Dionne Gumbs
Founder and CEO
BROOKLYN BEGINNINGS
I was born in Guyana, a country on the northern tip of South America with a rich Caribbean culture, and I grew up in a home in Brooklyn, NY that my grandmother and great aunt bought when they migrated to the United States. At one time, six families resided in our house, excluding the revolving door of family friends or old acquaintances needing a temporary place to stay. This extending oneself was normal to us. Amidst the chaos, with not very much, we were taught “To whom much is given much is required.”
My mother worked in banking operations at very known institutions and my father was an economist for the state of New York. The financial world was not unfamiliar to me. It’s where I always knew I would make significant change.
MY JOURNEY IN FINANCE
After summers interning at the NY Stock Exchange and Bloomberg LP, I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with my eyes set on building a career in financial services. 9/11 came on the backdrop of the tech bubble. After almost losing my father in the attacks, I decided to move closer to home and worked at a prominent hedge fund. The next decade marked a turning point in my career. I doubled down on the finance industry, got my MBA from Columbia Business School and was recruited to a post-MBA leadership program at what is now JP Morgan’s Corporate & Investment Bank Group (CIB). I was fast-tracked to Vice President of New Business and Client Management a year later. I worked in New York and San Francisco before transitioning to wealth management at Alliance Bernstein, where my team collectively managed more than $2 billion in private client assets. Later, I served as SVP and Private Client Advisor to ultra-high net worth families and business owners at US Trust, Bank of America in Washington, DC.
In 2013, I left Bernstein to co-found Wealthrive, a behavioral wealth management platform focused on women. My co-founder and I developed a behavioral algorithm, investment curriculum, and onboarded a cross section of women. Wealthrive ultimately closed its doors but my journey would not end there.
Two decades working in financial services highlighted many areas of opportunity for the industry. Notably, the barriers to success – let alone entry – for women and minority business owners were all too prevalent. My most successful clients would often share how unnecessarily difficult their journey in accessing capital and resources. The potential of women and minority business owners is overlooked far too often. But not anymore.
A BUSINESS BANKING PLATFORM FOR THE NEW MAJORITY
I founded GenEQTY to bridge the wealth gap, remove financial obstacles, and to give business owners the power to build meaningful wealth and create immeasurable economic impact. GenEQTY is more than simply a financial institution. Think of us as a business partner, an advisor, and a doorway to capital, dedicated to your success.
I’m eager to hear from you about how we can best support your business’ vision for the future. Share your stories with me at dionne@geneqty.com.
EQUITY AND IMPACT ADVOCACY
I serve as a mentor, board member, and advocate at organizations throughout the country.
Board Member, Social Venture Partners MN
Growth & Impact Board Committee Member, The Brand Lab
Board Member, University of Pennsylvania’s Track & Field Alumni
Board and the Trustees’ Council of Penn Women
Expert in Residence, Lunar Startups
Expert Advisor, Columbia University, Tamer School for Social Enterprise
Path to 15|55 Fundraising Growth Advisor