Washington, DC – If you're African-American then April isn't just Easter season and tax season, it's also Black Genius Month - a time to celebrate modern-day 'hidden figures' like Tiffany Norwood, the black woman who helped found XM Satellite Radio.
With the help of partner Noah Samara, then 26-year-old Norwood raised more than $670 million to back the unprecedented venture that would produce three satellites that would cover every country with XM Radio signals.
So how did she do it?
She promises to share the secret of her success during a private TED-like event called “BMe UNLIMITED” in Washington DC this Saturday, as one of 8 black geniuses invited by Soledad O’Brien and BMe Community. People who want to watch her and the other speakers live must RSVP at www.BMeCommunity.org/livestreamrsvp days beforehand. But Norwood did offer this small glimpse:
"It started with a dream, and for me it was eliminating obstacles to the dream,” says Norwood. “We needed to build three satellites, and the first is always the hardest. Noah [Samara] had been trying for two years and was close to giving up. It was more about the satellites than the money. It was all about leveraging the power of narratives, and actively maintaining faith no matter what is thrown at you."
At 26, Tiffany’s youthful appearance led many to believe she was just your typical college student, but XM Radio wasn’t her first stroke of high-performance achievement. Eight years prior, at the tender age of 18, she defied the odds by earning a position as a securities trader in the financial world.
It doesn’t end there. Besides satellite radio, if you’ve ever used an MP3 player or digital phone services, there’s a chance you were interacting with her technology.
She was an investor and collaborator in the earlier versions of MP3 and MP4 technology, and has worked as Head of European Operations and Executive Vice President of Product for Next Generation Broadband, where she was also a co-founder.
Next Generation was ultimately responsible for consumers being able to self-install high speed data and digital phone services. She’s is also the co-founder of Emortal Sports, a virtual reality e-gaming start-up, and is the Founder and CEO of Tribetan, which is dominating in Application Business Software.
Still an active investor, Norwood is an Entrepreneur in Residence at Georgetown University.
Norwood and O'Brien will be joined on stage this Saturday by Aspen Fellow Trabian Shorters, bestselling author Shaka Senghor and Eugene Mitchell who is leading a successful $50-billion black family empowerment plan.
BMe UNLIMITED is a collaboration between BMe Community, a 5-star local host committee and major national foundations including: The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Campaign for Black Male Achievement, The William R. Kenan Charitable Trust, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Focus for Health.
The event is coordinated by The Raben Group, co-hosted by DC’s own Joe Clair and a host committee that includes a mix of well-known local and national players including Bo Menkiti of the Menkiti Group, Kristen Grimm of Spitfire Strategies, Peggy Cooper Cafritz and Maureen Bunyan.
BMe Community is an award-winning charitable network of community-builders inspired by black men to build more caring and prosperous communities. It provides positive content, “Genius Awards” and community health and wealth-building opportunities in six cities.
BMe UNLIMITED and its related “Genius Conference” are part of their plans to bring the network to DC.