About Tony Forte
Built From Purpose. Driven by People.
Entrepreneur. Brand builder. Community architect. Tony Forte has spent over a decade turning bold ideas into enduring businesses — and proving that the most powerful brands are the ones that uplift.
Tony Forte
CEO, Coffee Uplifts People
The Story
From the Ground Up
Tony Forte's entrepreneurial journey didn't begin in a boardroom — it began with a belief that business could be a vehicle for genuine change. Growing up with an innate drive to build, Tony learned early that the most lasting ventures are rooted not in profit alone, but in purpose.
That conviction led him to found Coffee Uplifts People, a brand that wears its mission in its name. What started as a startup vision became a movement — a coffee brand built on community, culture, and the radical idea that every cup can be an act of uplift.
Today, Tony operates at the intersection of brand strategy, entrepreneurship, and thought leadership — guiding founders through the critical inflection points that separate startups that stall from businesses that scale.
What Guides the Work
Core Values
Purpose Beyond Profit
Every decision starts with a single question: who does this serve better? Sustainable businesses are built on genuine value, not extraction.
Culture as Foundation
Brand is not what you say — it's what people feel. The most enduring companies are built on cultural truth that resonates long after the marketing spend.
Community First
Growth that doesn't lift the communities around it isn't growth worth celebrating. Every venture Tony builds is rooted in the people it serves.
Startup to Scale
The leap from early-stage to scalable operation requires more than hustle — it demands strategic clarity, operational discipline, and the courage to evolve.
The Journey
Milestones That Shaped the Mission
Nike, Inc.
An integral part of the leadership team that launched what is now known as Nike NSW apparel. Oversaw and managed the growth of current day sneaker/sportswear boutiques like Kith, Extra Butter and Concepts.
Urban Professor Founded
Launched first entrepreneurial venture, learning the foundational lessons of brand, operations, and community that would define everything that followed. With the debut of this digital media and daily email newsletter brand that focused on career development and savvy adulting to help college students and young professionals (ages 18 - 30) in a distinct, palatable and warmly embraced witty, insider voice, it covered finance, career prep, and style for ascending into adulthood. Credited as an early pioneer of modern "career readiness" as a breezy, hip guide written like an in-the-know and down to earth Big Brother.
WOODstack Co-Founded
Co-Founded WOODstack — a sneaker boutique built to reimagine how inner-city retail stores approach community impact, hospitality and experience anchored culture. WOODstack has gone on to become the preeminent model for innovative community upliftment within the sneaker retailer community.
Silver Spoon Foundation Founded
Founded the Silver Spoon Foundation to extend Tony's community-first philosophy beyond business — creating pathways and financial resources for underserved youth to access opportunity, sponsorship, and access to the tools to catapult their own futures.
Fortell Communications Founded
Launched Fortell Communications to formalize Tony's strategic advisory work — helping founders and executives build brands with clarity, purpose, and lasting impact.
Coffee Uplifts People Co-Founded
Co-Founded Coffee Uplifts People — a brand built on the belief that business can be a force for genuine uplift in global communities and culture.
Category Expansion
Scaled Coffee Uplifts People into the consumer packaged goods space and introduced our Tea by CUP brand bringing the brand's mission-driven products to a wider national audience.
Scaling Intently
Continuing to grow Coffee Uplifts People, now with wholesale supply and CPG exceeding revenues of our cafes for the first time while building a platform for the next generation of purpose-driven entrepreneurs.
The Brand
Coffee Uplifts People
Coffee Uplifts People is more than a brand Tony co-founded — it is the living proof of his philosophy. Every element, from sourcing to packaging to community programming, reflects the belief that business done right is an act of uplift. It is the brand that made the mission tangible.
Work With Tony
Whether you're looking for a keynote speaker, a strategic thought partner, or a conversation about what's possible — Tony would love to connect.