Women Sound Off LLC

OUR MISSION

WOMEN SOUND OFF (WSO) is an Oakland-based intersectional platform dedicated to the professional & personal advancement of creative women & BIPOC communities. We offer online & offline programming for entrepreneurs, small biz owners & teams—accounting for lived experiences & mental health factors across our work. We've curated 100+ events for 9300+ women, with the goal of helping women form alliances, engage in peer learning and have their voices heard. Women Sound Off continues to shift today's limited ecosystem for creatives and women across art & culture mediums. 

THE PROBLEM WE'RE ADDRESSING

More often than not, we (creative women + BIPOC communities) don't have a linear path of access into spaces that need our point of view. The very lack of spaces for women entrepreneurs, especially Black & Brown women, affects how fast we meet potential co-founders, form connections & land lucrative business deals.

In a white patriarchal system, too many creative women have difficulties finding diverse and inclusive spaces that are meant for development (without judgement). Many spaces also fail to consider socio-economic factors when giving solutions for advancement. As a result, privilege ends up dominating spaces that are supposed to be for real development. 

Above photos by Belinda Man

OUR SOLUTION & IMPACT

Women Sound Off is creating new case studies and new points of entry for underrepresented leaders in the creative space, with disruptive ideas and mobilizing professional networks toward positive change. 

We create more access points by: 

• Highlighting failure as much as we highlight success
• Creating the intersectionality we wish to see across our events & planning
• Centering the voices of underrepresented communities (Black & Brown, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+) 
• Providing credible insight on career transitions 
• Demystifying male-dominated career paths
• Factoring mental health & lived experiences into our programming 
• Considering bootstrapping & access to resources in our consulting & strategy sessions 

All of our members, volunteers, vendors & organizers are womxn or non-binary individuals—which also functions as a large part of our solution towards creating more access. 

Since 2017, we've hosted 9300+ women & creatives across 100+ events (online & in-person). We've incubated 20+ small businesses and provided support for difficult marketing pivots. We've worked with 1500+ women founders on personal & professional development. 

HOW FUNDING IMPACTS WSO

Financial support allows us to continue our work & essential programming for creative womxn and BIPOC individuals. Funding also plays a large role in keeping our events affordable so we can ensure more women have access to career-changing opportunities & information. We're able to keep our virtual labs going, bring in fresh talent for community members to learn from. 

Lastly, we're able to create new projects & source locally from Oakland's talented scene of creative freelancers, artists and vendors.

ABOUT THE FOUNDERS!

Above photos by Kate Dash

Women Sound Off was founded in 2017 by San Francisco native Carmena Woodward p/k/a Red Corvette and Oakland native Evangeline 'Vang' Elder. Woodward is a traveling DJ, experiential producer and serves as the COO of Women Sound Off. Elder is an artist manager, works in brand partnerships and serves as the CEO of Women Sound Off.  The two women united through their passion for music, art and lived experiences as Black women in America. 4 years later, friendship has turned into a nationally recognized platform for creative women & BIPOC communities—featured in The Guardian, Forbes, SF Chronicle & KQED.

Thank you for supporting Women Sound Off & our growing community. We appreciate your contribution, energy & consideration.