The Power100 gathering on the sidelines of the Milken Institute Global Conference took on a different tone this year as its diverse leaders in finance attendees fight to reclaim the narrative about people of color and women.
“We are trying to show the world what success looks like,” said Jacob Walthour, co-founder of Power100 and founder and CEO of Blueprint Capital. “And over the course of the last year, what success looks like has been redefined in a way that has not been respectful and not truthful about the contributions of women and people of color.”
President Donald Trump, who campaigned on and speaks often about rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion measures in both the federal government and the private sector, was not mentioned at the conference, but the impact of his policies were clearly on the minds of attendees. In his first week back in office in 2025, Trump issued a series of executive orders targeting DEI initiatives at federal agencies and private-sector businesses.
The Power100 meeting — in its third year — is hosted by Blueprint Capital Advisors in Beverly Hills, Calif., convening diverse leaders in alternative capital management, a field predominantly led by white men.
