Carolyn Akel is the CEO of Akel Ventures, a business development, growth acceleration and business architecture for established and emerging businesses within the consumer product industry. Akel Ventures has a proven track record in growing top line revenue, building stronger partnerships with channel partners, increasing the product line, diversifying revenue streams, achieving better capitalization, boosting company valuations and building stronger brands and company positioning.  Carolyn also serves as Creative Editor for SpyOnTrends and as a Trusted Advisor with Vistage Group, the world's largest CEO membership organization.  She also mentors entrepreneurs from the Make Mine a $Million™ contest, a program of Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence.  She holds an International MBA from the University of South Carolina, an MBA from Wirtschaftuniversitat in Vienna, Austria and a degree in Urban Land Planning from Georgia State University.