In this episode, our host, Micheal Pope, will engage in a lively conversation with Bret Alexander Sweet, East Bay Program Director at Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center. Bret is a passionate community change-maker, author, inventor, orator, urbanist, and an outspoken advocate for Alzheimer's caregivers. Born in San Francisco, California, he is the son of prominent Bay Area civil rights attorney and social entrepreneur Clifford Charles Sweet.


With over 20 years of experience as a social entrepreneur, Bret has started digital media companies, social enterprises, and education companies. He created the first online music distribution system in 1996, which led to his passion for building systems and companies that change how people interact. In March 2016, Bret entered and won the Chevron eQuip Project Pitch, securing three million dollars to build a business incubator/co-working space in downtown Richmond known as CoBiz Richmond, open for business in August of 2019.

Bret combined his passion for music and entrepreneurship by opening his independent record label, House Kemetic Suns. He had established the first online music distribution channel when he was 19; 6 years before, Steve Jobs would bring iTunes to market. Being a certified entrepreneurship instructor trainer, Bret has taught and developed an entrepreneurship curriculum for youth for the last decade for companies such as NFTE and BUILD. Most recently, Bret served as the director for entrepreneurship and digital media management programs at Cogswell College.

Over the years, Bret volunteers as a mentor and motivational speaker for young adults in urban schools. In July 2013, Bret became a published author to release his novel "Among The Veils." In his free time, Bret enjoys reading, martial arts, and community development. He is passionate about wellness, fitness, and preventive health for lower-income communities of color.