The story of the African Diaspora Network (ADN) begins not in a boardroom, but in a moment of quiet frustration at a conference table.
In 2004, Almaz Negash was serving as head of the global leadership and ethics program at Santa Clara University’s Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, where her work brought her to high-level meetings in Vienna, Salzburg, and at Stanford University. At every gathering, everyone was speaking about Africa but there were very few, if any, Africans at the table. That absence was the spark of ADN’s creation.
Between 2007 and 2010, Almaz noticed another movement: the social entrepreneurship conversation was consistently about Africa, yet the voices, ideas, and financial backing of Africans were absent, both on the continent and in the diaspora. As a member of the African diaspora, she felt strongly there was a need for an organization that would honor the individual achievements of Africans in the diaspora and on the continent and provide a platform for these visionaries to put their minds together, collaborate, and spearhead transformation.
Having spent years working in Silicon Valley, she realized the importance of creating similar opportunities for African startups and innovators, believing that Africans needed to be at the forefront of creating Africa-focused solutions. She reached out to friends and colleagues to test the idea. The feedback was a resounding yes.
ADN began as a bold idea fifteen years ago, rooted in hope, built on community, and sustained by purpose. ADN operated first as a grassroots convener and evolved into an online and offline platform dedicated to harnessing the intellectual, financial, philanthropic, and entrepreneurial energy of Africans and friends of Africa.
Almaz leveraged over 25 years of experience in international trade, business management, and social innovation to build partnerships with a variety of stakeholders, including Fortune 500 companies, academic institutions, investors, and entrepreneurs based in the USA and around the world.
ADN’s founding principle was elegantly simple: bringing people together. The alternative – inaction, was not acceptable for those who carried the hopes of many on their shoulders. ADN focused that action on three pillars – Inform. Engage. Act.
In 2015, ADN proposed to the U.S. Department of State to take over the African Diaspora Investment Symposium (ADIS), which the State Department started in Washington, D.C., in 2014. The proposal was to bring it to Silicon Valley instead. The Department of State accepted, and ADN hosted the first ADIS in Silicon Valley in 2016. That first year had 167 attendees, most of whom came from Washington, D.C. and around the U.S., with a significant number also coming from the continent.
ADIS started with $15,000 in seed funding from the Department of State and a small group of dreamers and volunteers who believed in the power of Africans in the diaspora. It has since grown into a global platform where innovation, investment, and impact converge.
ADIS quickly became the cornerstone of ADN — proof of concept that you can bring Africans and friends of Africa together for the greater good.
From ADIS an entire ecosystem was created. ADN incubated new programs designed to meet the diaspora community where it was:
Between the African Diaspora Investment Symposium and Impact and Innovation Forums, ADN engaged 12,000+ people from 115+countries and 642+ speakers and industry leaders.
Then in early 2020, just before COVID took hold, a defining moment arrived.
At the fifth ADIS, Erica Wood of Silicon Valley Community approached Almaz and asked: “You’re doing this amazing work with grassroots African entrepreneurs. Do you have anything for African Americans and diasporans in the United States?” The answer, at the time, was no.
The question stayed with Almaz. In 2021, ADN answered it with seed funding from Silicon Valley Community Foundation and sustainability funding from BILL, Makahakama Foundation, KLA Foundation, and Santa Clara County.
ADN launched the Accelerating Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship (ABLE) program, which has supported 70 Black entrepreneurs addressing essential community needs and spurring sustainable growth. In 2024 alone, about 22 of these businesses collectively generated a revenue of over $16 million.
“Black startups receive only 1% of VC funding. What started out as an idea to change that math has come to life,” said Almaz Negash at the inaugural ABLE cohort launch. The program expanded ADN’s mandate beyond the continent — recognizing that the African diaspora in America was itself a community in need of investment, mentorship, and belonging.
ADN and the U.S. Department of State co-hosted a high-level working lunch at the 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit. The event convened government leaders, African ministers of economy and finance, private sector leaders, and diaspora voices to discuss the African diaspora’s contributions to Africa’s growth and development beyond remittances.
The message Almaz championed was clear: “The success of Africa will be secured when remittances are no longer needed. What we need is to look beyond remittances and develop a platform where those in the diaspora can invest in different African countries, not just their home country.” StreetInsider
In September 2023, President Biden announced the establishment of the inaugural Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement, following commitments made at the 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit. Almaz Negash was named one of 12 founding members who had distinguished themselves in service to the diaspora. PRWeb
ADIS celebrated its tenth anniversary in Washington, D.C., bringing together delegates from around the world to spotlight the growing influence of the diaspora in shaping Africa’s economic and social future. Africa Solutions Media Hub.
ADIS25 marked the formal launch of the African Diaspora Innovation Fund (AfDIF), ADN’s boldest move yet: channeling diaspora giving from transactional donations toward catalytic, community-chosen investment in African and Diaspora-led social enterprises. Africa Report.
After ADIS26, ADN launched its first diaspora white paper, detailing the diaspora’s stance, vision, and recommendations for Africa’s future, championing development that is equitable and sustainable.
What began as one woman’s frustration at being absent from the table has become a movement that builds tables and keeps expanding who gets a seat. From a grassroots network born in Silicon Valley to a policy voice in the White House to a global investment platform reaching over 100 countries, ADN’s journey is the story of what happens when the diaspora stops waiting to be included and starts leading.
With Gratitude: Our Funders and Partners
ADN’s journey has never been a solo endeavor. At every turning point, from the first ADIS in Silicon Valley to the launch in partnership with the Department of State, there have been many generous funders, partners, friends, and allies who believed in this work before the results were visible. Their trust made the table possible.
ADN is deeply grateful to the Gates Foundation for their visionary partnership on GC-ADEA, the U.S. Department of State, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Hugh Stuart Charitable Trust, BILL, the Makahakama Foundation, Conrad Hilton Foundation, EY, Myriad USA, Kellogg Foundation, the KLA Foundation, Opella, and Santa Clara County Government for their sustained commitment to ADN’s mission over the years.
To every corporate sponsor, individual donor, and institutional partner who has invested in this community — thank you.
And to the thousands of diaspora members, entrepreneurs, scientists, and changemakers who have shown up — to every ADIS, every forum, every cohort, every working group — this journey belongs to you. ADN exists because you believe that the diaspora’s greatest contribution is still ahead.
And to the small but mighty ADN team – the journey continues!
