Business Summit log 2025

PrideLife Business Summit 2025

 

Friday April 25, 2025  Doors Open 8AM ends at 1pm

@Raleigh Brewing Company
Neil St. Location

Register at Eventbrite: $20 Members & $30 Non-Members

Sponsorship Opportunities still available:
Email Devon for details.

Hosted by Harmony and generous sponsors, PrideLife Business Summit is designed to bring together service insights and resources for LGBT+ businesses. 

Last year was the first time we held this summit and brought together over 50 business leaders and entrepreneurs to focus on how to succeed as a diverse-owned business and in the diverse workforce as an employee  We brought together small businesses, large area corporations, nonprofits and public sector groups to share lessons learned about how to navigate the NC business world effectively. We hosted a keynote speaker – Wendy Gates Corbett, panels from The Diversity Movement/Workplace Options, state and national government speakers (SBA and NC Dept of Administration), and corporate partners (Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC, SAS, First Citizens Bank). In each session, attendees were equipped with tools and resources to help their organizations thrive in 2024.

2025 has already started out with challenges of its own with the incoming Presidential administration, local and state officials as well as newly enacted policies aimed at limiting support for the business community – especially the portion tied to diverse-owned and LGBTQ+ owned businesses. That’s why we created a theme “WE ARE HERE” to issue a statement to our local community that there are actual companies, nonprofits and elected officials ready and able to be advocates.

Keynote Speaker: U.S. Representative Valerie Foushee (D-NC) Virtual

V.Foushee (D-NC) US House of Representatives

“We are Here” Sessions

Health and Wellness

Sponsored by Blue Water Spa

BlueWaterSpa

Your Wealth and Peace of Mind

Sponsored by Nicole Guernsey, Equitable Advisors

Nicole Guernsey

Business Matchmaking,

Facilitated by Katherine Turner, Globel Citizen

2025 Sponsors

Hospitality – Catering Works / Dilworth Coffee and Morning Rolls

Venue – Raleigh Brewing and Visible Local SEO

The PrideLife Business Summit wouldn’t be possible without the generous financial support of its sponsors! Learn more about each of these great organizations:

Ensemble

Ensemble LGBTQ+ Entrepreneurial Hub

Harmony

Harmony LGBTQ+ Allied Chamber of Commerce

Holl & Stone Farm

Holl & Stone Farm

Raleigh Brewing

Raleigh Brewing 

BlueWaterSpa

BlueWaterSpa

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Business Summit? Take a look at opportunities available and email Devon Howard, Chair of Corporate Partnerships.