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Saamra Mekuria-Grillo

Working at the intersection of entrepreneurship, education, and economic empowerment

Saamra Mekuria-Grillo is the CEO and co-founder of Formation Ventures, a nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating emerging Black entrepreneurs.12 She founded the company in April 2020 and continues to lead it as of February 2025.2

Prior to founding Formation Ventures, Saamra had a diverse career in education and business:

  1. She served as the Chief Operating Officer at Pahara Institute from July 2018 to July 2019.2
  2. She worked as a consultant at Bain & Company from January 2010 to September 2011.2
  3. She began her career at Google, working as an AdWords Associate Manager from July 2003 to May 2007.2

Saamra's educational background includes:

  • A B.A. with Distinction from Yale University (1998-2002)
  • An MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business (2007-2009)

In addition to her role at Formation Ventures, Saamra is currently:

  • An Innovation Fellow at Schmidt Futures (since January 2022)
  • A member of the Operator Network at January Ventures (since July 2018)

Saamra is based in San Antonio, Texas, where she lives with her husband and two sons.1 She is fluent in Spanish and has a strong commitment to education and entrepreneurship.2

Highlights

Aug 19 · linkedin

Well, y’all, the day is finally here. My TED Talk is live! (https://lnkd.in/g6WH354G)

If you are a believer in the power of entrepreneurship and social capital to impact economic mobility, or you’re willing to listen and be convinced, this one’s for you.

On a personal note, if you’d asked me this time last year if I could have imagined giving a TED talk, the answer would definitely have been no. The process of preparing and delivering this talk was hands down one of the most transformative experiences of my life. And it helped to remind me how important it is to intentionally demystify those opportunities, like giving a TED talk or starting an entrepreneurial venture, that are life altering.

I am grateful to so many folks who walked alongside me on this journey, who lifted me up and reminded me that I have ideas and who have supported me and Formation Ventures in so many ways as I’ve navigated the rollercoaster of being an entrepreneur.

Thank you to Emmanuel Nweke and our cohort of TED-Ed educators - so glad to have had you and your brilliance to light the way on this voyage: Chezare A. Warren, Ph.D., Matthew Ebert, Amber Cabral, Mohan Sivaloganathan, Bea R., Tanishia Lavette Williams, Ph.D., Stacey A. Gibson, Storybook M., and Randal Seriguchi, Jr. Special thanks to Sharhonda Bossier and Education Leaders of Color for facilitating this amazing opportunity.

And to the folks who have supported me on my own founder journey (too many to name, but I’m gonna try!): Brandon Gayle, Christina Heitz, Maggie Scott-Weathers, Darren Isom, Dr. Gisele C. Shorter, Nicole Jarbo, Claire Hunsaker, Nancy Chan, Jasnam Sidhu, Kumar Garg, Ruthe Farmer, Jennifer Mazzon, Zarinah Agnew, Ali Hartman, Liz Aybar Conti, Kwame Owusu-Kesse, Nick Barr, Melanie (Waits) Dukes, Marla Rubio-Teyolia, M.S., Gabrielle Wyatt, Brian A. Lightfoot, Julia Freeland Fisher, Stephanie Itelman, Kim Smith, RC Buford, Chalon Bridges, Ajoy Vase, Sender Cohen - thank you all so much for believing in me as a leader and a founder. I am eternally grateful to you.

And last, but certainly not least, thank you to my parents Salem Mekuria and Evelio Grillo who have always been my biggest cheerleaders.

Jun 3 · linkedin

Come work with me at Run The Future (https://lnkd.in/gj5uviRb)! Our mission to build important skills/mindsets in young people and inspire innovation in underrepresented communities is more important now than ever. We’re recruiting for our first Head of Sales and Customer Success, who will be at the forefront of our mission, leading our B2B sales and partnership efforts for our newly launched learning product. If you’re interested in this role or or know someone who would be interested, send me a message, I'd love to connect!

Link to apply is here: https://lnkd.in/gSvCQW4B

Related Questions

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Saamra Mekuria-Grillo
Saamra Mekuria-Grillo, photo 1
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Location

San Antonio, Texas