Jewel Thompson

Ms. Jewel N. Thompson is the incubator manager for the Ashesi Venture Incubator of the NEXT (New Entrepreneurs Xchange for Transformation) Idea to Impact Project a collaboration between Ashesi and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) D-Lab. She is also an adjunct lecturer at Ashesi University, teaching the foundation of design and entrepreneurship (FDE) and Social Enterprise courses. Prior to joining Ashesi she was the Small Business Program Manager/Financial Well-Being Coach for Operation HOPE an organization with a mission to eradicate poverty and empower low-income communities. In her position she not only provided consultations for aspiring small business owners and existing small business owners within these communities but facilitated an entrepreneur training program that successfully incubated, educated and graduated over 100 individuals. In addition to this role, she was the on-site credit and money management counselor with Operation HOPE’s partnership with BB&T Bank. Her training sessions were pivotal in teaching participants how to scale their businesses and seek funding to which assisted in helping secure over $200,000 in funding. She established a management-consulting firm, titled, Efie Consulting Group. The firm utilizes a purpose driven business development model paired with predictive data analysis to provide first generation entrepreneurs (one or more immigrant parent) with the data-oriented insight they need to tell visually compelling stories and create businesses that have strong roots locally and the ability to scale globally. Additionally, Ms. Thompson developed and co-chaired the Young African Leaders Conference, from this she continued to create programming geared towards the empowerment of young African millennials in the city of Atlanta. She is the outgoing Curator and former membership chair for the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Atlanta Hub. Most recently speaking on the value of public and private partnership at the ACM convening at the WEF headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Young Non-Profit Professionals Network of Atlanta and Diploma Plus, Inc. She is a former member of the Atlanta Metro Chamber ATL Leaders.
She has been awarded with the YNPN and Georgia Center for Non-Profits 30 Under 30 Award, the Power 30 Under 30 Atlanta for her work in community service, Apinke Magazine Young Community Leader Award, the Miss Africa Humanitarian Award and is the former Miss Ghana Georgia. She is an avid lover of the arts and its intersection with technology and is committed to developing leadership programs for emerging youth.
Ms. Thompson is a graduate of Oglethorpe University with a BS in Business Administration and a concentration in Marketing and received a dual Global MBA from Georgia State University J. Mack Robinson School of Business and the Sorbonne IAE Paris School of Business in Paris, France. She received a business management certificate from the University of Rio De Janerio, Coppead Business School.