Founder

Brian Hamilton

Founder, Brian Hamilton Foundation and Inmates to Entrepreneurs

Founder, Sageworks

Brian Hamilton is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and the leading voice on the power of ownership to transform lives. He founded Sageworks, the country’s first fintech company, which developed a patented technology that has helped millions of small business owners translate complex financial information. He is also founder of Inmates to Entrepreneurs, the longest running program of its kind that teaches people with criminal records how to start and grow their own businesses. Through his programs at the Brian Hamilton Foundation, he helps people overcome obstacles to realize their greatest potential through business ownership. He also stars in Free Enterprise, an award-winning show on ABC that tells the stories of formerly incarcerated individuals who dream of starting their own businesses.

Earlier in his career, Hamilton started a chain of inner-city coin laundromats, which he turned into community centers in an effort to improve the experiences of his customers. Brian also served as the minority business consultant for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in the state of North Carolina. It was there that his passion for helping historically disadvantaged groups create and grow businesses grew stronger.

Raised in a working-class neighborhood near Bridgeport, Connecticut, Hamilton has experienced the challenges of economic disadvantage and the struggle to break that cycle.  He started his own businesses at an early age, which ultimately funded him being the first in his family to go to college. He graduated summa cum laude from Sacred Heart University, where he later served on the Board of Trustees, and he received an MBA from Duke University.

Hamilton has been widely featured in the press including USA Today, Newsweek, and CNBC and is the recipient of many awards, including the George H.W. Bush Points of Light Award.