Fanta Traore is pursuing a Master of Public Policy at Yale University. Fanta’s commitment to championing economic inclusion is ignited by her fascination with the economic complexities witnessed growing up in the dynamic, culture-rich and also heavily unequal city of New York. A desire to serve the marginalized and disenfranchised, globally, brings Fanta to Yale, where she studies management and policy with a focus on impactful investing in venture capital. Her experiences as a social entrepreneur — a co-founder of the Sadie Collective, the only organization dedicated to addressing the pipeline and pathway access for Black women in economics and related fields — has served as the launching pad for her career as an investor. Working at Commonweal Ventures, CT Innovations and Echoing Green, have been enriched by growing up in New York in her mother’s hair salon, her foray into entrepreneurship. Being a founder twice over — in the U.S. context and in Mali, raising capital — informs how she thinks about investing in founders from all walks of life in the U.S. and Africa. Her work has been featured on NPR, Fortune, Forbes, the World Economic Forum and more, garnering much success enabling her to be a sought-out speaker and startup advisor. She has been recognized as a Global Shaper with the World Economic Forum and is on the Board of Directors of WAKE Academy, designed to empower girls through sports’ education in Guinea. Fanta speaks four languages and has worked across sub-Saharan Africa to encourage entrepreneurship amongst youth in the francophone regions. She is a proud alumna of Howard University where she obtained dual degrees in economics and political science and graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.