Meet the newest members of our team.
At ICA, our vision is to build an economy that works for all. We strive for excellence every day, finding new and creative ways to work together with entrepreneurs and the Bay Area community. Behind ICA’s bold work is our inspiring team and we wanted to take time this month to introduce you to our newest members. Welcome Princess Aghayere, Hector Ramos, and Jennifer Rider!
Princess Aghayere, Investment Analyst
Princess Aghayere is an Investment Analyst at ICA, sourcing new investment prospects and conducting investment due diligence. She works cross-functionally with ICA’s programs team, communicating portfolio company needs and identifying areas of growth.
Princess worked in a minority-owned private equity fund called IMB Partners and co-founded a non-profit called Rebound Liberia. The nonprofit empowers young women through basketball and leadership development. Following the launch of Rebound Liberia, Princess had a short stint playing basketball professionally herself in Spain in the LF2 league.
Princess graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s in Health and Societies and a minor in International Development. Outside of work, she loves traveling and is an avid basketball fan.
💼 First job: Crew member at Chipotle
🏀 Best advice you've received: You miss every shot you don't take
💯 Why do you work at ICA: I work at ICA because I think entrepreneurship is one of the best ways to promote economic development and equity. I'm happy to be a part of a team where I can support underrepresented entrepreneurs while having a wider impact on wealth distribution.
Hector Ramos, Silicon Valley Investment and Program Manager
Hector Ramos is ICA’s Silicon Valley Investment and Program Manager responsible for growing ICA’s presence and impact in the Silicon Valley region. He works cross-functionally with the program and investment teams to accelerate growth-oriented businesses and deploy $1M of investment dollars over the next two years into Silicon Valley with a deep focus on San Jose.
Hector has extensive experience in startup banking, commercial banking, corporate banking, and business development. Most recently at Silicon Valley Bank, he built and managed relationships with founders of high-growth, venture-backed startups while structuring and delivering equity-like debt capital. Hector also served as a Microfinance Fellow with Kiva in Central America and co-launched a nonprofit to increase diversity in the venture capital industry.
He is the proud son of Mexican immigrants who gave him first-hand experience in a small business restaurant environment. Hector went on to earn a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
💼 First job: Worked at a BMW dealership detailing cars (and sneaking in rides around the parking lot)
🧱 Best advice you've received: Brick by brick
💯 Why do you work at ICA: I work at ICA because I want to see more women and minority-owned businesses be successful
Jennifer Rider, VP of Development and Communications
Jennifer Rider is a national award-winning social-impact leader known for delivering results, scaling organizations for growth, and building high-performing teams. Passionate about equity, empowerment, and social entrepreneurship, Jennifer has focused her career on building opportunity and delivering social impact.
As a systems thinker and strategic storyteller, Jennifer leads ICA’s integrated communications, development, and impact teams. Together, these teams develop high ROI, multi-stakeholder initiatives that enhance ICA’s reputation, drive revenue, grow engagement, and build brand across all platforms.
Prior to joining ICA, Jennifer served as the Senior Executive Director of Philanthropy for the YMCA of San Francisco, Executive Director of Spark Program Bay Area, and Vice President of Development for Junior Achievement of Northern California. Jennifer also served as the CEO for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Florida and led child welfare programs in NYC where she played an integral role in the transformation of the City’s foster care and adoption system as well as family homeless service reform. Jennifer further served NYC community needs by leading the disaster recovery and treatment programs for the World Trade Center’s Permanency Project after the September 1 terrorist attacks.
Jennifer has an MBA, with a focus on entrepreneurship, from Rollins College, a Master of Science degree in Education and Counseling Psychology from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Science degree from Alfred University. She is an avid traveler, a voracious reader, an outdoor enthusiast, a lover of pets, and a proud single mom.
💼 First job: Babysitter
📝 Best advice you've received: Believing is seeing. You must believe you can accomplish anything you want in order to make it a reality.
💯 Why do you work at ICA: I work at ICA because I believe passionately in equity and I want to use my experience, authenticity, and systems thinking to help like-minded individuals pursue their passions and make a significant living doing it.
Welcome.
Princess, Hector, and Jennifer join our ever-growing team of now 18 innovative, collaborative team members. Thank you for joining us in giving them a warm welcome to the ICA community.
