WOKE Summit

WOKE SUMMIT 2023

The Entrepreneurship Conference for the Culture

The Currency of Black Culture

Celebrating Hip Hop’s Influence on Business

The #BLUEPRINT Edition

Since 2018, the WOKE Entrepreneurship Summit has created a unique event experience for African American entrepreneurs aged 21-45. As an “entrepreneurship conference for the culture”, each year we bring together Chicago’s top Millennial, Xennial, and seasoned business leaders for a day of learning, networking, and celebration.

Hip Hop is not just about a music genre, it is a culture, and love it or not, it affects what we buy and how we buy it. Run DMC’s “My Addidas”, Ayliyah’s Tommy Hilfiger look and Rhianna’s “Fenty”, has proven that black culture changes the game for brands who understand our buying power and black culture’s effect on the bottom line. This year’s summit will take a look back at Hip Hop culture’s GLOBAL influence over the last 50 years and look forward to embracing the power that we possess in all industries.

This year, we are going to hear how the culture has influenced business trends, changed the way we market our products and continues to set the direction for how we operate – and thrive in the global marketplace. WOKE 2023 speakers are going to share how they have leveraged their influence, embraced black culture and how we can do the same to take our businesses to the next level!

Consider this year’s WOKESUMMIT the #BLUEPRINT edition.

​Fueling the Block

As we celebrate business, culture and the 50^th Anniversary of Hip Hop, you gotta know this year’s Molson Coor’s sponsored Lituation Room will be crazy! Our MC for the day, Brand Strategist and Founder of Success Junkie, Serita Love will keep the party hyped!

We’re gonna lean in while we honor this year’s stand-out business owners, support our vendors and community partners and hear from the 93 Boyz founder and keynote speaker Vic Mensa!!

Pitch Me!

Get your Business Pitch ready! Three businesses will be chosen to participate and will have 4 minutes to give judges their best business pitch. Apply here

Raise the Roof!

Meet us on the LaCuna Loft’s rooftop for our Rooftop Reception sponsored by the Coleman Foundation! Come to network, cocktail and jam to the music of DJ Double Mz.

Suits are not encouraged but your favorite hip hop T-shirts are. Hope to see you there.

Keeping it Lit!

#wokesummit

#wokesummit2023