Business
The 2011 top 10 Black Entrepreneurs
Here is a brief of the top 10 black entrepreneurs in the United States for the year 2011:
Jean Orelien: CEO and founder SciMetrika
SciMetrika 2010 Revenue: US$10.9 million
Three-Year Growth: 921%
Jean Orelien was born in Haiti, moved to Guadeloupe when he was 10, and left for the U.S. after high school.
His family struggled financially, which only motivated Orelien to study and work harder. Orelien says that he has faced many challenges being a minority CEO, but it has only honed his strive for perfection.
Fatimah Moody: CEO and founder LinkVisum Consulting Group
LinkVisum Consulting Group 2010 Revenue: US$10.0 million
Three-Year Growth: 1,566%
Fatimah Moody was born and raised in Queens, New York, where her parents owned and operated a few restaurants in the area.
After over a decade working in corporate banking and consulting, Moody decided to launch her own LinkVisum Consulting Group, satisfying an entrepreneurial itch passed down from her parents.
Charles Sanders: CEO and founder Urban Lending Solutions
Urban Lending Solutions 2010 Revenue: US$127.3 million
Three-Year Growth: 1,529%
Charles Sanders, a former NFL pro, grew up in an all black community in Pittsburg where his father owned a trucking company.
After his NFL career, Sanders launched Urban Lending Solutions, a real estate firm, in his home town.
Leah Brown: CEO and founder A10 Clinical Solutions
A10 Clinical Solutions 2010 Revenue: $19.7 million
Three-Year Growth: 1,011%
Leah Brown tells the story of her maternal great-grandfather, Allen “Papa” Carney, a free African-American man who had 18 children and insisted his sons become entrepreneurs.
“I didn’t know until recently that I came from a long lineage of entrepreneurs until my family history was explored, but it helped me understand where my entrepreneurial drive comes from,” says Brown, who founded A10 Clinical Solutions, a clinical research firm.