# Candice Matthews Brackeen

> Candice Matthews Brackeen is the Cincinnati-based founder and CEO of Lightship Foundation and a founding partner of Lightship Capital. Her work grew from Hello Parent and a local Black founders network into accelerator programs, investment activity and ownership of Black Tech Week, with a focus on entrepreneurs overlooked by established networks.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Lightship Foundation; Founding Partner at Lightship Capital
- **Organizations:** Lightship Foundation, Lightship Capital, Hillman Accelerator, Black Founders Network - Cincinnati, Black Tech Week, NewMe Accelerator, Anchor
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts in Economics, University of Cincinnati
- **Known for:** Co-founded Hillman Accelerator in 2017., Led Lightship Foundation’s acquisition and Cincinnati expansion of Black Tech Week., Received the Cincinnati Bengals’ inaugural 2022 Inspire Change Changemaker Award.

## Career timeline

- **2004** — Graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a BA in economics.
- **2014** — Started developing Hello Parent, a parent-school communication app.
- **2015** — Founded Cincinnati’s Black Founders Network.
- **2017** — Co-founded Hillman Accelerator with Dhani Jones and Ebow Vroom; publicly discussed Hello Parent’s closure after funding ran out.
- **2019** — Acquisition of Angela Benton’s NewMe Accelerator announced in January; some accounts date the deal to 2018.
- **2020** — Lightship Capital’s venture fund launched.
- **2022** — Lightship Foundation acquired Black Tech Week and moved it from Miami to Cincinnati; Bengals announced her Inspire Change Changemaker Award.
- **2024** — Recognized as a Cincinnati Black History Month honoree.
- **2025** — Testified before the House Financial Services Committee about regional access to capital and Anchor.
- **2026** — Announced Columbus as Black Tech Week’s 2027 host city.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Hillman Accelerator in 2017.
- Led Lightship Foundation’s acquisition and Cincinnati expansion of Black Tech Week.
- Received the Cincinnati Bengals’ inaugural 2022 Inspire Change Changemaker Award.
- Recognized with a 2023 Doritos Change Maker Award in university and awards biographies.
- Named a 2024 City of Cincinnati Black History Month honoree.
- Listed as a Linda Bates Parker Legend Award honoree by the University of Cincinnati.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Columbus was announced as the host city for Black Tech Week in July 2027.
- **2025-03** — Testified at the House Financial Services Committee hearing Beyond Silicon Valley: Expanding Access to Capital Across America, describing Anchor and proposed changes to capital access.

## Links

- Website: https://www.lightship.foundation/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candicebrackeen
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/CandiceBrackeen
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candicebrackeen/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/candice-matthews-brackeen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26