UrbanGeekz 50 2025: Business-to-Consumer

Hannah Diop: CEO and Founder, Sienna Naturals

Hannah Diop is redefining luxury haircare by insisting that textured hair deserves the same level of science, intention, and care as skincare. As the founder and CEO of Sienna Naturals, Diop has built a brand celebrated in luxury salons and on global fashion stages, transforming how consumers treat and understand their hair. The idea for Sienna Naturals was born in Minneapolis, where Diop struggled to care for her curly hair after swimming. Instead of accepting damage as inevitable, she saw a solvable problem. That moment sparked a deeper exploration into formulation, performance, and cultural knowledge—ultimately leading to a brand rooted in clean ingredients, efficacy, and respect for textured hair.

Before launching Sienna Naturals, Diop built a formidable foundation at McKinsey & Company and earned her MBA from Wharton. That combination of strategic rigor and lived experience shaped her approach to entrepreneurship, allowing her to scale a mission-driven brand without compromising integrity. In 2025, her impact was further recognized when Sienna Naturals received a $100,000 grant from Sephora and the Fifteen Percent Pledge, supporting the company’s continued growth and innovation.

At the core of Diop’s vision is a global reimagining of beauty standards—one where African hair techniques are recognized as the benchmark, and Black stylists are celebrated as leaders and experts. Through Sienna Naturals, Hannah Diop continues to challenge norms, elevate culture, and build lasting solutions for textured hair worldwide.

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Lanny Smith: Founder, Actively Black

Lanny Smith is building more than an athletic apparel brand—he’s building an ecosystem rooted in ownership, equity, and reinvestment. As the founder of Actively Black, Smith set out to challenge an industry that has long profited from Black culture without meaningfully supporting Black communities.

Actively Black offers premium athletic apparel and accessories, but its differentiator is purpose. A percentage of profits is reinvested directly into Black communities, supporting health, education, and wellness initiatives. What began as a response to systemic imbalance has grown into a movement centered on economic empowerment and cultural pride.

Smith’s journey was not without resistance. He faced repeated funding obstacles, including investors who withdrew once they realized the company was Black-owned and financial institutions that imposed stricter lending requirements. Despite these barriers, Smith persisted. His efforts paid off with a $7.2 million Series A round led by New Voice Fund, valuing the company at $32.5 million post-money. He also secured an earlier $100,000 seed round led by Black Star Fund.

Beyond fundraising, Smith has donated more than $500,000 back into Black communities and launched a mobile app that connects users through fitness, rewards, and exclusive content. Looking ahead, he plans to expand Actively Black globally while deepening its wellness and cultural offerings. Smith’s work stands as proof that values-driven businesses can scale—without losing their soul.

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Autumn Adeigbo – Founder, Autumn Adeigbo

Autumn Adeigbo is carving out a distinct space in American fashion—one that blends bold design, ethical production, and cultural storytelling. A Nigerian American designer, Adeigbo is the founder of her eponymous ready-to-wear and accessories brand and has raised more than $1.3 million in venture capital, cementing her place in the modern fashion landscape.

Born in New York to Nigerian parents, Adeigbo’s upbringing was shaped by both Yoruba and Igbo heritage. Creativity surrounded her early on—her father an artist and writer, her mother sewing many of her childhood outfits. That foundation followed her through Spelman College, where she earned a degree in economics, and later to Parsons School of Design, where she graduated in fashion design.

Before formally launching her brand in 2016, Adeigbo balanced building early collections with roles at W Magazine and in New York’s hospitality scene. Her commitment to ethical production led her to establish a hand-beading program for women in Ghana in 2014, later expanding to Nigeria, Kenya, and Rwanda.

Recognition soon followed. Adeigbo became a Tory Burch Fellow in 2019, joined the CFDA in 2021, and raised more than $4 million in under two years. Her collections—known for vibrant color, bold prints, and modern-vintage silhouettes—honor her heritage while uplifting women throughout the supply chain.

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Karen Young: OUI the People

Karen Young is reshaping body care by centering comfort, confidence, and self-worth. As the founder and CEO of Oui the People, she built a fast-growing beauty brand around a deceptively simple idea: people deserve to feel good in their own skin.

The mission is deeply personal. For years, Young struggled with severe razor burn that influenced how she dressed and moved through the world. In 2014, while working as an executive at Estée Lauder, a particularly painful experience pushed her to question why such a common problem lacked thoughtful solutions. With just $1,500 in savings, she launched Oui the People from her Brooklyn apartment.

Her first breakthrough—the world’s first safety razor designed specifically for women—disrupted a long-ignored category. Today, Oui the People is one of the fastest-growing Black-owned beauty brands in the U.S., with features in Vogue, Elle, Glamour, and O Magazine. For years, Young bootstrapped the company, growing deliberately and sustainably before recently closing an oversubscribed $3 million funding round.

Young often speaks candidly about her nonlinear path, including a failed first business, the impact of therapy, and how her upbringing as the child of immigrants shaped her resilience. Those lessons now inform a brand built with intention, inclusivity, and care—proving that softness and strength can coexist in entrepreneurship.

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Main Image: Lanny Smith: Founder, Actively Black