Candid Conversation with Venture Investor Candice Brackeen Was ‘Refreshingly Authentic

Candice Brackeen good-naturedly competes with her young sons on investing strategies (her cryptocurrency gave her a lead last month).  Early in her entrepreneurial career, there was a period when she had to shutter her boutique fitness clubs until she retooled the business. And sometimes she deals with “imposter syndrome,” the feeling that she is not worthy of being a success.

WATCH OUR CONVERSATION WITH CANDICE HERE

But to anyone who knows Brackeen, the co-founder of Lightship Capital, which invests in historically under-resourced businesses, she is anything but an imposter. During a CincyTech-sponsored event, Brackeen spoke candidly about her career, her life and what it’s like to be a rare woman of color in venture capital. Byron McCauley, senior marketing manager at CincyTech, served as moderator for the event, which was held with student partners.

F.G. Okwubido-Williams, a biomedical engineering student at the University of Cincinnati and one of the organizers of the event, said the conversation “was refreshingly authentic, a testament to the premium Candice places on leading with purpose.”

“For most students (myself included), it is easy to sometimes fall into the rabbit hole of chasing quick success but this event reinforced the fundamental need to do the work and align values with passion,” he said.

The full conversation is available on CincyTech’s YouTube channel.