Alfa Demmellash

Alfa Demmellash co-founded Rising Tide Capital in May 2004 to equip under-served urban entrepreneurs in northern New Jersey with the knowledge, networks, and resources to start and grow successful businesses. In her role as Chief Executive Officer, she oversees strategic growth, programmatic innovation and stakeholder engagement. As the rapidly approaching digital industrial revolution transforms society, Alfa firmly believes that entrepreneurship, as a medium for human significance, will be increasingly important. She is actively building a community of funders to support the organization’s national replication through a network of licensed partners in cities seeking to invest in their existing entrepreneurial energy. Named as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2015, she graduated cum laude from Harvard University with a degree in Government. Alfa is the recipient of honorary doctorates from Saint Peter’s University and New Jersey City University and has won numerous awards for her work as a leading social entrepreneur.