Biography

Jaylen D. Berry is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and commercial real estate developer from the state of Connecticut. Originating from the North End of Hartford, CT, Jaylen’s family migrated to Windsor, CT in his elementary school years. Growing up in Windsor, Jaylen was a scholar multi - sport athlete, earning All-State honors as a senior captain on the football team, as well as, induction into the National Honors society as a Junior with a 3.7 GPA. He was also a member of the debate team and “Future Business leaders of America” (FBLA) during his time at Windsor High School and commenced his high school career with earning a scholarship to Wesleyan University, which is one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the United States.

Jaylen went on to graduate from Wesleyan University in 2018, with a Bachelor of Arts in English. At Wesleyan, Jaylen was a varsity member of the football team, a Patricelli Social Entrepreneurship Fellow and a residential life house manager. Jaylen was also highly sought after in the field of finance for his business acumen and expertise. During his time on campus as a student, he was recruited by and worked for many of the top fortune 500 companies in the world in finance and investment management. It was during his time at Wesleyan that Jaylen realized his passion and desire to support men, women and families of color and to become a major catalyst for mobility in his community. In August of 2016, he founded the “Jaylen D. Berry Scholarship fund” and in 2017, the scholarship expanded, becoming the “Jaylen D. Berry Foundation, inc”, which is an official 501c3 organization. The foundation has raised over $90,000 and impacted over 1,000+ students year to date, in their mission to bridge this immense opportunity gap.

After graduating from Wesleyan, Jaylen accepted an offer at the number one investment bank of Wall Street, Goldman Sachs in NYC. Jaylen worked for two and a half years in the securities division as an analyst. In this role, Jaylen was focused primarily on derivatives products, working across all asset classes managing a client book of over 400 clients and handling over $300,000,000 in funds each day. He also led global improvement initiatives and projects for the firm, leading and guiding some of the most senior firm leaders at Goldman and creating longevity through building new systems for the firm to do business.