The Austin Chamber of Commerce in partnership with SXSW, is excited to announce the A-LIST Awards Event keynote speaker, Janice Omadeke, Founder and CEO of The Mentor Method, software that helps companies build mentorship programs at scale.

Omadeke has been inducted into the Techstars Class of 2022, won the 2021 Best CEO Award by Austin Business Journal, the 2021 Profiles in Power from the Austin Business Journal, and the Moontower Rising Changemaker Award.

Omadeke will be in conversation with Austin serial entrepreneur Albert Swantner, a partner in The Fund Austin (a new effort that prioritizes investments in minority and women-owned startups). Swantner also serves as the Vice President of Engineering for the Mentor Method.

The A-LIST Awards are a partnership between the Austin Chamber of Commerce and South by Southwest to honor local companies and investors. Winners will be honored at the A-LIST Awards celebration on August 3 at the Long Center. Tickets for the event are now on sale.

“I am excited to help shine a spotlight on some of our best startups in Austin,” said Omadeke. “I believe mentorship can change lives and businesses. That’s why I am grateful to be a part of a program that is both honoring and helping entrepreneurs and their businesses with publicity and resources.”

In addition to Omadeke as the keynote speaker, the Austin Chamber is excited that Uncommon People will be providing live music for the event. Live music is being sponsored by PNC Bank, the Austin Chamber’s 2022 Exclusive Live Music Partner.

Winners will also receive various benefits, including access to a network of A-LIST mentors and other prizes from multiple sponsors including, SXSW badges, Austin Chamber membership, co-working space at Capital Factory, Oracle Cloud credits ($25K for companies and $100K for investors and their chosen portfolio companies), among other prizes.

“A-LIST is the premier event honoring startups that are on the cutting edge of technology and innovation," said Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer for South by Southwest. “Providing a spotlight to both emerging and established businesses is something South by Southwest is passionate about, and we are excited to partner with the Austin Chamber of Commerce to give these great companies exposure and resources to grow their business.”

About A-LIST

Brought to you by the Austin Chamber and South by Southwest, the A-LIST Awards celebrate Austin’s innovative entrepreneurs and most promising high-growth companies. A-LIST is in its 11^th year and honors companies at various growth and funding stages. This year, the awards will also feature an investor category meant to recognize the Angels and VCs funding A-LIST companies and other Central Texas companies.

Janice Omadeke Biography
Janice Omadeke, the Founder and CEO of The Mentor Method, created an easy-to-use software to help companies build scalable mentorship programs proven to retain, engage and develop underrepresented talent. As an inductee of the Techstars Class of 2022 and a Moontower Rising Changemaker, Omadeke exemplifies next-gen leadership as the winner of Austin Business Journal's Best CEO Award.

In addition to being a 2x SXSW featured speaker, Janice has been featured as a mentorship expert with Microsoft WorkLab, Black Enterprise’s Top 5 Black Women in Tech, and 2021 Forbes Next 1000 alongside other features in Inc., Entrepreneur Magazine, and Business Insider.

In addition to being a contributor for Fast Company and Harvard Business Review, Janice is certified in Entrepreneurship from MIT and is PMP certified with over 10 years of corporate leadership experience for Fortune 500 companies.

Albert Swantner Biography
Albert Swantner is the VP of Engineering for The Mentor Method and a co-founder of Betterleave, a company working to help employers who experience the loss of a loved one. Albert is also a Partner at The Fund Austin investing in early-stage startups. He is on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas, The Adventure Project, Naturally Austin, Knowbility, the Austin Monitor, and on the City of Austin Zero Waste Advisory Commission. He advises and invests in multiple startups, and works with the University of Texas Humanitarian Engineering Program, SKU, Techstars, SXSW, and DivInc.