Derrick Raphael is an experienced social entrepreneurship visionary, startup leader and venture capitalist with an eye towards the future. He has worked in the not for profit and community development sectors over 20 years and is the Co-Founder and CEO of ICON Talent Partners (ICON) which has changed the lives of many BIPOC professionals and youth since its inception in 2019. Due to the efforts of ICON he has also in turn changed the face of the venture capital and private equity ecosystems in Canada. His experiences as the part of the founding teams of two early-stage venture capital firms has proven impactful as he looks to impact, scale, and support the development of more global startups launched by individuals from equity seeking groups such as those led by women, BIPOC communities, LBGTQ+ communities, immigrants, and others. Derrick graduated from Princeton University in 2006 and his hometown is Fayetteville, NC. While at Princeton he created the Princeton University Pre-Law Society, the Princeton Caribbean Connection (PCC) group and was a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow which preps underrepresented individuals who aspire to attain PhDs. Derrick also is a 2012 alum of Duke University School of Law and a US licensed attorney with a focus on startup and emerging technology law. He is the proud father of two young boys, Harper (4) and Preston (2), and is the husband to Marilyn Raphael who is a leader at a major Canadian bank, past provincial political candidate and Co-Founder and COO for ICON Talent Partners.

Meet Derrick at the US College Expo in Toronto.