Latest news with #WomenEntrepreneurs
Forbes
07-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
In The Rush To Scale AI, Are We Listening To Entrepreneurs?
Photo shows the letters AI for Artificial Intelligence on a laptop screen AFP via Getty Images Artificial intelligence is reshaping our economy at a remarkable pace—optimizing operations, transforming industries, and opening new frontiers for innovation. As policymakers and business leaders explore how to integrate AI across sectors, one vital question deserves more attention: How do we ensure small business support evolves with empathy, not just efficiency? When Access Doesn't Equal Impact For the millions of small and entrepreneurs driving local economies across the country, success rarely comes down to a single metric or model. Entrepreneurs—especially those navigating structural barriers—often require not just tools, but trust. Over the past five years, digital coaching platforms and AI-powered business assessments have become more common. But many have struggled to maintain deep, lasting engagement with users. Research from the Kauffman Foundation highlights the challenge. Entrepreneurs frequently disengage from support tools that don't reflect their lived realities or build meaningful connections. Accessibility, it turns out, doesn't automatically lead to impact. Why This Moment Matters This conversation is especially timely as the federal government proposes significant shifts in how entrepreneurial support is funded. The FY2026 budget recommends eliminating $167 million in technical assistance programs at the U.S. Small Business Administration, including the Women's Business Centers, SCORE. These programs have long delivered personalized, human-centered support—something no algorithm can fully replace. Still, the answer isn't to reject AI. It's to ensure that digital innovation works in tandem with human insight. A Case for Human-Centered Design One promising approach is emerging from a recent study by the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO ). AEO's Business Health Assessment (BHA), piloted in 2024, used both traditional metrics (like cash flow) and personal indicators (like entrepreneurial mindset and stress levels) to create a more holistic and actionable picture of business health. When paired with coaching, the BHA became more than a diagnostic—it became a bridge to deeper, more effective support. The Future of AI in Small Business and Entrepreneurial Support The lesson is clear: technology can enhance, not replace, the human element. AI offers enormous potential to personalize, prioritize, and scale support. But its impact depends on how thoughtfully it's designed and deployed—especially for entrepreneurs who don't have the time or resources to navigate systems that weren't built with them in mind. As AI continues to influence the future of small business support, the path forward lies in balance. We need tools that are intelligent and intuitive—but also flexible and empathetic. We need funding that embraces innovation—while preserving the relationships that help entrepreneurs thrive. And above all, we need to design systems that recognize entrepreneurship as both a data-driven endeavor and a deeply human one. AI is not the enemy of small business. But it must be shaped by the voices of those it aims to serve. Because behind every business model is a human story—and behind every algorithmic insight, there should be a listening ear.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
BOTOX® Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA) Continues its Mission of Empowering Entrepreneurs Through "The Confidence Project"
BOTOX® Cosmetic Will Provide 250 Entrepreneurs with Access to New Resources and Opportunities and Will Award 20 Grants Worth $20,000 Each to Support Business Goals. By 2030, BOTOX® Cosmetic Pledges to Empower 50,000 Entrepreneurs, Helping to Close the Confidence Gap. IRVINE, Calif., May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie company (NYSE: ABBV), today announced BOTOX® Cosmetic's continued commitment to closing the Confidence Gap with the introduction of The Confidence Project: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs. The one & only BOTOX® Cosmetic invites business owners to apply for this year's program starting today through May 9, 2025, at 11:59pm PT. Women entrepreneurs continue to break barriers in the business world, with increasing efforts to close the Confidence Gap. When women founders are supported by mentors and have access to capital, they become agents of change. Seventy-one percent of businesswomen said their mentor was influential in their career advancement, with many using their income to uplift their families and community.1 Since 2023, BOTOX® Cosmetic has provided a total of $1 million dollars in grant funding across more than 40 founders, along with coaching and networking opportunities. This year, BOTOX® Cosmetic is expanding to reach more founders by providing 250 entrepreneurs with access to The Confidence Project. Through a partnership with Hello Alice, an online platform that helps businesses launch and grow, each of the 250 entrepreneurs will participate in an intensive "Boostcamp" program, which will provide participants with skill-building, mentorship resources, and exclusive networking opportunities. After completing the course, they will leverage their newfound skills to pitch their business to a panel of aesthetic entrepreneurs, as well as key business leaders from Allergan Aesthetics and Hello Alice, for a chance to receive one of 20 $20,000 grants from BOTOX® Cosmetic. "BOTOX® Cosmetic is committed to being a catalyst for confidence, whether that be by pursuing education, aesthetic treatment, or your entrepreneurial goals. Through The Confidence Project, we pledge to continue to uplift founders who've invested so much in their businesses," said Nicole Katz, Vice President, Customer Engagement and Corporate Affairs at Allergan Aesthetics. "We know when women have access to resources and capital, there's no limit to what they can achieve. We look forward to getting to know this year's cohort of founders and how they found the confidence to pursue their dreams." "Our mission at Hello Alice is to help entrepreneurs access the funding, mentorship, and resources they need to succeed. BOTOX® Cosmetic's The Confidence Project provides a powerful opportunity for women entrepreneurs to scale their businesses and create lasting change," said Elizabeth Gore, Co-Founder and President of Hello Alice. "Our partnership with BOTOX® Cosmetic aims to foster long-term growth, confidence, and leadership for future generations of women in business, by investing in their success today." Business owners and their cofounders interested in applying to The Confidence Project are encouraged to visit Applicants must agree to the official rules of the grant program and submissions must be received by May 9, 2025, at 11:59pm PT. The 250 women entrepreneurs selected to participate in the Hello Alice Boostcamp will be announced in July, and the 20 grant recipients will be announced in October 2025. For more information on The Confidence Project, visit and follow @botoxcosmetic on Instagram and YouTube. About Allergan Aesthetics At Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie company, we develop, manufacture, and market a portfolio of leading aesthetics brands and products. Our aesthetics portfolio includes facial injectables, body contouring, plastics, skin care, and more. Our goal is to consistently provide our customers with innovation, education, exceptional service, and a commitment to excellence, all with a personal touch. For more information, visit About AbbVie AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube. Approved Uses BOTOX® Cosmetic is a prescription medicine that is injected into muscles and used to temporarily improve the look of moderate to severe forehead lines, crow's feet lines, frown lines between the eyebrows, and vertical bands connecting the jaw and neck (platysma bands) in adults. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION BOTOX® Cosmetic may cause serious side effects that can be life threatening. Get medical help right away if you have any of these problems any time (hours to weeks) after injection of BOTOX® Cosmetic: Problems swallowing, speaking, or breathing, due to weakening of associated muscles, which can be severe and result in loss of life. You are at the highest risk if these problems are preexisting before injection. Swallowing problems may last for several months. Spread of toxin effects. The effect of botulinum toxin may affect areas away from the injection site and cause serious symptoms, including loss of strength and all-over muscle weakness, double vision, blurred vision and drooping eyelids, hoarseness or change or loss of voice, trouble saying words clearly, loss of bladder control, trouble breathing, and trouble swallowing. BOTOX® Cosmetic dosing units are not the same as, or comparable to, any other botulinum toxin product. There has not been a confirmed serious case of spread of toxin effect when BOTOX® Cosmetic has been used at the recommended dose to treat frown lines, crow's feet lines, forehead lines, and/or platysma bands. BOTOX® Cosmetic may cause loss of strength or general muscle weakness, vision problems, or dizziness within hours to weeks of receiving BOTOX® Cosmetic. If this happens, do not drive a car, operate machinery, or do other dangerous activities. Serious and/or immediate allergic reactions have been reported, including itching, rash, red itchy welts, wheezing, asthma symptoms, or dizziness or feeling faint. Get medical help right away if you are wheezing or have asthma symptoms, or if you become dizzy or faint. Do not receive BOTOX® Cosmetic if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in BOTOX® Cosmetic (see Medication Guide for ingredients); had an allergic reaction to any other botulinum toxin product such as Myobloc (rimabotulinumtoxinB), Dysport (abobotulinumtoxinA), Xeomin (incobotulinumtoxinA), Jeuveau (prabotulinumtoxinA-xvfs), Daxxify (daxibotulinumtoxinA-lanm), or Letybo (letibotulinumtoxinA-wlbg); or have a skin infection at the planned injection site. This list may not include all available botulinum toxin products. Tell your doctor about all your muscle or nerve conditions, such as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome, as you may be at increased risk of serious side effects, including difficulty swallowing and difficulty breathing, from standard doses of BOTOX® Cosmetic. Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including surgery or plans to have surgery on your face, trouble raising your eyebrows, drooping eyelids, any other abnormal facial change, are pregnant or plan to become pregnant (it is not known if BOTOX® Cosmetic can harm your unborn baby), or are breastfeeding or plan to (it is not known if BOTOX® Cosmetic passes into breast milk). Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Using BOTOX® Cosmetic with certain other medicines may cause serious side effects. Do not start any new medicines until you have told your doctor that you have received BOTOX® Cosmetic in the past. Tell your doctor if you have received any other botulinum toxin product in the last 4 months; have received injections of botulinum toxin such as Myobloc, Dysport, Xeomin, Jeuveau, Daxxify, or Letybo in the past (tell your doctor exactly which product you received); have recently received an antibiotic by injection; take muscle relaxants; take an allergy or cold medicine; take a sleep medicine; or take aspirin-like products or blood thinners. Other side effects of BOTOX® Cosmetic include dry mouth; discomfort or pain at the injection site; tiredness; headache; neck pain; and eye problems, including double vision, blurred vision, decreased eyesight, drooping eyelids and eyebrows, swelling of eyelids, and dry eyes. For more information, refer to the Medication Guide or talk with your doctor. To report a side effect, please call Allergan Aesthetics at 1-800-678-1605. Please see BOTOX® Cosmetic full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide. References: Barbara Kurshan. Purpose-Driven Women: Unleash Your Potential Through Mentorship. 2023 © 2025 AbbVie. All rights reserved. BOTOX Cosmetic and its designs are trademarks of Allergan Holdings France SAS, an AbbVie company, or its affiliates. Contacts: Investors: Liz Shea (847) 935-2211 Media: Ember Garrett (714) 246-3525 View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE AbbVie
Zawya
12-03-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Uzbekistan's Sellers Post Record Sales Growth on Wildberries Marketplace
Asia Press Release MOSCOW, RUSSIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 12 March 2025 - Wildberries, a leading e-commerce platform in Eurasia, saw record sales growth in products from Uzbekistan-based sellers, led by surging demand for Uzbek textile goods in neighboring markets. Sales of goods produced in Uzbekistan increased by 61% overall last year, with textiles accounting for 83% of all goods sold by Uzbek sellers on the Wildberries platform. Wildberries connects local sellers to customers across seven neighboring markets where the platform operates, creating new opportunities for exports. Sales of Uzbek textile products rose by 117% in Kyrgyzstan, 114% in Belarus, 108% in Kazakhstan, and 63% in Russia in 2024. Uzbekistan ranks among the world's top 10 cotton producers, and its textile industry plays a vital role in the national economy, employing 570,000 people out of a population of approximately 37 million. Uzbek textiles stand out for their high quality and competitive cost, making them attractive to Wildberries' international customer base. The most popular products included T-shirts, pajamas, long-sleeves, polo shirts, and trousers. Among the fastest-growing items in terms of sales volume, jackets saw an increase of 2479%, while baby jackets rose by 936% and thermal turtlenecks by 647%. As part of the company's mission to support local businesses in its countries of presence, Wildberries offers training for Uzbek entrepreneurs in partnership with the Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In 2024, the company held over 90 seminars for Uzbek entrepreneurs on how to launch and scale their sales on the marketplace, helping to boost their export potential. Wildberries is also developing the Women Entrepreneurs (WE) Fintech initiative in partnership with the Fintech Association of Uzbekistan, whose aim is to advance digital and e-commerce skills among women. The association brings together girls and women preparing to launch small businesses, and Wildberries conducts training sessions for them under its PRO WB educational program. Hashtag: #wildberries The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. About Wildberries Established in 2004 in Russia, Wildberries is a leading e-commerce platform operating in Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Uzbekistan, while also partnering with sellers in China. Wildberries provides a state-of-the-art IT infrastructure to support customers and sellers, along with a developed logistics network spanning more than 130 facilities and 58,000 pick-up points across its markets. As of 2024, Wildberries serves over 75 million customers and processes more than 20 million orders per day. Wildberries Disclaimer: The contents of this press release was provided from an external third party provider. This website is not responsible for, and does not control, such external content. This content is provided on an 'as is' and 'as available' basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither this website nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this press release. The press release is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Neither this website nor our affiliates shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance thereon. You expressly agree that your use of the information within this article is at your sole risk. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, its subsidiaries, its affiliates and the respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers and licensors will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, including without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract or any other theory of liability, even if the parties have been advised of the possibility or could have foreseen any such damages.
