Today we’d like to introduce you to Khufere Qhamata.
Hi Khufere, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story is a bit complex and untraditional. My social entrepreneurialism and community projects all start with my entry into technology.
I started my career on the software side of business technology after being hired to run the business development and marketing for a small Healthcare IT consulting firm in Houston named Zenith Integrated. Before that, I had worked on the hardware side of business technology at Compaq Computer before their merger with HP. After the merger (and being laid off), I spent years working various sales and management roles for companies like Chevy, Pitney Bowes, and AlliedBarton.
In 2010, I saw cloud computing exploding and wanted in on the movement. After a friend dared me to start my own company, I decided to take up the challenge. In 2011, I started my own business technology consulting firm called Leap72. With Leap, I built a small team and we specialized in digital transformation for small and medium-sized businesses, and innovation strategy for larger companies. Our core service was onboarding companies onto what was then called Google Apps for Business (it’s now called Google Workspace).
By mid-2015, I was servicing clients from across the US and several foreign countries.
The financial success of Leap afforded me the opportunity to pursue my passions for community building, mentorship, and philanthropy. So, I began partnering with family and friends to build different initiatives to improve communities in Houston and Atlanta, GA.
In 2016, I launched the first local Black business incubator, the SMAART INCUBATOR, in partnership with the local Houston chapter of the NAACP, to mentor and help develop Black-owned small businesses and startups. Within that same calendar year, I co-founded Academy M, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to mentoring and preparing young people from all walks of life for success in and outside of Corporate America.
This project was special to me because of the relationship I had with my first business mentor and uncle, Dahru Garner. If it weren’t for his mentorship through the years, I know my career would not have reached the heights it has. He’s currently the executive director of Academy M.
Between the SMAART project with the NAACP and Academy M, I was able to help over two hundred young entrepreneurs and dozens of professionals in various fields find their first taste of success. And I one hundred percent credit my experiences from these initiatives for inspiring me to enter the AI industry.
When the pandemic began in early 2020, I seriously started thinking about how I could create a bigger and lasting impact for communities of color, Millennials, and Gen Z. As a father of three children, I felt this was more than another stepping stone in my career—it was a mission. I saw and understood the impact AI would have on the careers and lives of young people early on, and wanted to place myself and my skills on the front lines to help ensure that AI serves as a bridge for enhancing the quality of life for everyone.
That’s why I decided to release my book on the holistic adoption of AI, Humanless Work, and launch my current company, Qatafa AI, in late 2024.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road at all. Like I said before, my journey has been very untraditional. The greatest challenges I faced in my journey were overcoming being labeled as an outsider in business technology and philanthropy. I didn’t graduate from the Ivy League schools for business or technology, and I didn’t have immediate access to the correct professional networks that are necessary for launching and maintaining any philanthropic or community initiatives.
My entire story and success are owed to three things: (1) my work ethic, (2) my voracious appetite for learning, and (3) my humility in knowing when to ask for help or mentorship. To be taken seriously in technology and business, I had to learn where I could add the most measurable value to companies. To learn what that is, you need a network of supporters who can help you see things you wouldn’t normally see.
That’s why I have surrounded myself with friends and family who are experts in their fields. I rely on each of them for keeping me up-to-date on the different trends and challenges within industries. For instance, I can’t say thank you enough to Richard Lieby and Carlos Wallace for being my mentors on a number of subjects!
Even after achieving success in business, it took a while for me to carve out my core expertise. But eventually I figured it out after skilling myself up and taking the opportunity to learn from other people who were better than me. And it’s ironic, but I faced the same challenges in getting Academy M off the ground.
Originally, the other co-founders at Academy M and I assumed (rather wrongly) that educational institutions and large corporations would welcome our data-driven approaches to mentorship, leadership, and career development. But that wasn’t the case. With Academy M, just like with my other ventures, I discovered that the problems you see and the problems other people see don’t always match. But to be successful and deliver impact that actually improves something, they need to.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Right now, my work focuses on solving the AI skills gap that’s threatening to displace millions of workers. This problem is more than a technology problem—it’s a human problem that’s been amplified by the generational divide we’re seeing in families, workplaces, and institutions.
At Qatafa AI, I’m attacking this from two angles. First, I’ve developed a framework called Solution Work that teaches anyone—regardless of technical background—how to use AI effectively in their career. Current online learning platforms like Udemy work well for people with technical experience, but they’re barriers for everyday workers with basic digital skills. Solution Work democratizes AI literacy.
Second, I’m working on making AI adoption affordable for small businesses. Over 50 percent of US employment comes from small businesses, but most can’t afford the current cost of AI implementation. I’ve developed a new machine learning language and approach that levels the playing field, allowing small businesses to access the same productivity gains and marketing power that large corporations enjoy.
What I’m most proud of is the work we’ve been doing at Academy M for the past eight years. We focus on experiential learning, value alignment, and mentorship to bridge the generational divide. We believe in the talent of all generations, and we’re working to ensure technology brings us together rather than drives us apart.
The way I see it, if we can help small businesses leverage AI to grow, they’ll hire more workers who need AI skills. And if we can bridge the generational divide through mentorship, we can ensure AI adoption happens in ways that enhance human potential rather than replace it. That’s what sets my work and the work of my co-founders apart from others in these spaces. I’m focused on building human-centered solutions that bring people together and improve the availability of opportunity for all.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love the diversity and multiculturalism of Houston, as well as the opportunities it affords people who have ambitions. I am originally from the Midwest and came to Houston in the early 2000s with very little. The opportunities I have accessed here as a person of color I don’t think could be possible elsewhere in the United States. The thing I like the least about Houston is the humidity. I don’t mind dry heat, but I hate wet, sweating heat! Lol 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.academym.org/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/qhamata
- Other: https://www.qatafa.com/
Image Credits
All pictures were taken by Khufere Qhamata.
