Creator. Inventor. Musician. Hair magician. Techie. Foodie. Mommy.
These are the words used to describe Aniyia Williams on her website and in her professional and personal journey.
Williams uses her talents to change lives. A graduate of Penn State University with a degree in music, she’s a former fundraiser for a music program, former CEO of a jewelry tech company and now she helps other founders understand funding while juggling the work of wife and mother.
Williams founded Tinsel, a company that produced tech jewelry for women for five years until March 2019. The company made and sold designer earbud necklaces in gold and gunmetal for $199 a pair.
However, the close-to-half-a-million dollars raised over the lifetime of Tinsel, including $55,000 in crowdfunding, could not overcome challenges of manufacturing, changes in cell phone hardware and bad advice. It was a death by “a thousand cuts,” Williams wrote in a blog about lessons learned running Tinsel.
Now, Williams stands tall among tech industry movers and shakers as the founder of Black and Brown Founders and co-founder of Zebras Unite.
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