Melissa Brogdon is Co-Founder and CEO of FourthParty, a justice technology company that increases access to mediation services so that people can resolve legal conflicts outside of court.Proud to hail from Oakland, Melissa was raised by an incredible role model - her great grandmother. Despite opportunities to stay local for college at Berkeley, she followed the urging of a mentor and went to Spelman, a premier HBCU in Atlanta. Emerging from undergrad with confidence and curiosity, Melissa was initially a teacher, but ultimately pursued a successful career in the nonprofit sector. But then came the opportunity to work with her partner and husband to build his law practice. It was there that Melissa saw firsthand the impact of mediation, AND the clear needs mediators had. And so FourthParty was born.Melissa has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.In this episode Melissa and Dan discussed:Growing up in OaklandHer journey from teaching to philanthropy to entrepreneurshipHow the pandemic drove an explosion in the need for mediationWhen she found out she was part of the first Google for Startups classWhy "first" isn't always bestOUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:Founders Livethe global venue for entrepreneurs to experience events, content, and community.Check out founderslive.com to join and to find a live event near you.MORE on MELISSA and FOURTHPARTYMelissa:linkedin.com/in/melissarebeccacampbellinstagram.com/itsmelissabrogdonFourthParty:fourthparty.applinkedin.com/company/fourthpartytwitter.com/4thPartyAppinstagram.com/4thpartyappFollow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!PODCAST TRANSCRIPT#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #legaltech Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.