Milken: Where power networks meet
It’s been a packed few days at the Milken Institute’s Global Conference 2025 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles — so far the only global conference able to bring both sides of the political spectrum under the same roof (and even at the same dinner, but more on that later). This year’s conference — covering everything from critical minerals and global risk to the evolution of fintech, the future of women’s health, and a new era of opportunity — closed with one of its most well-attended events: the Milken-Motsepe Prize in FinTech.
The prize spotlighted entrepreneurs advancing financial inclusion across Africa, disbursing $2 million in awards, including $100,000 to semifinalists and a $1 million grand prize to Verto, a platform simplifying cross-border payments. Finalists showcased cutting-edge solutions: Chumz, an app using behavioral psychology to boost savings rates, and Oze, a platform improving small business lending through machine learning.
Notably, this year’s program allowed the audience to watch Mike Milken and both Patrice and Precious Motsepe — the billionaire funders of the prize — personally engaged with finalists, posing direct questions and giving the audience a window into how these business titans think about their own investments.
The agenda of this year’s conference reinforced the Milken Institute’s position in the global convening space, writes Devex Chief of Staff Meg Richardson. At a time when industries are increasingly fractured and polarized, the Milken conference remains one of the few gatherings able to draw stakeholders from across political and sectoral divides — who, given the political environment, remained surprisingly optimistic — at least on stage. Behind the scenes, there was plenty of anxious talk about what lies ahead, including for foreign aid.
This year’s conference — covering everything from critical minerals and global risk to the evolution of fintech, the future of women’s health, and a new era of opportunity — closed with one of its most well-attended events: the Milken-Motsepe Prize in FinTech.
The prize spotlighted entrepreneurs advancing financial inclusion across Africa, disbursing $2 million in awards, including $100,000 to semifinalists and a $1 million grand prize to Verto, a platform simplifying cross-border payments. Finalists showcased cutting-edge solutions: Chumz, an app using behavioral psychology to boost savings rates, and Oze, a platform improving small business lending through machine learning.
Notably, this year’s program allowed the audience to watch Mike Milken and both Patrice and Precious Motsepe — the billionaire funders of the prize — personally engaged with finalists, posing direct questions and giving the audience a window into how these business titans think about their own investments.
Though it’s traditionally known as a finance conference, development issues featured prominently on the agenda and attracted large audiences — from the future of philanthropy to investment opportunities in Latin America, India, the Middle East, and Africa. Behind the scenes, Milken’s unique convening power was on display: One widely circulated dinner-table anecdote described Dr. Mehmet Oz, a Trump administration official, and former First Lady Jill Biden seated alongside World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés at the Milken-organized dinner on Sunday night.
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