The inaugural Women’s Entrepreneurship Day (WED) will take place on Wednesday, November 19, 2014.
The United Nations Foundation has joined to support Women’s Entrepreneurship Day founder Wendy Diamond and sponsors PwC, BNP Paribas, Nestle, and Microsoft for an in-person event at the United Nations. To ensure global citizens everywhere can join in the celebration, the event will be live streamed in 144 countries. This monumental event, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State and GEW, will be the world’s largest celebration of successful entrepreneurs, women innovators, and job creators launching startups; bringing ideas to life, driving economic growth, and expanding human welfare.
Women’s Entrepreneurship Day is a part of a worldwide movement that will continue throughout the year in support of female entrepreneurs on every continent. The primary goal is to empower women and their businesses. This will lead to the creation of a think tank comprised of global women leaders and the message: Expand businesses with social good initiatives in communities locally and globally.
“Empowering women worldwide and investing in their futures helps drive and promote economic vitality and security locally and globally,” said Diamond. “Twenty-first century leadership skills, such as cooperation, communication, and sharing are more commonly associated with women. We want to celebrate the unwavering positives that women entrepreneurs bring to the global economy as well as inspire and support future generations of women entrepreneurs. By working together with partners like the UN Foundation we can ensure that the important issues of women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship are reaching audiences around the world.”
According to the World Economic Forum Gender Gap report, the U.S. has experienced 11 percent growth over the last 40 years as a direct result of the increased participation of women, which has translated into $3.5 trillion. Investing in women promotes economic and social development as women reinvest in their communities and homes. The number of $10-million-plus women-owned firms increased by 57 percent — a growth rate nearly 50 percent more than $10-million-plus firms overall – and grew more than 40 percent from the previous year, according to the Center of Venture Research.
WED has brought together an impressive and powerful list of worldwide attendees, influential organizations, leaders, and entrepreneurs supporting women. This one-day event at the UN will be the “one day to celebrate, support, and empower women entrepreneurs worldwide.” Fortune 500 companies, female founders, CEO’s, creative and business leaders participating include:
• Loreen Arbus, Philanthropist;
• Princess Reema Bint Bandar, Alfa Intl./Harvey Nichols;
• Sophia Bush, Actress;
• Kathy Calvin, President & CEO, UN Foundaiton
• Marcia Dyson, Women’s Global Initiative.
• Princess Hanadi al Thani, Qatar Amwall;
• Jeff Hoffman, Founder, Priceline;
• Icona Pop, Grammy award-winning artists;
• Gabriela Isler, Ms. Universe 2014;
• Sandy Lerner, Co-Founder, Cisco Systems; Founder, Urban Decay;
• Tamara Mellon, Co-Founder, Jimmy Choo;
• Gertrude H. Mutharika, First Lady of Malawi;
• Arif Nagvi, The Abraaj Group;
• Mama Sarah Obama, President Obama’s Grandmother;
• Wendy Penehupifo ‘Penny’ Pohamba, First Lady Of Namibia;
• Carol Sawdye, Vice-Chair, PwC;
• Elizabeth Scharpf, She Innovates;
• Lynn Tilton, Patriarch Partners;
• Peggy Wallace, Golden Seeds; and
• Quvenzhané Wallis, Oscar-nominated Actress;
New York’s Governor Cuomo has declared November 19, 2014 Women’s Entrepreneurship Day. A student ambassador global initiative is in full swing with top colleges engaged including Barnard, Columbia, Harvard, Babson and University of Oxford. WED’s global team of Ambassadors from Peru to Saudi Arabia is primed to activate their communities with the WED movement.
The WED mission is to engage women and men globally to pledge their support for a women owned business/cause with: Talent, Time, or Treasure. WED promotes the idea that empowering a community advances the next generation of leaders. On December 3, 2014, the first Wednesday after Thanksgiving, WED will also launch the digital campaign #WomenWOW. Inspired by Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday and Small Business Saturday, this social media campaign will encourage everyone to support women owned businesses and causes.
Find out more here.
