team

Team

Jonathan Speed

Founder

Jonathan Speed is the founder and CEO of 1821, a global community of Black and Brown founders, investors, operators, and allies. He built 1821 on the belief that the most important conversations in the founder ecosystem happen in rooms that have historically excluded the people who need them most.

Silvia Meredo

Director of Operations

Silvia Meredo oversees the day-to-day operations of 1821, ensuring the community runs with the same intentionality it was built on. She brings a background in community building and organizational management to everything the 1821 team executes.

Emily Fung

Content Manager

Emily Fung supports 1821's AI and marketing initiatives, helping the team extend its reach and sharpen how it tells the story of Black and Brown founders. She brings a fresh perspective on how emerging tools can serve community-driven organizations.

Advisers

Ashley Ryder

Partner, Vamos-Ventures

Ashley Ryder advises 1821 on community growth and partnership strategy, drawing on deep experience building networks that connect founders to the capital and relationships they need to scale.

Ellen McGirt

Editor-in-Chief, Design Observer

Ellen McGirt is a veteran journalist and editor known for her coverage of race, leadership, and business. She advises 1821 on storytelling, media strategy, and how to bring the founder experience to wider audiences.

Paris Dior Cooke-Brown

CEO, Visionaries Empowered Through Art

Paris Dior Cooke-Brown brings expertise in brand strategy and community development to the 1821 advisory board, helping guide how the organization shows up for the founders it serves.

Spencer Tyson

FiatVC

Spencer Tyson brings a background in venture and entrepreneurship to the 1821 advisory board, supporting the organization's work to expand opportunity for Black and Brown founders across industries.