Aaron Samuels is Founder and Managing Partner of Collide Capital. Prior to Collide Capital, Aaron began his career as a spoken word artist before working at Bain & Co. as a strategy consultant and TeleSign as a Product Manager. Combining his love for storytelling, strategy, and technology, Aaron co-founded and served as COO at Blavity, the largest global Black Media company for Millennials and Gen-Z, and AfroTech, the largest Black Tech conference in the world.
Born and raised in Providence, RI to a Black & Jewish household, Aaron’s exposure to intersectional communities influenced him to share his experiences through writing and entrepreneurship. Aaron graduated Magna Cum Laude from Washington University in St. Louis and received his MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business as an Arbuckle Leadership Fellow. Aaron is a Forbes Under 30 list member, a Cave Canem fellow, and a nationally-acclaimed spoken word artist. He is the recipient of fellowships from Cave Canem, Asylum Arts, and the Millay Colony for the Arts. Samuels is a founding member of the Dark Noise Collective and ranked 3rd place at the Individual World Poetry Slam. His debut collection of poetry is titled, Yarmulkes and Fitted Caps.