Keewa Nurullah is a fourth-generation entrepreneur, performer, and community builder who has always moved boldly between creativity and commerce. A proud Southside Chicago native, Keewa attended the city’s top magnet schools before earning a BFA in Musical Theater from the University of Michigan, home to the nation’s leading conservatory program. Before graduation, she was handpicked to join Disney’s On The Record, a national tour celebrating the studio’s iconic music. Her stage career flourished from there, with Keewa originating roles across New York, Los Angeles, and international stages—from playing Lola Falana in Sammy to performing in the original Las Vegas cast of Monty Python’s Spamalot.
As a descendant of Black Wall Street, Keewa’s legacy is rooted in resilience, innovation, and ownership. Though her first chapter was filled with applause, it was also shaped by perseverance. The grind of countless auditions, rejection, and waiting for the green light to do what she loved planted the seeds for a new path—one grounded in self-direction and generational vision.
In 2016, shortly after becoming a mother, Keewa founded Kido, a children’s lifestyle brand designed to fill a cultural and creative gap in the kids’ apparel market. What began as a product line quickly evolved into a community hub, powered by vibrant family-centered events on the Southside. A successful pop-up partnership at a local shopping center led to an invitation to open a flagship storefront in 2018—just in time for the arrival of her second child and the growing demands of vending on the go. With a brick-and-mortar space, Keewa was able to expand her inventory and offer a consistent, curated retail experience.
Kido blossomed into a national brand. Its downtown Chicago location attracted locals and tourists alike, and when the 2020 racial reckoning renewed support for Black-owned businesses, Kido received a wave of love and visibility—boosted by celebrity fans like Gabrielle Union, Jessica Alba, Tamron Hall, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Emmy Rossum. Amid the pandemic surge, Keewa taught herself how to scale, fulfilling thousands of orders across the country, launching original puzzles, stationery, and accessories, and managing all facets of product development and fulfillment.
Her ambition didn’t stop there. Keewa’s knack for storytelling, style, and strategy led to high-profile retail placements in Blick Art Materials, The Art Institute of Chicago, and collaborations with the Chicago White Sox and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Through a mix of self-taught strategy, relationship-building, and relentless pitching, she secured over $100,000 in grants and earned coverage in national media outlets. Her legacy is one of creativity and control—proving that it’s possible to build a beautiful business without asking for permission.
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Keewa is available for speaking engagements. Topics include: The Future of Shopping Small, Wellness for Entrepreneurs, Mothers as Founders, and more.