2021 IMPACT REPORT
Ladies Who Launch (LWL), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is on a mission to celebrate and empower women and non-binary entrepreneurs throughout the world. We focus on four pillars - Inspiration, Education, Funding, and Community - to give entrepreneurs the motivation, resources, and connections to launch and scale their dream businesses’. Since our incorporation two years ago, we are proud of the progress we have made, and poised to grow and scale Ladies Who Launch to serve more women and non-binary entrepreneurs across the United States and beyond. Below is a brief update on our progress and our way forward.
Meeting the Moment: LWL’s Progress and Learnings During COVID-19
Six months into LWL’s first year as a non-profit organization, COVID-19 emerged as a global pandemic. LWL, which was founded on a successful track record of convening entrepreneurs in-person to support business growth and sustainability, needed to quickly evaluate our efforts and pivot to drive impact. Understanding COVID-19’s adverse impact on small businesses, LWL knew that the woman and non-binary entrepreneurial community needed support and relief immediately. To meet the moment, LWL adjusted its programming, bringing inspiration, education, and community online, while introducing a new and fourth pillar focused on funding. Highlights of our 2020-2021 progress and learnings include:
Inspiration: As the pandemic took hold, LWL launched its Real Talk with Ladies Who Launch podcast. The podcast features women founders and explores their varied experiences from how they decided to launch their own business to how they raised or funded their dreams.
To date, LWL has produced 22 episodes featuring founders including:
Shan-Lyn Ma, CEO and Founder of Zola, an online wedding registry;
Jasmine Jones, Co-Founder of Cherry Blossom Intimates, a retailer that designs diverse intimates as well as prosthetic breasts for breast cancer patients; and,
Rosie Rios, CEO of Red River Associates, 43rd Treasurer of the United States, and LWL Board member
Additionally, LWL has continued its Featured Founders blog series, elevating more than 35 founders from diverse backgrounds, sectors, and regions to date.
Education & Community Building: While LWL was unable to convene entrepreneurs in-person, we understood the need for connection, support, and education to navigate these unprecedented times. As a result, in November 2020 and June 2021, LWL took its beloved event series virtual. Brief summaries of each include the following:
2020 Virtual Summit: In November 2020, LWL hosted a two-day event with nearly 1,100 attendees representing businesses of all sizes and stages. More than twenty-five percent of attendees were international with the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Nigeria having the largest representation.
2021 Virtual Jumpstart Summit: With the number of new women-led businesses growing exponentially during the pandemic, LWL hosted its Jumpstart Summit in June 2021. Focused on women and non-binary entrepreneurs interested in launching their businesses, LWL welcomed 750 attendees. Approximately fourteen percent were international, with the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and India having the largest representation.
Funding:At the outset and throughout the pandemic, women and BIPOC-owned businesses have suffered significant financial losses. To mitigate the damage and provide immediate relief, LWL created The Launch Program in September 2020.The Program provides grants to cohorts of women and non-binary business owners, while offering educational opportunities, mentorship, and community to support growth and sustainability. The program, focused on combating inequity, commits at least 70% of admission to BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and other diverse founders.
Since founding, LWL has implemented two Launch cohorts. We received approximately 2,000 applications with minimal promotion, and awarded $228,000 in grants to 20 Launchers with the average grant being approximately $12,000. While the second cohort won’t officially conclude until January 2022, Launchers have anecdotally shared the positive impact of the Program on their businesses. From receiving no-strings attached financing, which allows entrepreneurs to maintain full ownership and control of their companies, to personalized mentorship and support pods, to targeted introductions and networking, Launchers have expressed the value of the newly developed Launch Program.
Building Upon Our Momentum: LWL’s Way Forward
LWL is proud of the progress it has made to support women entrepreneurs to launch and scale their businesses despite the pandemic. With significant lessons learned, we are charting our pathway forward for future growth, scale, and sustainability. We look forward to honing our growth strategy, further developing our organizational infrastructure, formalizing our development program, and building a data-driven framework to better manage our constituents, and measure and evaluate impact.
LWL remains committed to reducing obstacles and giving women and non-binary business owners the unfair advantage that is afforded to their male peers, and is hyper-focused on identifying where we can achieve the greatest impact as we work to realize a world in which more individuals, families, and communities rise and thrive.