Our Team
Arian Simone, General Partner
Arian Simone, Chief Executive Officer and Founding Partner of Fearless Fund, is a serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, angel investor, author, and PR & marketing specialist. Arian received her MBA from Florida A&M and has over 17 years of entrepreneurial experience: from pioneering and growing a successful PR and marketing firm to founding Fearless Magazine and the Fearless Platform in 2010, with a mission of inspiring millennial entrepreneurial women. Her background has allowed her to foster significant relationships in the entertainment industry with billion-dollar corporate clients such as the Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures and more.
William Duckworth, Principal
William Duckworth joined Fearless in 2021 as an active participant on the investment team for both funds. Today William manages fund operations and deal flow as well as investor relations. Prior to Fearless, William founded a startup in the connected health wearable devices field and worked for various startups in the healthcare and technology fields. William brings experience from both sides of the deal desk to the work he does at Fearless. William is a 2016 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in mechanical engineering.
Theodora Danso Isoh, Chief of Staff, Fearless Fund Africa
Theodora Danso Isoh recently returned to her roots in Ghana, after 19 years in the US, alongside her husband and two daughters. A proud alumna of Virginia State University with a degree in Business Management, Theodora has spent more than 10 years mastering the art of HR and employee development. Theodora has experience working for various companies in the hospitality and corporate sectors, including Marriott Hotels, AARP, AWS, Luminis Health, and Sam's Club. Today, she serves as Chief of Staff, where she is deeply committed to bridging the wealth gap by supporting women entrepreneurs. For Theodora, her work is more than a career; it’s a mission to foster economic growth and opportunity for women across Ghana
Nana Edu Bartels, Manager, Fundraising & Investor Relations, Fearless Fund Africa
Nana Edu Bartels is the Manager, Fundraising & Investor Relations at Fearless Fund Africa, where he leads capital mobilization and investor partnerships to expand financing opportunities for women-led enterprises across the continent. He works closely with institutional investors, development finance institutions, and private capital partners to advance the Fund’s gender-lens investment strategy and unlock catalytic capital for high-growth African businesses. Nana brings over 18 years of experience in financial services, spanning general banking operations, treasury management, risk management, SME & Commercial finance, and strategic relationship management. Prior to joining Fearless Fund Africa, he held senior roles at Fidelity Bank Ghana, CalBank PLC and OmniBSIC Bank, where he developed deep expertise in structuring financial solutions, managing key client portfolios, and supporting business growth.He holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration and a BSc in Agribusiness Management from the University of Ghana. Nana is passionate about impact investing, financial inclusion, and building sustainable capital ecosystems that empower African entrepreneurs.
Thelma Chelsea Aku Acquah, Marketing and Program Coordinator, Fearless Fund Africa
Thelma Chelsea Aku Acquah holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, with a majoring in Marketing, from Knutsford University College, East Legon, Accra.She brings over a decade of expertise to Fearless Fund Africa, with more than 6 years in sales and 5 years in marketing. Her career includes key roles at leading Ghanaian organizations such as Woimex Ghana Limited, Koala Ghana, Crystal Investment Limited, Beiersdorf Ghana Limited, and Furnart Ghana Limited. In her current role, Chelsea coordinates programs and leads marketing initiatives to support Fearless Fund Africa's mission of providing innovative microfinance solutions and access to capital for women entrepreneurs—starting in Ghana and expanding across the continent. Her deep local market knowledge and experience in consumer-facing sectors enhance partnerships, outreach, and the scaling of impact for fearless women builders.
Edward Tagoe, Creative Director, Fearless Fund Africa
Edward Tagoe is the Creative Director for Fearless Fund Africa, where he leads the visual identity and creative strategy for the organization. With over five years of experience as a specialist in 3D animation and graphic design, Edward excels at transforming complex ideas into high-impact motion graphics, video content, and still graphics. Beyond his technical mastery, He is a seasoned leader who has previously managed multi-disciplinary creative teams across photography, live streaming, and digital design.
Rodney Sampson, fund advisor
Rodney Sampson is a serial entrepreneur who cofounded, built and sold Multicast Media Technologies, EFactor (EFCT) and Intellectual Currency, a world class integrated go-to-market, publishing, diversity and advisory firm with clients ranging from major Hollywood film studios, cable networks, tech companies, global corporations, publishers and African heads of state. In 2013, Sampson co-founded Opportunity Hub as a follow up to the highly successful Kingonomics’ book release. Today, as Executive Chairman & CEO of Opportunity Hub, Sampson is focused on scaling its suite of collaborative and interconnected technology products, programs, initiatives and fund globally. Sampson is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brooking Institution in Washington, DC and a Professor of Entrepreneurship at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA. Sampson previously served as the 1st Head of Diversity at Mark Burnett Productions, executive producers of the hit ABC show, ABC’s Shark Tank.
Suneera Madhani, fund advisor
Suneera Madhani is a true trailblazer in the business world. As the founder of Stax Payments, she built one of America's top 10 fastest-growing fintech companies from an idea to over $100 million in recurring revenue, making it a billion-dollar technology platform. She is the first female CEO to lead a unicorn out of Florida and has received numerous accolades for her success, including being recognized by Fortune's 40 Under 40, EY's Entrepreneur of the Year, Entrepreneur Magazine's 100 Most Influential Women, and Inc.'s 100 Female Founders to name a few.
Tracy Gray, fund advisor
Tracy Gray is currently the Founder and Managing Partner of The 22 Fund, a growth venture capital and advisory firm focused on increasing the export capacity of Southern California companies, positioning these companies to accelerate growth and scale via international sales. She is also an Executive in Residence at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) and chairs LACI’s Diversity in Entrepreneurship Advisory Council. In addition, Ms. Gray is the founder of the non-profit We Are Enough (WAE). WAE’s only mission is to educate ALL women on how and why to invest in women-owned, for-profit businesses or with a “gender lens.” Ms. Gray was formerly Senior Advisor to the LA Mayor, an investment professional at a venture capital fund and a systems engineer on the Space Shuttle program. Ms. Gray holds a B.S. in Mathematical Science with an aeronautics emphasis from the UC Santa Barbara and dual MBAs from Columbia University and UC, Berkeley.
Sam Sugarman, fund advisor
Sam Sugarman joined fearless in 2019 as a fund advisor and part time employee. Over the years Sam has held every role at Fearless ultimately leading the fundraising and investment teams for Fund II as a Principal. Sam stepped back from his full time role to begin his MBA at Wharton in 2025 but remains an engaged company and fund advisor to both funds. Prior to Fearless Sam worked in investment banking and fund of funds investing in New York City. He is a 2017 graduate of Brandeis University.