Nneka Ukpai is a digital innovation enthusiast focused on designing and scaling new digital product offerings for early and growth stage corporations, digitizing legacy enterprises, advising CEOs on how to navigate complex regulatory environments, and helping accelerators, venture capital firms, and private equity firms 10x their portfolio companies by providing access to a private network of professionals with deep subject matter expertise in every field necessary for a growing company to thrive.
Nneka is a seasoned operator, investor, and advisor with global commercial experience building and scaling digital natives, transforming non-digital enterprises, and helping visionary leaders expand into international and emerging markets.
Nneka is a results-driven serial entrepreneur, who co-founded one of the most popular social apps in Brazil and co-founded an early stage B2B2C fintech in Washington, D.C. As a two-time technology founder, Nneka understands the challenges faced by growing tech and tech-enabled companies and routinely advises growth-stage startups and enterprises looking for innovative ways to expand their digital offerings.
Nneka is currently the Head of Financial Innovation at Better, the world’s leading homeownership platform and the fastest fintech to surpass $100Bn in funded volume. Nneka was part of the small, but mighty deal team that took Better public in 2023. As Head of Financial Innovation, Nneka leads teams that design, prototype, and implement new financial products with the key result of growing new revenue opportunities. Nneka is one of the architects behind several of Better’s groundbreaking financial products, including the 2023 Equity Unlocker, a first-of-its-kind illiquid asset backed mortgage, and One Day Mortgage, a fully digital homeownership experience that reduces the mortgage commitment process from several weeks to 24 hours.
Prior to Better, Nneka honed her legal skills as a senior attorney at a renowned global law firm. Her practice centered on defending large corporations, boards, and C-suite executives in regulatory inquiries and enforcement actions across multiple jurisdictions. Nneka’s passion for helping executives drive revenue while mitigating business risk led her to serve multiple private broads.
Nneka is a proud alumna of Howard University and Harvard Law School, where she currently holds a distinguished teaching faculty position in Harvard’s Trial Advocacy Workshop.
Nneka’s multidimensional background and interests, combining legal prowess with entrepreneurial acumen, make her a sought after advisor in the startup community and the broader tech and financial services communities with which she engages.
Nneka regularly speaks on the subjects of technological innovation, financial empowerment and freedom through entrepreneurship and diversified investment, and career development at the intersection of the law and technology.
Representative speaking engagements
- Finovate
The Homebuying Value Chain is Beginning to Unbundle – Why There Are Better Days Ahead for Proptech
- Techbeach
Enterprise Level Collaboration
- EY Parthenon
Black Leadership in Corporate America
- Columbia Business School
Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship
- The Wharton School
Fireside Chat with Dara Tresseder
- DC Startup Week
Angel Investing 101
- Avasant
Embracing Disruption – Lessons from Digital Natives
- ACC Foundation
Global Women in Law and Leadership
- Steady
Building Sustainable Financial Futures: Non-standard work and the Access Gap
- Michigan Ross School of Business
Tangible Insights from the Boardroom
- Women of Color and Capital
Gallery
L-R: Anupam Govil, Managing Partner, Avasant,
Nneka Ukpai, David Pulliam, VP of Partnerships,
JPM Chase, Michael Dershem, CEO, MA Pay at TechBeach Retreat in Miami.
L-R: Latif Peracha, General Partner, M13 Ventures,
Robin Washington, Board Member, Alphabet,
Nneka Ukpai, and Odirichi Kanu, at the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Conference at Ross School of Business.
L-R: Sharon Bowen, Chair, New York Stock Exchange,
Connie Collingsworth, Senior Advisor, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,
Mia Yamamoto, Activist and Attorney, Law Offices of Mia Yamamoto,
Nneka Ukpai, pictured at the United Nations HQ after a discussion honoring Sharon, Connie, and Mia, moderated by Nneka.
L-R: Nate Smith, General Counsel, Norfolk Southern,
Will Stute, Partner, Orrick,
A. Scott Bolden, Partner, Reed Smith, and
Nneka Ukpai, lecturing during Harvard’s Trial Advocacy Workshop.
Nneka Ukpai , discussing EB5 in Hong Kong.
