Kezia M. Williams

Kezia M. Williams is the Chief Executive Officer of The Black upStart — a nationally recognized company serving African-American innovators interested in starting successful and profitable, job creating small businesses. Through the administration of an incubator program, the Black upStart administers a culturally-sensitive, pioneering curriculum that integrates experiential learning methods, lean startup methodology, and business case studies. To date, the organization has trained nearly 500 entrepreneurs in the District of Columbia, New York, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Southern Africa. Black upStart graduates have launched ventures in 12 different states and have been featured on Netflix, ABC’s Shark Tank, the Washington Post, Essence Magazine, and Black Enterprise Magazine for their innovative businesses.

Recently, Kezia launched SkillHouseU: Classrooms for the Culture, an online school that provides necessary skills and training for entrepreneurship and wealth creation. Since the launch of SkillHouseU in March 2020, nearly 5,000 people have enrolled in over 22 classes facilitated by 12 recognized financial experts. Her Live-Classrooms sessions regularly reach 100,000+ viewers. With nearly 500,000+ followers on her personal and business Instagram pages, Kezia’s national influence continues to grow and disrupt traditional notions of education and entrepreneurship.

Kezia has been recognized by the Huffington Post, Slate’s The Root 100, Madame Noir, the Black Enterprise Magazine and Madame Noir and is regularly a speaker at national conferences and symposiums across the nation. Kezia is the proud daughter of Gail Elaine Davis and a native of Richmond, Virginia.

Williams is available in partnership with Collective Speakers.