From women-owned shea butter cooperatives in Africa to budding black-owned beauty brands in the US, Rahama Wright’s entrepreneurial enterprise focuses on social impact.
She is founder and CEO of Shea Yeleen, a skincare products company that supports an African supply chain employing more than 800 women who earn five times the local minimum wage. Shea Yeleen distinguishes itself by helping women process raw materials into value added products ensuring their access to increased benefits and financial returns.
Her latest venture is the Yeleen Beauty Makerspace, a hybrid teaching lab and manufacturing space in Washington DC designed to support women and founders of color in the beauty industry.
Learn how she does it on this episode of The Purposeful Strategist.
As Wright’s entrepreneurial journey has evolved from bootstrapping to raising capital and securing retail placement for her products, she has emerged as an influential voice on U.S.–Africa trade. She has served on the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa since its establishment in 2014, cochairing since 2022. In 2022, Wright was appointed to the US Trade Representative Trade Advisory Committee on Africa (TACA) for a four-year term.
A sought-after speaker, Wright has graced the stages of the United Nations, Sustainable Brands, and the World Bank, championing the nexus of entrepreneurship, sustainability, and social impact. Wright's leadership and vision have been recognized with numerous awards, notably being named DC Maker of the Year, a Tory Burch Fellow, Halcyon Fellow, and a McKinsey Next 1B Founder.
Her international experiences, spanning 36 countries, have shaped her worldview and influenced her business practices, promoting cultural understanding and global cooperation. She is a resident of Washington, DC, and a proud alumnus of SUNY Geneseo, holding a BA in International Affairs and Political Science.
Rahama Wright