#HERStory
Lebone C. Moses is an investor, advisor and strategic business executive with 20+ years of experience advising boards and c-suite leaders on strategic, sustainable business growth, including ten years as a Big 4 auditor (at PwC & EY) and seven years with global financial services firms (JPMorgan and Fidelity) leading risk, internal controls, compliance, cybersecurity, data privacy and data governance programs. Her career spans highly regulated industries, such as financial services, technology and healthcare, with companies ranging from Fortune 100 to startups. As the Founder and CEO of Chisara Ventures, Inc., she helps clients build strategies to manage and monitor risk and to implement fit-for-purpose risk management and compliance (e.g., HIPAA, NIST, SOX) programs. Visit chisaraventures.com.
Founding General Partner of GIV Capital Fund, she has a track record of identifying, advising and investing resources in high-performing startups led by underrepresented founders. For over a decade, she has advised startup founders on organizational strategy, investor relations, financing options, valuation and leadership development. She also spent several years helping to build out a NC-based VC fund focused on investing in African-American founders, delivering strategy related to deal flow, investor relations, due diligence and investment vehicles; and served as the fund’s Investment Committee Chair and a member of the Advisory Committee.
Lebone has extensive governance experience. Over the past 20 years she has served on non-profit boards and held multiple fiduciary roles, including vice-chair roles, President/CEO transition committees, audit/finance committees, and multiple governance committee chair roles. This includes:
- Serving as a Bentley University Trustee, and on Bentley’s Audit, IT/Cyber, and Finance committees
- Influencing the selection of c-suite hires on Bentley’s Presidential Search Committee, as Chair of Bentley’s Center for Women in Business Executive Director Search Committee, and on the Make-A-Wish Eastern North Carolina CEO Search Committee
- Chairing Governance Committees for Make-A-Wish Eastern NC and The Justice Theater Project
- Chairing the Finance Committee and serving as Treasurer for First Flight Venture Center
She often provides thought leadership in industry forums and at educational institutions and has been a speaker at several national and international business conferences. She has served as a start-up Advisor and Coach for the University City Science Center and Black Enterprise Entrepreneurship Conference. She has also been a guest speaker for entrepreneurship courses at Duke Fuqua School of Business, UNC Chapel Hill Kenan School of Business, Delaware State University, and Bentley University, and continues to serve as a judge, coach, and speaker at pitch competitions and venture programs around the country.
Lebone is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Information Systems from Bentley University, an MBA from Babson College and business certifications from Northwestern Kellogg and PRIMA (Risk Masters), Babson College (Organizational Coaching), Bentley University (Executive Leadership), Duke University – Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, University of California Berkeley and Startup@BerkeleyLaw (VC University), the Independent Director’s Initiative, and Santa Clara University Executive Center (Black Corporate Board Readiness).
As a first-generation American of Guyanese (Caribbean) heritage, she brings diversity of perspective and is passionate about the role of business in closing wealth gaps and ensuring a healthy, equitable economy. She has co-founded multiple programs purposed to address and help close wealth and opportunity equity gaps by equipping and empowering individuals, families and entrepreneurs with access to critical information and resources. Her personal interests include music, acting, the performing arts and international travel.
Founder Testimonials
“Lebone has been an integral part of MYAVANA’s growth when it came to critical moments of fundraising to capitalize on the market value we have created through our technology and needing the resources to become sustainable in the long-term. Not only did she help me bring in capital during a major growth stage for the business, she also provided me with wise counsel as I navigated major contract opportunities that increased the valuation of the company.”
Candace Mitchell | Founder & CEO, MYAVANA (Georgia)
“Lebone was consistent, thoughtful and always followed through on what she said she would do above and beyond her cash investment.”
Darnell Jones | Co-Founder & President, POWERHANDZ (Texas)
“Lebone created that value for us as a bootstrapped company through her expansive network, decades of corporate and start-up experience, and calmness in the face of economic adversity. She guided us through a pivot during a pandemic and looming recession. Due to her coaching we only needed to bootstrap for just under two years. I can only imagine the exponential value she can provide by investing in founders like us.”
Pavani Peri | Co-Founder & CEO, ACTA Solutions (North Carolina)
“As a valued strategic advisor, Lebone brought a wealth of strategic thinking and industry expertise to the table, which proved invaluable as we navigated the fundraising process. Her ability to identify key opportunities and potential challenges helped us secure the capital we needed to take our startup to the next level. “
Kimba Williams | Founder & CEO, Kushae (Florida)
“Lebone Moses has provided our startup many valuable gems on our entrepreneurship journey. Having never started a business before, Lebone has helped guide us to answer critical questions from how we pay employees when we are not yet profitable to making sure what we are creating adds value and has product market fit. Without Lebone’s guidance we know we could have made serious missteps that may have left us struggling (even more than we already were!) She is a beacon of light that every entrepreneur needs.”
Nicole Hawthorne | Founder & CEO, Jayla’s Heirlooms (North Carolina)
“Lebone has been instrumental in providing us advice on negotiating employment contracts and contractor agreements – key milestones in our business establishment journey that helped us secure great team members (and ensured our legal protection). Due to her help and support, we have been able to position ourselves as more professional, organized and capable. This has helped us deliver better pitches and attract interested investors sooner.”
Stephanie Louis | Founder & CEO, Sotro Innovations (New York)
“Lebone is sharp, energetic, present and fully invested in our success. I have appreciated her direct feedback which has always been right on the money. As a startup CEO, I feel invincible knowing that she is in my corner!”
Chantal Pierrat | Founder & CEO, Emerging Women (Colorado)
“Lebone helped us understand one of the most important activities for any entrepreneur, raising capital. Her knowledge of not just the process of raising capital but the “dos and don’ts” and unspoken rules of selling to investors were invaluable. Lebone’s guidance was both well-informed, honest and unique to our business’ unique situation. We’ll always consider Lebone a trusted adviser for MKP Products, LLC and would recommend her to any entrepreneur looking for strategic and financial direction.”
Mike Johnson & Koray Benson | Co-Founders, MKP Products (District of Columbia)
“What I love most about Lebone is how approachable she is. From the first time we met she has always been forthcoming with her advice and her experience. She is very genuine and unapologetic about her perspective. She also provides unique insight from both the investor spectrum and entrepreneur to help you see both sides of the chess board. She is beyond passionate to help startups in all stages and will help you plan for your startup’s success!”
Isis Ashford | Co-Founder & CCO, Xplosion (Texas)
“Lebone Moses was very helpful and extremely insightful in regard to what my startup company should be categorized as, as well as knowledgeable in avenues I could take in raising revenue. The time Lebone spent with me didn’t feel rushed and I felt her full engagement…”
Allison Dixon | Founder & CEO, UK Kore (Massachusetts)
Thought Leadership and Press
- Speaker: “Good Governance in Venture Capital” Conference hosted by Brown University Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship, Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stamford University, VentureESQ, First Close Partners and NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center – 2023
- Investor-In-Residence and Mentor/Advisor: University Science Center Capital Readiness Program – 2023
- Moderator: NCIDEA Ecosystem Summit – “Funding Growth in North Carolina” Panel – 2022
- Speaker: First Flight Venture Center (FFVC) FAST Boot Camp Research Triangle Park – 2022
- Speaker: “U.S. Healthcare Investor Perspectives for Global Startups” at the IN-VENTech Haifa Startup Business Program – University City Science Center Bootcamp – 2022
- Speaker: SE Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Conference (Duke Fuqua School of Business) – 2021
- Speaker: National Academy of Medicine Leadership Consortium on using AI to Advance Health Equity – 2021
- Speaker: National Institutes of Health – National Institute of General Medicine Sciences (NIH NIGMS) SHARPHub program “Life Science Investor Panel” – 2021
- Speaker: National Institutes of Health – Innovation Conference (NIH NIC)- 2021
- Speaker: National Institutes of Health – Health and Human Services (NIH HHS) Small Business Program Conference – 2021
- Featured Speaker: InBIA’s International Conference on Business Incubation – 2021
- Judge for Duke PITCH for Black Student Founders Competition – 2021
- Speaker: “Building Products that Matter” at NY Startup Boost – 2020
- Guest Speaker: Tech Commercialization course at Duke University – Fuqua School of Business – 2019 & 2020
- Judge for Durham HBCUvc Startup Weekend Pitch Competition (partnership with Google for Startups and TechStars) – 2019
- Judge for North Carolina Central University School of Business Eagle IDEA Pitch Competition – 2019
- Guest Speaker: Entrepreneurship course at UNC Chapel Hill – Kenan School of Business – 2019
- Interviewed on air on The Positivity Push :
- Speaker: Chloe Capital’s (invitation-only) Women Investor Accelerator:
- Coach for Start-ups at the 2017 Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Summit:
- Entrepreneur Magazine Interviews Lebone Moses: 4 Easy Ways to Help Women Succeed in Business
- Black Enterprise Interviews Pipeline Angel Investor Lebone Moses
- Women 2.0 Features Lebone Moses: Women Invest Better Than Men
- Lebone Moses of Pipeline Angels is Changing the Face of Angel Investing
- NABA National Spectrum Magazine Interviews Lebone Moses as one of 8 Successful Professionals: Certifications and You
- Lebone Moses, Chair of the Annual Business Conference run by Boston chapter of the National Assn. of Black Accountants, talks about the annual minority business conference to be held October 26, 2013. Interview for BNN News. Aired October 18, 2013
Book an Engagement
To book Lebone C. Moses for a speaking engagement, please send an email to info@chisaraventures.com with details regarding your request.
To book a small group talk, one-on-one consult or career coaching session please go to www.chisaraventures.com and use the “book online” feature.