Disruption Now

Phaedra Ellis Lamkins is the CEO of Promise, a payment technology platform that simplifies how people manage government payments like utilities, child support, parking tickets and more by offering customizable plans and providing digital payment options. The organization has secured funding from a wide array of investors including Roc Nation, Starbucks, Bumble, Kapor Capital, XYZ, First Round, and many more. Promise secured 20 million dollars in its Series A collectively raising  50 million dollars overall which is one of the largest funding rounds for a Black, women-led startup with investors like Kapor Capital, Bronze, First Round, and Y Combinator.Phaedra herself is a rockstar in the world of social justice and music: prior to starting Promise, she served as the Executive Officer of the South Bay AFL–CIO Labor Council, she served as the personal manager for legendary musician Prince, and helped procure Prince’s ownership of his catalog, negotiating his deal with Warner Bros and co-founding NPG Music Publis