About the event
In honor of Black History Month, IFWOC is inviting five IFWOC members to pitch their businesses in front of a panel of VCs, Fortune 500 brands, and successful entrepreneurs.
Black women are starting businesses at an unprecedented rate. According to Amex's 2019 State of Women-Owned Business Report, Black women represent 42% of net new businesses started in the last year, which is three times their share of the female population (14%). IFWOC is looking to support early stage Black founders in our community so that their businesses can make history.
All five finalists will receive coaching grants to IFW, plus monetary grants for the judge’s selection and for an audience favorite.
RSVP for your spot to attend and watch these game changing founders pitch their businesses and get expert feedback.
Meet the judges
Shontay Lundy is the Founder of Black Girl Sunscreen (BGS). In 2016, when Shontay became tired of using sunscreen that left a white residue, she decided to leverage her MBA and knack for business to develop a melanin friendly option for women who look like her. The groundbreaking product has not only provided women with darker skin tones with a healthy option to protect their skin, but the brand has cultivated a strong reputation for empowering black women. Today, BGS is the only indie black-owned brand sold in Target’s sun care section full time.
Alex West Steinman is the co-founder and CEO of The Coven, a digital community and physical workspace for women, non-binary, and trans people. An Inc. Magazine 100 Female Founder and Bush Fellow, Alex is committed to the economic empowerment and advancement of women entrepreneurs.
Rochelle Stewart is a Vice President in the Consumer Tech division at Silicon Valley Bank. Over her 15 year career, she's gained experience in Investing, Digital Strategy, Growth Marketing, and Strategic Business Planning and Operations in every industry from finance to media to lifestyle brands. Rochelle's previous experience includes The Morgan Stanley Cultural Innovation Lab, Affinity Group, Condé Nast, Brightwood Capital, and UBS.
James Lavallee is Vice President of Marketing and Sales Development for Effectv (formerly Comcast Spotlight), the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable. In this role, he is responsible for driving revenue for the company by leading various divisions of the Effectv Marketing team including: Sales Marketing, Creative Services, Demand Generation and Network Relations. He also develops the vision, mission, strategy and goals for his team of 200 located countrywide.
RSVP and join us to make history!
Join us virtually via zoom on February 25th from 6:00pm EST - 7:00pm EST.