It’s Time to Close the Gap.

Olayinka OSIBODU

Founder of OWES

I’m a political strategist turned venture ecosystem builder with over a decade of experience across government, impact investing, and entrepreneurship. Over the years, I’ve served as a U.S. Congressional staffer and a venture capitalist, stewarding more than $100 million in assets across organizations such as Google for Startups, Goodie Nation, Common Future, Village Capital, Zane Venture Fund, and Runway Capital. My work has focused on designing blended capital strategies that bring together government contracts, venture capital, philanthropic investment, and community-centered crowdfunding.

As Founder of OWES (Olayinka Wealth Equity Strategies), I now operate at the intersection of policy, business, and culture. I build bridges that turn public influence and private capital into coordinated economic power—always centering sustainable infrastructure, economic dignity, and generational wealth for Black and African diasporan communities and other underrepresented founders globally.

Rooted in Legacy, Raised for Leadership

I was born into a lineage where joy, responsibility, and community were inseparable. Growing up Nigerian American in Brooklyn, NY taught me early that community is infrastructure, and that the stories we inherit shape the futures we build. Storytelling was the first way I learned to understand the world. Long before I drafted policy memos or structured capital stacks, I learned how narratives shape culture—and how culture shapes what communities believe they deserve.

That foundation continues to guide me today: my work is always rooted in dignity, belonging, and the belief that collective vision can—and should—shape our systems.

Understanding Power Through Practice

My career has taken me through the very systems that decide how resources flow and whose stories hold influence.

  • In Congress, I supported legislative strategy and witnessed how policy can either reinforce inequities or open pathways to opportunity.

  • In venture capital and philanthropy, I helped direct millions of dollars to founders, organizations, and ecosystem projects, gaining a close look at how capital moves and where it gets stuck.

  • As an entrepreneur and advisor, I’ve partnered with leaders who are building toward futures that don’t yet exist, and who need infrastructure, clarity, and capital strategies to make them possible.

These experiences give me a cross-sector fluency that allows me to see connections, patterns, and opportunities others don’t—and they deeply inform the work I do through OWES.

Why I Created OWES

I founded OWES because I kept seeing the same disconnect across communities and institutions: abundant creativity, vision, and community wisdom—paired with limited access to coordinated capital and strategic influence.

I knew we needed new models for building wealth and power, especially within Black and African diasporan communities and for other underrepresented founders. OWES is my answer to that need.

Through OWES, I help founders, funders, and institutions:

  • Design capital strategies that align with community realities

  • Build systems and infrastructure that last beyond funding cycles

  • Bridge policy, narrative, and investment

  • Move from inspiration to implementation

  • Create ecosystems where people can thrive not just survive

I believe wealth is not only financial; it is cultural, relational, and infrastructural. My work is about expanding that definition and building toward it with intention.

My Work

My approach blends strategy, culture, and systems thinking. I draw on experience across government, venture capital, philanthropy, and entrepreneurship to design solutions that center dignity, belonging, and long-term sustainability.

OWES partners with founders, ecosystem leaders, funds, and institutions to build capital pathways, strengthen infrastructure, map and connect ecosystems, and align narrative, policy, and partnership strategy.

Ultimately, my work is about expanding what’s possible for Black and diasporan communities and other underrepresented founders—creating the conditions, resources, and structures that support generational wealth, shared opportunity, and collective thriving.

Let’s Build Together

Contact me

If you’re working to expand economic possibility, strengthen community infrastructure, or design strategies rooted in dignity and long-term impact, I would love to collaborate.

Previous Projects

I co-founded Melanin Essentials, a Certified B Corp beauty brand empowering Black women and BIPOC leaders to use self-care as resistance.

I co-founded Melanin Essentials, a Certified B Corp beauty brand empowering Black women and BIPOC leaders to use self-care as resistance.

As Director of Portfolio Engagement at Common Future, I led research and initiatives that invested capital and power in BIPOC businesses and communities while advancing equity, inclusion, and leadership for practitioners across the U.S. and Canada.

As Director of Portfolio Engagement at Common Future, I led research and initiatives that invested capital and power in BIPOC businesses and communities while advancing equity, inclusion, and leadership for practitioners across the U.S. and Canada.

I co-founded Dismantle Collective, a POC-led group focused on dismantling systemic white supremacy in executive spaces by centering BIPOC healing and power.

I co-founded Dismantle Collective, a POC-led group focused on dismantling systemic white supremacy in executive spaces by centering BIPOC healing and power.

As a founding member of WeTheChange, I’ve led trainings and initiatives that advance equity and belonging for businesses, communities, and leaders working toward a radically inclusive, regenerative global economy.

As a founding member of WeTheChange, I’ve led trainings and initiatives that advance equity and belonging for businesses, communities, and leaders working toward a radically inclusive, regenerative global economy.