COFOUNDER

Wendy Ekua (W.E.) Da’Cruz

Known as The Digital Diplomat™, Wendy Ekua (W.E.) Da’Cruz promotes the adoption of digitalization to help drive economic development.

Awarded the 2021 Minority eCommerce Firm of the Year by the U.S. Department of Commerce MBDA, she is the cofounder of the Virtual Global Consultant (VGC) Group, a global IT company that helps entrepreneurs, companies, and organizations adopt digitalization to access new revenue and value-producing opportunities.

Through the use of digital tools and technologies, she and her partner Naomi Cook are responsible for helping to generate millions of dollars a year in at-will donations and business sales for VGC clients, with a special focus on US and African-based companies. As an internationally recognized tech expert and thought leader in her field, she’s been invited to speak at high level events, such as the US-Africa Business Summit (Mozambique), World Export Development Forum (Ethiopia), Africa Fintech Summit 2019 (Ethiopia), and DHL eCommerce Conference (Ghana). She is a part of the U.S. Speaker Program for the U.S. Embassy and available for virtual and traveling programs.

Appointed by the White House’s US Secretary of Commercial Services to the District Export Council in eastern Michigan and At-Large Board Member for the national association, she continues to promote global entrepreneurship worldwide. She’s secured grant funds to travel to countries such as Malawi, Uganda and Ghana to teach digital technology to entrepreneurs.

W.E. also serves as an International Consultant. For example, she developed and delivered an online training course on technology and innovation for African businesses in addressing the impact of Covid-19 for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

As The Digital Diplomat, her current research topics and interests include the impact of Web 3.0, crypto, metaverse, blockchain etc. to facilitate economic growth in the US and Africa. She plans to train brigades of Digital Diplomats to help governments and institutions develop policies that strengthen the positive impact of digitalization globally.

She launched The Mushroom Angel Company with her husband during the pandemic. They produce meat alternatives made from mushrooms. Their first product Cruz Burgers is currently available in more than 30 locations across MI. Her new experiences in food will support agribusinesses and consumer packaged goods in the US & Africa.

A proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the Ghanaian-American New Jersey native is a wife and mother of three currently residing in Detroit, Michigan.