Ceesay, 27, a former investment banker and first-generation immigrant born to Senegalese and Gambian parents, founded his company, Calaxy, with business partner and NBA star Spencer Dinwiddie. Conceived as a revolutionary social marketplace where entertainers can interact with their fans without a corporate middleman, Ceesay raised $26 million in funding for the company just 18 months after leaving his Wall Street job.

Monetizing fans: “We want to create that one-stop shop for a creator to monetize their community and fans, because the current social media model forces them to rely on brands and big enterprises” instead of allowing them to build the tools they need for that monetization, Ceesay says.