In the intricate tapestry of America’s economic fabric, Black-owned businesses stand as potent catalysts for transformative change. Yet, entrenched systemic barriers threaten to stifle their potential, imperiling the promise of a more equitable economic future. Recent data underscore a sobering reality: urgent action is needed to ignite and sustain Black economic power. What the Data […]
Author Archives: Herbert L. Drayton III
Herbert Drayton is the managing partner of HI Mark Capital. Based in Charleston, HI Mark Capital is a venture capital firm that invests in BIPOC and women owned tech-enabled businesses in the Southeast. He has enjoyed 20 years of experience establishing, buying, and
managing businesses in a variety of industries including healthcare, IT, SaaS, and corporate training. Herbert served honorably in the US Air Force and the US Marine Corps Reserves. He received a Bachelor of Science in Business degree from the University of Phoenix and an
Associate of Applied Sciences degree from the Community College of the Air Force.
Herbert is passionate about community service and civic leadership in this region. He is the Chair of the Board of Directors for Coastal Community Foundation, the largest community foundation in South Carolina serving all nine counties on the coast. He is also Chair of the Board of Directors for Palmetto Goodwill, where has deep connections to its community and mission— “changing lives by providing equitable access to training, education, and employment.
He is a member of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee, and an Op-ed columnist for the Black Wall Street Times.
Herbert also serves on the Board of Directors of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, Roper St Francis Hospital Foundation, Association of Black Foundation Executives, South Carolina Biotechnology Industry Organization (SCBIO), and St. Francis Hospital. He is an Advisory Board member for the School of Business at Charleston Southern University and Past Chair of the Board of One80 Place homeless shelter.
