Cheryl Contee got her start in tech because, she says, “I hate washing dishes.” As a scholarship student in her undergrad years at Yale, she was required to hold an on-campus job. The best-paying position available was working in the kitchens; the second best-paying position was on the computer help desk.
Contee became the first person of color in the IT role and one of only four women on the 28-person team—a situation that would be dismayingly common as she parlayed that early experience into a career in mission-driven technology.
Contee went on to cofound the social listening startup Attentive.ly and the digital agency Do Big Things and, more recently, the artificial intelligence startup Change Agent AI. She also works as a senior advisor with PosterChild.ai. But she never wanted to succeed on her own: Contee also co-founded The Impact Seat Foundation to support other underrepresented startup founders.
The serial entrepreneur, author, and advocate talks about the promise of AI-powered social change and the future of capitalism.
role: Author outlet:Georgetown Business Magazine publication date: Fall 2025 category:Other
