AERICA SHIMIZU BANKS

Aerica Shimizu Banks is a tech policy expert, inclusion innovator, and champion for women of colour entrepreneurs. She is the founder of Shiso LLC, a consultancy rooted in racial justice and social impact. Among her many accomplishments, she was also named a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur and a Washingtonian Magazine Tech Titan.

Shimizu has a unique approach to entrepreneurship that is creative, intersectional, and holistic; shaped by her expertise in community organizing, policy, and tech. Her inspiration comes from the arts, spirituality, and service which have a heavy influence on her everyday life. She is an advocate of the triple bottom line — people, planet, profit which places an emphasis on a business’s social and environmental impact rather than solely on financial outcomes. In past lives, she was also a political appointee in the Obama Administration and advanced environmental justice policies in Washington state.

She holds a MSc in Environmental Policy from Oxford University and a BA in Environmental Studies and Public Affairs from Seattle University.