Shontavia Johnson
International Expert in Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property & Economic Development
Shontavia Johnson is an entrepreneurship and innovation expert who has helped hundreds of people build personal brands, businesses, and intellectual property portfolios. Founder of the Brand and Business Company. Shontavia is an entrepreneur, creator, Liberty Fellow through Aspen Institute, and a Fulbright Specialist. She shares her message to audiences globally.
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Shontavia Johnson's 2025 biography
Meet Shontavia Johnson
Shontavia Johnson is an entrepreneurship and innovation expert who has helped hundreds of people build personal brands, businesses, and intellectual property portfolios.
Twice named one of the top young lawyers in America, Shontavia is an educator at heart. Shontavia was the first African-American woman to receive full tenure and an endowed chair at Drake University Law School, where she also directed the Intellectual Property Law Center. Today, she leads the intellectual property efforts for a half-billion dollar research and development center.
Shontavia is also an entrepreneur and creator. She founded the Brand and Business Company to provide women and people of color with greater access to entrepreneurship. The company’s Academy gives professionals a formula for entrepreneurship that allows them to pursue ideas that make an impact while also making money. And, the company’s media platforms provide free education about entrepreneurship, law, and leading a purposeful life.
As a speaker, Shontavia has spoken at the Smithsonian, SXSW, and given the closing talk at TEDxAtlanta. She has also shared her message globally in places including Europe, Asia and across North America.
She has appeared in TIME, the Washington Post, the LA Times, NPR, and on Hear to Slay with Roxane Gay and Tressie McMillan Cottom. She has also been named one of 200 black women in tech to follow on Twitter (@ShontavaJEsq) for the past five years.
Shontavia is a Liberty Fellow through the Aspen Institute and served as a Fulbright Specialist to Uzbekistan in 2022.
Shontavia Johnson's 2025 talks & topics
Own Your Genius: How to Build a Personal Brand Based on What You Already Know
Nearly every adult has developed knowledge and expertise based on their life’s experiences, but not everyone knows how to turn that into a dynamic, engaging personal brand.
In this presentation, Shontavia shares her own story of going from unknown newbie to one of the most sought-after experts in her field by using what she already had. If you’ve ever wondered, “how do I brand myself?,” this presentation is for you!
Don’t Follow Your Passion, Follow the Three i’s of Entrepreneurship Instead
In this informative presentation, Shontavia dispels the common notion that wannabe entrepreneurs need to follow their passion to create a successful business. She shares a roadmap for what to follows instead: the three i’s of entrepreneurship— impact, income, and intellectual property.
Using her own experience founding the Brand and Business Company, she provides a simple but effective formula to move the audience from idea to the genius zone of successful entrepreneurship.
Inclusive Entrepreneurship: the Business Case for Supporting Diverse Entrepreneurs
In this powerfully effective talk, Shontavia outlines the economic impact of creating more diversity in the entrepreneurship ecosystem. Using data from McKinsey, the Kauffman Foundation, and various federal agencies, Shontavia outlines the current dismal state of DEI among entrepreneurs, the impact of improving diversity among entrepreneurs, and solutions to create positive shifts locally, nationally and globally.
Don’t Get Sued Online: How Content Creators Can Protect Themselves
There has been a seismic shift in the way brands and companies view content. We are in the midst of a content renaissance–blogs, vlogs, podcasts and photos are capturing the attention of nearly everyone with a laptop or cell phone. The people creating this content must be savvy when it comes to patents, trademarks, copyrights, and publicity rights–commonly collectively referred to as intellectual property rights. Shontavia will explain what each of these types of intellectual property protect and how content creators can develop strategies to protect the work they are creating for themselves and others.
Innovation Inside: How to Facilitate Intrapreneurial Thinking/Intrapreneurship With Employees
From Sony’s first Playstation to Google’s Gmail, some of the biggest game-changing products have come from intrapreneurs inside organizations. In this talk, Shontavia will share how companies can support the internal innovators who can take them to the next level. From identifying the best intrapreneurs to creating thriving enviroments, Shontavia unpacks best practices that will help corporate leaders maintain flexible, adaptable environments for the intrapreneurial employees they want to keep.
Follow Your Calling, But Don’t Follow it Off the Cliff: How to Find Personal and Professional Success
At some point, we all wonder why we’re here. Building a meaningful life and career can be tough, but we’re all capable of doing it. In this hilarious and engaging presentation, Shontavia shares her own “cliff” moments, from quitting a prestigous, six-figure job and moving across the world, to giving up a tenured, endowed professorship to found a twice-failed company (though the third time was the charm!). This inspirational talk demonstrates how failing forward can lead to freedom, financial independence, and a life to be proud of.
Entrepreneurship in a Post-COVID World: What we haven’t learned yet (from our mistakes)
How developing countries and emerging global markets can improve economic development and entrepreneurship opportunities with intellectual property
Tearing Down the Barriers for Black Inventors: How to Build a More Inclusive Innovation Ecosystem
Academic Freedom, Social Media, and the First Amendment How Universities Can Support Academic Entrepreneurs