Executive Director

Evan Poncelet is Executive Director of Venture Black, a Managing Partner of Dreamward Ventures, and the host of the Venture Black Podcast. He invests in exceptional, diverse founders and builds investment infrastructure for Black and ally investors across the Pacific Northwest. Evan has mobilized accredited investors to support early-stage, venture-scale companies, contributing to multi-million-dollar fundraises across SaaS, AI, fintech, digital health, and life sciences. With over a decade as a software and hardware engineer in Seattle and Silicon Valley, he brings deep technical rigor to venture, complemented by institutional training and hands-on experience as an angel investor network operator focused on expanding access and opportunity to Black and ally founders and investors.

Operations Director

David Garner is an experienced executive, marketer, salesperson, and engineer dedicated to building technology for the common good. Over the past decade, he has worked across startups as an operator, founder, and angel investor, with a growing focus on leveraging his experience to support others in the venture ecosystem. Having firsthand insight into the challenges faced by people of color navigating entrepreneurship and investment, David has spent years building networks and infrastructure that expand access for underrepresented groups. His work spans investing, mentoring, and advising, and he remains committed to creating meaningful, positive impact wherever he contributes.

Communications Director

Louis Newkirk has spent the past eight years serving Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities through a range of programs and initiatives, working as a mentor, advisor, and advocate for minority-owned businesses and startups. Driven by a passion for helping early-stage companies succeed, he founded Timu Marketing, a marketing firm focused on guiding startups through go-to-market strategy and toward their first capital raise. Louis continues to advance equity in the startup ecosystem through growth marketing, mentorship, and the development of educational resources that support the next generation of Black and Brown entrepreneurs.

Board Member

Kia Davis is an author and venture growth specialist who has been working with entrepreneurs for 15 years. With a career that’s spanned 10 countries around the world, Kia has worked closely with founders, governments, universities, investors, and big tech. Kia has trained hundreds of entrepreneurs on launch for growth, advised venture investors on their portfolio companies, and developed startup ecosystem strategies for governments. Kia wrote and published the book Flashpoint 100: Radical Business Growth in 100 days for entrepreneurs who refuse to cherry-pick their best ideas. The step-by-step guide allows founders to execute all their ideas at once, using time and financial discipline to find the winners. Kia holds a BA in psychology from Yale University, and an MBA from Insead. Kia also builds proprietary games that teach entrepreneurship skills.