African American history maker in tech — Angel Rich

Nashville, Tenn. (February 18, 2024) — Succeeding in today’s technology sector can be difficult for anyone, and even more so for minorities. That did not stop one of today’s most successful African American tech entrepreneurs, Angel Rich.

According to Forbes, Rich is “the next Steve Jobs,” but she is far from an overnight success. It took her many years of hard work and dedication to achieve her accomplishments.

Rich was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in the Kingman Park community of Capitol Hill. She attended Hampton University from 2004 to 2009, where she received her bachelor's degree in marketing.

After college, Rich pivoted from marketing to the financial technology sector. She started working as a Global Market Research Analyst for Prudential in 2009, but her biggest impact in the fintech world would come after she left Prudential. In 2012, Rich founded The Wealth Factory Inc., now part of the WealthyLife brand.

The Wealth Factory creates adapting environments, frameworks, and technologies designed to help users with their financial literacy education through online gaming, adaptive testing, and other means.

One of The Wealth Factory’s innovations is the Credit Stacker app. This breakthrough app has been called the best financial literacy product in the country by The White House, U.S. Department of Education, and JP Morgan Chase. She continues to develop apps through her WealthyLife organization to promote financial literacy. Her latest app, CreditRich, launched in 2020, and helps users improve their credit scores by teaching them to intelligently pay their bills.

Besides her victories in the fintech world, Rich has also been a big advocate for African Americans through many different initiatives.

In 2016, she founded the Black Tech Matters organization and currently holds the role of CEO. Black Tech Matters connects students, entrepreneurs, and professionals to STEM companies, expanding education, entrepreneurship, and equity. Since its founding, the organization has served over 60,000 Black techies across the world, helping participants to launch successful companies, gain employment, rise in their careers, and make scholastic achievements. The organization has also grown to become the second largest global brand in Black tech.

Aside from being a world-renowned entrepreneur, Rich is also an acclaimed author. Published in 2017, her first book, “History of the Black Dollar,” details significant economic moments in history that have helped shape America — slavery, sharecropping, convict leasing, the Little Rock Nine, Black Wall Street, Civil Rights, The Great Recession, Black Lives Matter, and several other milestones.

Her latest venture is 4tee Acres, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing financial literacy, STEM, and golf programming at HBCUs. Through community, 4tee Acres promotes physical activity, teamwork, healthy competition, and a sense of pride in its members. Rich also sits on two boards of directors as a founding member. They include: AT&T Dream in Black and 757 Accelerate. 

Other accolades include:

• Hamptonian of the Year and co-founder of the Hampton University Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute.
• Member of the 2016 HBCU 30 Under 30.
• Member of the Hampton 40 Under 40.
• Google Top 30 Black Female Founders.
• In 2018, the United Nations named her one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the African Diaspora and one of four Icons.
• In 2023, Rich was a recipient of the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award by the Biden Administration. 

Rich’s journey from Washington, D.C., to becoming a trailblazer in the fintech industry shows resilience and innovation. Beyond her successes as an entrepreneur, Rich’s dedication to advocacy continues to inspire the next generation of both female and African American leaders.

Related Black History Month articles:

• African American history maker in technology — Ime Archibong
• Connected Nation celebrates outstanding Geospatial Analyst Nii Aryee during Black History Month
• Connected Nation Podcast: Breaking barriers: Black tech leaders’ vision for digital equity
• Meet the African American tech leaders who are working to close the Digital Divide for minorities in America
• African American history maker in tech — Lisa Gelobter
• Celebrating the role of Black churches in bridging the Digital Divide
• How technology can help uplift minorities in higher education
• Celebrating Project Manager Tanisha Osborne during Black History Month

About the Author: Lily McCoy is the Connected Nation Senior Communications Specialist. Lily provides support to the Communications Department through social media outreach and writing. She also adds creativity to the team with a background in personal relations and marketing. Lily has a bachelor’s in corporate and organizational communications from Western Kentucky University.