PROFESSIONAL BIO

Shaïna Silva is an award-winning Entrepreneur, Innovation Architect, and Digital Transformation Strategist recognized for her dedication to fostering innovation and enabling economic opportunities in under-served communities.

A passionate advocate for women leading in the New Economy, Shaïna founded the #SHE_BUILDS Global Initiative, an international platform that exists to accelerate social, economic, and environmental progress in emerging markets.

Through #SHE_BUILDS, Shaina has spearheaded the creation of a global leadership network that connects a diverse community of women entrepreneurs, executives, investors, and creators. This network empowers its members with the tools, resources, and mentorship needed to drive meaningful change in their regions. Shaina has also facilitated access to funding for women entrepreneurs by hosting festivals, pitch competitions, and deal days, providing founders with opportunities to present their ideas to investors and secure capital. Her vision is to bridge the gap in access to capital, mentorship, and networks, enabling women-led and startups from emerging markets to thrive.

In addition to her entrepreneurial work, Shaina currently serves on Meta’s Financial Integrity Operations Team, where she focuses on creator monetization strategies. Her work is centered on ensuring that digital content creators can effectively monetize their platforms while maintaining financial integrity and security. Throughout her career, Shaïna has led innovation programs for Fortune 500 companies as the Director of Industry Accelerators at RocketSpace in San Francisco, and worked across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean alongside Governments and Private sector to build innovation ecosystems that support small business growth, job creation and economic mobility.

Shaina is a graduate of Babson College and alumni of Silicon Valley’s Draper University and Singularity University. She was selected as an Innovation Talent for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals where she actively participates in innovation labs for the advancement of the 2030 Goals. In recognition of her work, service, and accomplishments, she’s been awarded “100 Most Influential People of African Descent under 40” in line with the UN’s international decade of people of Africa Descent, is a recipient of the Institute of Caribbean Studies’ “30 under 30, Emerging Leaders Award”, Babson College’s ‘Nan-Langowitz Women Who Make a Difference Award,’ and ‘The Shelby Cullom Davis Entrepreneurship Prize.’