Journey & Bio
My Story, IN MY WORDS
Hey you,
I’m Nana Amma Addison-Agyei. Born in 1989. Ghanaian by DNA, German by paperwork, and forged by equal parts hustle, heartbreak, and holy curiosity.
My journey into personal development started at 18—not because I had a TED Talk moment, but because school made it painfully clear that the traditional route to success didn’t come with my name on it. While my peers were getting gold stars, I was busy trying to hide my dyslexia and dodge the labels: “intelligent but lazy,” “smart but rebellious.” Turns out, I wasn’t either—I was just a problem solver stuck in a system that didn’t know what to do with people like me.
So I found another way.
I tried everything. Freelanced. Interned. Hustled through every digital and creative job I could find. I even did four miserable semesters of Business and Theology at university (because why not suffer twice?). At 23, I made the smartest “bad” decision of my life and dropped out to learn by doing.
Since then, I’ve built three brands from scratch and made a few glorious messes along the way:
CURL Agency (2018–2024), my boutique consulting firm that helped global brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, and YouTube connect with diverse audiences—authentically, not just for clout.
CURL CON, Germany’s largest Afro Beauty and Lifestyle Festival, which started as a wild idea and became a 10,000+ person movement.
Ancient Beauty, my latest venture and Germany’s first Black woman-founded, VC-backed biotech beauty brand—fusing African botanicals with modern science to serve textured hair and scalp wellness like it should be done.
I also moonlight as a guest professor at SAE Institute, because I believe knowledge hoarding is boring, and the best kind of success is the kind you can pass on. Teaching brings me joy—it’s how I give back, stay grounded, and make sure the next generation doesn’t repeat my mistakes (or at least has a better playlist while making them).
In 2024, I released my debut book, (Un)Lucky – Reflections on Resilience. I wrote it while recovering from a traumatic injury, grieving a million-euro deal gone wrong, and somehow still choosing to believe that broken things can become beautiful. The book is part therapy, part love letter, part survival manual—for anyone who’s ever been knocked down by life and dared to get back up louder.
I’ve had the honor of being named one of FOCUS Magazine’s Top 100 Women of the Year and one of EU Startups’ Top 10 Emerging Black Tech & Beauty Entrepreneurs. My work has shown up in VOGUE, Bloomberg, Business Insider, TIMES, and VICE. But more importantly, it shows up in conversations that matter—in rooms that weren’t built for us, but that we now walk into like we own the place (because eventually, we will).
At the heart of it all, I’m a builder. Of brands, of bridges, of better futures. I was raised by a single Ghanaian mom in a sleepy German suburb and spent my life weaving between cultures, identities, and contradictions. Now I use all of that—plus a healthy dose of stubbornness and side-eye—to create things that connect, uplift, and heal.
Yes, I’m a poly-hyphenate. Yes, I love solving problems. But let’s be honest—I spent so long being treated like the problem, I figured I might as well get good at fixing them.
So if you’re into honest conversations, bold ideas, big dreams, and maybe a bit of chaos with a plan—come along for the ride. The journey is equal parts messy and magical. And it’s just getting started.
With love, grace, and a little side-eye,
Nana Addison
Bio for Press
Nana Addison is not just a name; she’s a movement. A Ghanaian-German entrepreneur, author, speaker, and visionary creative, Nana is the rare kind of force who doesn’t just break barriers—she reimagines what’s possible entirely. Her work sits boldly at the crossroads of culture, commerce, and consciousness—spanning tech, beauty, wellness, music, and social impact. With every venture, she proves: brilliance has no blueprint.
Named one of FOCUS Magazine’s Top 100 Women of the Year and recognized as one of Europe’s Top 10 Black Tech & Beauty Entrepreneurs by EU Startup Magazine, Nana’s influence is global, her mission deeply personal. Her story and work have been spotlighted in VOGUE, Bloomberg, Business Insider, TIMES, ZEIT, I-D, VICE, and DW, and her voice resonates across stages, boardrooms, and digital platforms from Accra to Berlin to New York.
But her path was anything but linear. A neurodivergent university dropout, Nana rejected convention in favor of curiosity. She educated herself, bet on her vision, and built the life she couldn’t find in the world around her.
In her early twenties, she founded CURL CON—Germany’s first and leading Afro Hair, Beauty, and Lifestyle Festival. A pioneering space for celebration and commerce, CURL CON has drawn ten thousands and has created brand partnerships, that are still referenced, opening doors for a new generation of creators and entrepreneurs of color in the German-speaking world.
She then launched CURL Agency, a boutique brand experience and culture-first communications firm that quickly became the behind-the-scenes strategist for some of the world’s most iconic brands—Nike, Coca-Cola, YouTube, Disney+, and TED. Nana's agency has consulted global network giants like DDB and Jung von Matt, cementing her role as a go-to advisor for inclusive marketing that actually moves the culture.
In 2023, Nana made history again—this time in the lab. She founded Ancient Beauty Labs, the first Black woman-founded consumer packaged goods beauty company in Germany to be backed by a tech venture capital firm. Rooted in African botanical knowledge and driven by biotech innovation, Ancient formulates culturally inclusive, science-led solutions for hair, skin, and body wellness. The direct-to-consumer brand launched in March 2024 and hit six-figure revenues with an 80% profit margin in its first year. With it, Nana didn’t just enter the beauty industry—she rewrote the rules of who belongs in it.
As a creative director and live experience producer, her reach spans continents. From consulting TED Global to directing live concerts for Ghanaian Afrobeats star King Promise and Grammy-winning gospel singer Jonathan McReynolds, Nana brings art and intention together with a rare kind of excellence.
But beyond the business brilliance is a woman forged by fire.
Nana is a survivor—of abuse, of assault, of systems designed to count her out. In 2024, after surviving a violent attack that left her temporarily paralyzed, she spent months in clinical rehabilitation, unable to walk. From that quiet, painful place came her debut book, [un]lucky: Reflections on Resilience—a powerful meditation on survival, self-inquiry, and spiritual strength. It is the first in a series designed to help others find meaning in misfortune and become the authors of their own healing.
Since 2021, Nana has also taught at SAE Institute Berlin, mentoring students in live music business and production, pouring into the next generation of cultural disruptors with the same fervor that built her own path.
Whether she’s building multimillion-euro brands, crafting space for underrepresented voices, or reminding the world that healing and hustle can coexist—Nana Addison is proof that legacy is not what you inherit. It’s what you build, brick by brick, for others to stand on.
And she’s just getting started.
Her life motto?
“Get things done—while having fun.”