Dr. Alicia Makaye (the “A” in GXA) is a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and co-founder/co-owner of GXA.  Currently, she serves as the Vice President of GXA.

Dr. Makaye is a U.S. Air Force Veteran and a graduate of U.T. Dallas with a Ph.D. in Public Affairs. She is an alumnus of Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses Entrepreneurship Program (Cohort 10). Dr. Makaye currently serves on multiple boards including Dallas College Foundation Board.

 Dr. Makaye has received the following honors: Dallas Business Journal’s Minority Business Leader; Minority Women Business Entrepreneur of the Year Award; Alumna of the Year at UT Dallas; Air Force Achievement Medal, nominated for ‘Women of the Year’, and most recently nominated for 2020 “Women in Technology” Luminary Award.

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Season 2

GXA


On a flight to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, Alicia Makaye and her husband came up with an idea for a new business on the back of a paper napkin. They sought to build a business while fulfilling their commitment to their community and missionary work. After saving Alicia's income for a year, the couple launched GXA, an IT services company that builds technical infrastructure for other small businesses in the Dallas Fort Worth area. Now, with support from organizations like Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, GXA has been named one of the Most Inspiring Companies in Texas and one of the fastest-growing IT companies in the country.

In this episode of Start Small, Dream BIG, learn more about Alicia’s educational journey, including her time in the Air Force, the financial lessons she received from her mother and where she hopes to take GXA from here.

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