to respond to conflict with care. Anderson is 2018 Echoing Green Fellow, 2019 TED Fellow, and Smithsonian Ingenuity Award Nominee. He was named one of “100 Black LGBTQ Leaders to Watch” by the National Black Justice Coalition. Brandon's work has been featured by The Atlantic, The Economist, Fast Company, The San Francisco Chronicle, and more. 

 

82. 84. Dr. Lauren Esposito is the Curator of Arachnology at the California Academy of Sciences, the Founder of 500 Queer Scientists, and the Schlinger Chair of Arachnology at the California Academy of Sciences. Her research focuses on arachnid biodiversity and understanding the patterns and processes that lead to the diversity on Earth today.

84. 85. Joel Simkhai is the Founder of Grindr, the largest social networking app for Gay, Bi, Trans, and Queer people. In 2018 he sold Grindr for more than $200+ million and two years later Grinder was sold for $600 million by San Vicente Acquistion. In 2019 he was named to Fast Company’s list of “The 23 most powerful LGBTQ+ people in tech.” Prior to Grindr, he founded Blendr, a dating community with over 500 million users.

85. 86. Liz Jenkins is the COO of Hello Sunshine, a media company owned by Reese Witherspoon. Hello Sunshine centers the stories of women and young girls, amplifying their narrative. She is on the board at Glaad and previously worked for Sony, General Electric, and Credit Suisse.

86. 87. Lauren Ruffin is a thought leader, CEO, Founder, and Board Member focused on sustainable, anti-racist systems and organizations. Lauren is a Co-Founder of Crux, a storytelling studio that collaborates with Black artists in the virtual reality and augmented reality (XR) space. Currently, Lauren is the Head, Office of Movement Building at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and is the former Co-CEO and Chief External Relations Officer for Fractured Atlas.

88. 88. Diedra Nelson is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Emerson Collective, a for-profit corporation focused on education, immigration reform, the environment, media and journalism, and health. She was the former CFO of The Wing, where before the pandemic, Diedra led The Wing to open 11 locations while raising nearly $118 million. Previously, Nelson worked for Glamsquad and SoulCycle.

89. 89. Andrea Barrica (she/they) is the CEO and Co-Founder of O.school, an online shame-free platform for pleasure education, powered by live-streaming and chat. She is a Forbes contributing writer and an advocate for bringing humanity to the tech industry. Previously, Andrea co-founded inDinero.com, a fintech platform for startups. She also worked as a partner at 500 Startups. Andrea is the author of “Sextech Revolution: the Future of Sexual Wellness“, a book covering the future of sex wellness. 

90. 90. Lydia Polgreen runs Spotify’s Gimlet Media, an award-winning narrative podcast network. Previously she was the editor-in-chief at Huffington Post. Prior to both positions, Lydia was editorial director at New York Times Global for 15 years. Recently Lydia Polgreen returned to The New York Times as an Opinion columnist.
91.  

102. 91. Antonious Porch (He/Him) is the General Counsel and Chief Diversity Officer of Soundcloud, the world's largest open audio platform. Prior to joining SoundCloud, he served as general counsel for more than two years at Shazam, where he led the successful acquisition of the company by Apple.

92. 92. Deirdre O’Brien is the SVP of Retail and People at Apple Inc. On the retail side, she focuses on the connection between customers and the company via retail experiences that inspire and educate. On the people operations side, Deirdre works to help Apple connect, develop, and care for its employees. Deirdre oversees more than 130k employees via her quest for an inclusive workplace. She has been named on Fortune’s “Most Powerful Women in Business” and Fast Company’s “Queer 50” lists.
93.  

93. 93. Stephenie Landry is the Worldwide Vice President of Grocery, Amazon. Stephenie has been with Amazon.com for almost 20 years and during that time she has been a founding team member of Amazon Fresh, and she led the conception and launch of several initiatives including Amazon Student, Amazon Mom, and Prime Pantry. Landry has been active in promoting the queer community at Amazon. She is the Executive Officer of Amazon’s gay, lesbian, trans, and ally affinity group—internally dubbed “Glamazons”—which counts more than 5,000 members and has 100 chapters worldwide. The group helps members connect and help organize gatherings at Pride festivals throughout the world. 
94.  

94. 94. Shamina Singh (She/Her) is the President of the Center for Inclusion and the Executive Vice President of Sustainability at Mastercard. Shamina activates philanthropic dollars to advance inclusive growth and financial inclusion around the world. For more than 20 years, Shamina Singh has been on the frontlines of developing and implementing solutions to make the global economy work for everyone, everywhere. In her role as EVP for Sustainability, she is responsible for the development and implementation of environmental, social, and governance strategies across the company. She has been named to the Financial Times’ “Top 100 LGBT+ Executives” and was recently named on Fast Company’s “Queer 50” list.

95. 95. Nichole Mustard is the Chief Revenue Officer of Credit Karma, a business she co-founded. She helped to grow it from a small consumer finance platform aimed at providing free credit scores at the beginning of the recession in 2007 into a 100-million member community with access to a marketplace of more than 100 financial service providers. Credit Karma was recently acquired by Intuit for approximately $7.1 billion in cash and stock. She oversees a team that stresses humility and relationship building in business, making sure Credit Karma’s innovation isn’t the only thing setting the company apart.
96.  

96. 96. Jen Wong is the Chief Operating Officer at Reddit. Reddit is an online network of communities, with over 430+ million average monthly active users. Before joining Reddit, Wong served as president and COO of Time, where she was the highest-ranking female executive. Before that, she served as PopSugar’s chief business officer and even spent a stint as AOL’s global head of business operations. Under Wong’s leadership, Reddit was valued at $6 billion in February 2021, doubling its previous 2019 valuation.

97. 97. Jana Rich is the Founder & CEO of Rich Talent Group. For more than 25 years, Jana has partnered with leading companies, from the early-stage to Fortune 500, helping to build leadership teams and boards fit for the future. Her clients – which include Adobe, Peloton, Eventbrite, Affirm, Lululemon, and Epic Games – have launched revolutions, small and large, that have changed the way we do business today. Jana has been honored three times by the San Francisco Business Times as one of the “Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business.”

98. 98. Cindy Holland an Advisor at Genvid Technologies Inc. and known for being the former VP for Original Content at Netflix. A 16-year Netflix career with the company. Holland is responsible for acquiring and launching original series for over 130 million Netflix global members and was named to the 2018 Time “100 list of most influential people.” Many people draw a link between Netflix’s issues and Cindy Holland‘s departure in 2020.

100. 99. Emma Mcilroy (she/her) is the CEO and Co-Founder of Wildfang, a gender-fluid apparel company. Wildfang, German for tomboy, began as a boutique in Portland to create a safe and inclusive space for members of the LGBTQ community to connect and shop. Today, Wildfang has locations in New York and Los Angeles. Emma previously worked at Nike and Barclays Bank but is influenced most by her time as a middle-distance runner. Recently Emma was named to the 2022 Class of Henry Crown Fellows.
101.  

102. 

     100. Gabe Zichermann (He/Him) is the Founder & CEO at the Center for Engagement Science at Gamification. His three books on gamification and behavioral design have set the standard for the systems design profession.

102. 101. Chad Billmyer (He/Him) is the SVP of Product at Slickdeals. Previously Chad co-founded Panjo, an auto, sport, and hobby enthusiasts marketplace. Tapatalk acquired Panjo in August 2017. the only shopping platform powered by millions of avid shoppers.