The status quo of investment in Black founders needs to change: BrainTrust and BrainTrust Founders Studio CEO & founder Kendra Bracken-Ferguson is building the catalyst. Kendra talks about her journey from corporate intrapreneur to an entrepreneur, shares lessons from a career that spans public relations, brand strategy, beauty, wellness, and entrepreneurship, and why she loves leading ad supporting founders through the challenging path of entrepreneurship.
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Speaker Bio: Kendra Bracken-Ferguson is a transformative brand builder, connector and launcher. With a career that spans brand development, strategic planning, operations, investing, board membership and C-suite leadership, she has helped create, build and monetize over 200 influencer-driven brands that have generated more than $100 million in revenue.
Kendra has made it a business practice to build data-first businesses around niche influencers and talent primarily focused on lifestyle, beauty, and wellness.
Before starting her journey as an Entrepreneur, Kendra helped create the social media footprint for fashion behemoth, Ralph Lauren, where she was the company’s first Director of Digital Media. Kendra's work during and since her time at Ralph Lauren was informed by her years as Vice President of Digital at Fleishman-Hillard, New York, where she led the digital consumer team in developing social media strategies for clients including AT&T, DKNY, and P&G.
Allowing her mantra, “Carpe Diem” to guide her, in 2010 Kendra took a leap of faith and along with Karen Robinovitz created Digital Brand Architects (DBA), the first blogger management agency evolving into a global company that upon exit to UTA in 2019, had a collective reach of 200 million. Post DBA, Kendra founded BrainTrust, a social media, and brand development agency that drives the digital brand strategy and online media presence for talent and global brands such as Halle Berry, Kelly Ripa Home, Dear Drew by Drew Barrymore, Revelations Entertainment by Morgan Freeman, Sally Beauty, Under Armour and many more.
After a long-standing relationship as Halle Berry’s Business Partner, the two launched rē•spin in 2020 to democratize the health and wellness industry. Kendra is the co-founder of BeautyUnited, a nonprofit focused on diversifying the beauty and wellness industry and is the host of Business of the Beat, a beauty and wellness podcast available on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify.
Her latest endeavour, the BrainTrust Founders Studio focuses on increasing inclusive economic opportunities for Black beauty and wellness founders connecting them with resources, capital and strategic guidance to help them accelerate their businesses and build sustainable growth.
She resides in LA with her Husband, Daughter, English Bulldog & Turtle.
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