Securing The Exit: Exploring Your Exit Strategies From People Who Have Done It.
You've built something real. Now what? Whether you're bootstrapped, grant-funded, or venture-backed, the path to exit—and what it means for your mission—deserves a real conversation.
This evening brings together founders who've navigated an exit event (Mergers & Acquisitions), advisors who've shaped deals, and operators building companies that serve real communities. We'll talk about timing, valuation, deal structure, and what happens to your mission post-exit. Plus, you'll get hands-on time building the visibility tools you'll need when it's time to sell.
The focus is practical: Real stories. Real tradeoffs. Actionable next steps.
What We'll Cover
Exit (M&A) timing, valuation, and deal structure from founders who've exited
What acquirers actually care about (and what founders often overlook)
Protecting mission and team through the transaction
Pricing your business and negotiating terms
Hands-on workshop: Build a landing page or business page with AI tools in 45 minutes (because visibility matters before anyone calls)
Who This Is For
Founders and operators at scale stage (thinking 2–5 years ahead)
Social entrepreneurs and impact-driven builders
Anyone asking "what's next?" after product-market fit
Advisors and operators curious about exit mechanics
Anyone building businesses that serve underserved communities
Format & Flow
5:30–6:00 PM
Arrival & Icebreaker Networking
Light refreshments, casual connection, intentional warm-up
6:00–6:50 PM
Founder Panel + Live Q&A
Ezinne Price - Grid110 ExDir,
Tommy Duncan - HighRisk World
Amiah Speppard - VC
Discussion Topics: Timing, valuation, negotiation, mission protection, lessons learned
6:50–7:35 PM
Hands-On Workshop
Build a Landing Page or Business Page with AI Tools
Facilitator walks through no-code approach; attendees build live
7:35–8:00 PM
Closing & Open Conversation
Networking, resource sharing, one-on-one conversations with panelists
Venue:
The KINN | 150 Horizon Ave, Venice, CA 90291
Parking: There are a couple locations surrounding the kinn for paid parking in lots, in the area there is free street parking in the residential areas and metered parking as well. The park nearby also offers some free parking in their lot as well.
Partners
Stripe — Community sponsor and financial infrastructure resource
The KINN — Venue host; founder-forward community space
SPEAKERS
Ezinne Price
Ezinne Price, nominated for the Los Angeles Times' 2024 Inspirational Women Forum & Leadership Awards, is a visionary leader bridging entrepreneurship, economic development, and community empowerment. As Executive Director of GRID110, an economic and community development nonprofit, Ezinne is creating equity in entrepreneurship for early-stage founders making the entrepreneurial path more accessible for those overlooked by traditional startup ecosystems.
Before leading GRID110, Ezinne was a trailblazing force in the CPG industry with over 13 years of experience at prestigious brands like Lancome and Dior. As Chief Strategist of Sknmuse, a premium beauty & wellness brand, she garnered recognition from Beyoncé, Issa Rae, Vogue, ELLE USA, and more, while securing awards including the Glossier and Cantu Grants. Named a16z's Cultural Genius of 2022, Ezinne successfully raised over half a million dollars in grants and has dedicated herself to teaching others how to leverage their greatest crafts and skills for financial empowerment.
As a first-generation immigrant, who migrated to America by herself at 16, Ezinne brings a powerful dual perspective to her leadership—combining abundance mindset with strategic resilience. She is a strong advocate for sustainable success that starts with seeing the founder first, believing that sound minds build sound businesses. Her mission extends beyond traditional metrics, focusing on cultural currency, community well-being, and building systems that empower the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Tommy Duncan
Tommy Duncan, often called the "Prince of Detroit," is a highly successful healthcare entrepreneur, executive, and fashion designer. Raised in Detroit, his family was deeply rooted in the medical field; his family's business associates owned the city’s only Black-owned hospital. After the hospital faced financial hardship, Duncan used those early life lessons to build, scale, and successfully exit multiple multimillion-dollar companies.
He also went to FAMU.
Amiah Sheppard
Amiah Sheppard is an entrepreneurship educator and program designer advancing economic mobility through entrepreneurship, practical skill-building, and expanded access to opportunity. She creates transformative learning experiences that help young people and emerging entrepreneurs develop their ideas, strengthen their confidence and decision-making, and build pathways toward greater economic agency.
Most recently, Amiah led entrepreneurial programming and founder funding initiatives through the Blackstone LaunchPad at USC’s Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. She has designed and facilitated entrepreneurship programs in the United States and internationally, making subjects such as customer discovery, business modeling, artificial intelligence, pitching, and startup funding practical and accessible to learners from diverse backgrounds.
Earlier in her career, Amiah worked in venture capital at Backstage Capital, where she led investments and accelerator programming for 24 underrepresented founders internationally and supported a broader portfolio of more than 100 companies across the United States. She later created and led a pro bono accelerator through the Watts Labor Community Action Committee, helping local startups and small businesses in South Los Angeles strengthen their strategies and pursue sustainable growth.
Her work has been recognized by HBCU.vc’s 30 Under 30: The Future of Venture Capital and VentureFuel’s Visionary Investor of the Year. She has also served on the boards of the American Red Cross Northern Valleys Chapter and Street Soccer USA Los Angeles and is a founding member of The Gathering Spot Los Angeles.
Across her work, Amiah uses entrepreneurship as a vehicle for economic mobility—equipping people, particularly young people and entrepreneurs from historically under-resourced communities, with the knowledge, confidence, and tools to create opportunities for themselves and their communities.
Master of Ceremonies: Mike Evans
Hosted by: Brandon Bailey
Founder of TutorD / Scholars; building equitable EdTech and workforce development in SoCal. Enterprise Cloud Consultant. Lifelong learner.
Brandon Bailey is the Founder of TutorD and TutorD Scholars 501(c)(3), organizations dedicated to transforming accessible education and workforce development experiences.
TutorD / Scholars leverages the Founder’s diverse experience as an entrepreneur, engineer, and 4th-gen educator to offer a unique approach to technical training that is accessible, sustainable, and designed for meaningful community impact. TutorD's learning experience platform empowers non-traditional educators—primarily community-based organizations, workforce development programs, and social impact initiatives—to meet learners where they are. The platform drives engagement, captures rich data on activities and interventions; providing stakeholders with actionable insights to share, support and improve learner outcomes. TutorD Scholars focuses on workforce development in underserved communities and schools, providing hands-on training through workshops, training and apprenticeship experiences.
Why Attend
Hear real stories from founders who've navigated exit successfully
Understand valuation, deal structure, and negotiation dynamics
Learn how to protect your mission and team through the process
Get hands-on experience building business visibility assets
Connect with peers asking similar questions and advisors worth following up with
ABOUT The KINN
The KINN is a membership network, accelerator, and collaborative workspace for conscious entrepreneurs, based in Venice, CA. Running tailored inner development and business accelerator programs for startups, providing executive coaching, accountability, and access to a top-tier LA-based community of entrepreneurs, creatives, intrapreneurs, and investors. If you're interested in learning more about KINN Membership, please visit http://thekinn.co/apply
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Note: By attending this event, I hereby give my permission to the Horizon House LLC, their Releases, and to the photographer, my free and unlimited consent and permission to publish/broadcast, republish/rebroadcast or exhibit in the furtherance of their work, with or without identification of me by name, any photographs, videos or audios of myself, that have been obtained from my participation in KINN or Horizon Studio activities. I furthermore waive any and all claims for any compensation by reason thereof or for damages for reasons thereof.
Water Provided by Alive Water
Sourced from Opal Springs, a pristine volcanic aquifer in Oregon, this water is naturally alkaline, mineral-rich, and bottled in sacred glass to preserve its purity. Experience it the way nature intended.
Sign up at https://alivewaters.com/KINN and use code KINN for 25% off.