Latest news with #femaleFounders
The Sun
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Meghan Markle couldn't get Beyonce so settled for her mum… but even a global star couldn't save As Ever, expert slams
Emily Jane Davies Summer Raemason Published: Invalid Date, MEGHAN Markle couldn't bag Beyonce for her podcast so she settled for her mum instead, an expert claimed. The Duchess of Sussex, 43, sat down with Tina Knowles for the latest episode of Confessions of a Female Founder this week. 6 6 6 But marketing expert Nick Ede told The Sun how chats with famous celebs won't be enough to save her brand. This comes as the Duchess decided to"just pause" restocking As Ever - after previously selling out in under an hour. Meg said she wants to wait until it is "completely stable and we have everything we need" as to not annoy customers. Mr Ede said: "Meghan obviously is trying really hard to establish herself in a big way, and associating herself with other female founders, was kind of a good idea, because it went well with the As Ever brand, and how that was developing. "But the issue is that actually the As Ever brand hasn't really gone particularly far, so she can't really say that she's a particularly great female founder. "And so when she's been interviewing some of these brilliant people like Sarah Blakely, for instance, who who came up with Spanx and was one of the first youngest billionaires in the world, that's somebody who's actually aspirational, somebody who's worked really hard and created a product which is sold around the world and recognized around the world. "And unfortunately, as ever isn't." Mr Ede dubbed it more of a "PR spin" than a proper brand. He also compared it to Tina Knowles ' success as a bestselling author in America and a popular fashion designer. "Meghan is great at piggybacking off other people's success," the expert added. But, despite chatting to popular celebs on the podcast, Mr Ede didn't think it would be of much benefit. "I think one of the biggest problems with this is that unfortunately, Meghan hasn't had the people who are going to get the bums on seats who are going to get the listeners who are going to get the downloaders," he said. "And also the conversations aren't particularly interesting. "They're only interesting to people who want to be female founders, and if they're not, then it doesn't really give them much to talk about." Mr Ede also highlighted how the Duchess "isn't particularly relatable". He said there's a "massive disconnect" as "really she's not a female founder". The expert suggested the mum-of-two's best bet would be venturing into the fashion world. "I don't think she'll do another podcast. I just don't think it's working," he continued. "I would really sit back and go, 'how front facing do I need to be? Do I actually need to be right at the forefront of it? Or can I just use my name to influence and drive sales, make money and feel much more protected?' "I think that would be the best strategy for her in the long run." Meghan has previously told of the difficulties of building her firm and "how many tears" she has shed behind the scenes. She chatted about As Ever on a bonus episode of her podcast featuring Beyoncé's mother Tina Knowles. The Duchess has suffered a myriad of problems with the business, from branding rows to claims she is "out of touch" with reality with her pricey jams. The 43-year-old has previously admitted As Ever "overwhelms" her and she stays up stressing about it until 3am. On the podcast, she also expressed her dream of launching a future business with daughter Princess Lilibet, after talking to Tina about the Cecred haircare line she started with Beyoncé. "I wonder if one day I'll be in business with Lily and we'll be building something," the Duchess said, with Tina adding: "That's the best." Meghan spoke about the April launch of her As Ever products including jam and herbal tea. She said that the "scarcity mentality at the beginning might be a hook for people", comparing it to "a sneaker drop". But she feared it might be "annoying" for customers, adding: "I don't want you to eat that jam once every six months. I want that to be on your shelf all the time." Meghan said: "So for me at the moment, with As Ever, it was great. We planned for a year we get and then everything sells out in 45 minutes. "Yes, amazing, great news. Then what do you do? And then you say 'Ok, we planned as best as we could. Are we going to replenish and sell out again in an hour? Or is that annoying as a customer? "I'm looking at it saying 'Just pause. That happened. Let's wait until we are completely stable and we have everything we need'." She added how people "see all the flashy stuff and they see the product. But that end game... those behind the scenes moments, how many tears I've shed". But experts claimed she used a sneaky "ploy" to make sure her pricey food brand sold out in minutes. When Meghan, 43, finally launched her highly anticipated As Ever items, from £11 jars of jam to £22 limited edition honey, it was swiftly out of stock. But a source said: "This is simply a marketing ploy. "You make a relatively small amount available so it all gets bought and then you can say it's so popular it sold out." Meg's chat with Tina comes she shared snaps with Prince Harry as the couple enjoyed watching a Beyonce concert last month. The pair were seen dancing in a luxury suite worth thousands of dollars at the singer's Cowboy Carter tour in LA. Harry, 40, was standing and bopping his head awkwardly while the Duchess repeatedly threw her hands in the air as Beyonce belted out Texas Hold'Em. A separate official photo posted onto Beyonce's official tour website showed the couple smiling with their arms around each other. 6 6 6
Forbes
27-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Gusto 2025 Report: Female Founders & AI Are Rewriting Startup Culture
AI Furnace's cofounders Angela Mascarenas and Hamza Zaveri at its AI Hot 100 Summit last year. Despite economic headwinds and corporate layoffs, U.S. entrepreneurship surged ahead in 2024—driven by female founders, fueled by GenAI, and increasingly built on full-time ambition rather than part-time hustle. According to Gusto's 2025 New Business Formation Report, nearly half of new businesses (49%) were founded by women last year—a 69% increase from 2019 and the highest in the report's five-year history. These gains reflect a broader transformation: AAPI, Black and Latinx entrepreneurs are also increasing their footprint, with startup rates up 17%, 67% and 25%, respectively, since 2019. The top motivators for starting a business? Autonomy, flexibility and financial security. A full 65% said they wanted to be their own boss, while over half cited the ability to set their own schedule or build long-term wealth. For many female founders, that autonomy is more than aspirational—it's a strategic necessity. Entrepreneurship offers control over their time, ideas and outcomes in ways that traditional workplaces often don't. It creates space to integrate work and caregiving without compromise, while also reclaiming ownership in environments where credit, visibility and promotion can be disproportionately distributed. 'You don't have to fight for recognition when you're building something that's yours,' said one founder featured in Gusto's report. This alignment of personal agency and professional growth is particularly compelling for women navigating inflexible corporate cultures or stalled advancement. It's also why many are building businesses designed not just to succeed, but to sustain the life they want. This cultural shift is mirrored at the highest levels of U.S. tech. Lucy Guo, a Chinese American entrepreneur, recently surpassed Taylor Swift to become the world's youngest self-made female billionaire. As the former cofounder of Scale AI and now the founder of Passes, she is one of just six self-made female billionaires under 40—and the only one to make the bulk of her fortune from a company she left. After exiting Scale in 2018, Guo retained an estimated 5% stake, now worth nearly $1.2 billion. Her latest startup, Passes, continues to push the frontier of the creator economy. She also launched Backend Capital, a small venture firm that backs early-stage startups. Other AI-driven female founders are also shaping the landscape: Their stories reflect a growing reality: Women aren't just adopting AI—they're building it. Several American women of color are also leading transformational work across the AI ecosystem: The rise of AI-focused and community-first startup ecosystems is accelerating this shift. Networks like Supermomos, founded by Edwina Yeo, which blends in-person community events with a professional network for founders, engineers and investors, have seen a significant uptick in female founder participation—especially in AI. By hosting events such as the 'Female Founders & Funders Fireside Chat and Mixer,' Supermomos provides platforms for women in tech to connect, share insights and foster collaborations. Supermomos Event 'We're seeing some encouraging shifts in our community: 41% of early-stage founders who joined us in 2024 were women, up from 26% in 2022, and now many of those founders are graduating to venture-backed status--28% of venture-backed startups joining us in 2025 are women-led, compared to 15% in 2022. We're hoping to accelerate this trend in our own small way through the Supermomos Female Founders and Funders series with Perkins Coie, where we bring together early-stage founders learning from female founders who've scaled as well as female VCs. When the pipeline flows both ways with new founders starting and successful founders teaching, that's how we can build generational change in entrepreneurship,' said Yeo. Similarly, AI Furnace, a founder-led community focused on early technical AI startups, reports that women now make up more than a third of their active founder base, up from just 10% in 2022. The community, co-founded by Angela Mascarenas and Hamza Zaveri, has rapidly grown to more than 15,000 members across six cities and four countries, emphasizing inclusivity and founder support outside traditional tech hubs. This trend parallels insights from my previous reporting on female founders who are demanding more than token inclusion—they want funding, transparency and real traction. Dreamers & Doers 10 Year Anniversary Brunch in Tribeca. Dreamers & Doers is a national, curated community for female founders that just celebrated its tenth anniversary last year. Recently, it's seen a growing influx of AI-powered startups—a shift that makes its visibility-first approach even more urgent. Because even as women build the future, they can't reshape the narrative if they're kept out of view. Another standout community leading this new paradigm is JADEVA, a women-led business and leadership collective redefining how feminine power builds, scales, and sustains. Blending entrepreneurship with spiritual alignment, JADEVA offers a high-impact alternative to traditional startup culture. With thriving chapters in major cities and a rapidly expanding global presence, it is creating sacred, strategic spaces where women grow wealth, visibility, and legacy—without diluting their values or compromising their feminine leadership. At its core, JADEVA is a higher self sisterhood, activating a global movement of women building businesses from embodiment, intuition, and unshakable alignment. Jadeva Women Love Money event in Los Angeles. Hosted by DFL, Gaingels and Stefans Law Group, This ... More event was more than just a conversation about money—it was about stepping into financial empowerment with clarity, confidence, and community. 'I was too spiritual for business circles and too ambitious for sacred ones. So we built JADEVA, for women who refuse to choose between power and depth.' — Olivia Steele, Co-Founder of JADEVA While community and visibility are critical, capital still matters. A new generation of inclusive accelerators and venture funds are stepping in to fill the funding gap with real checks—not just mentorship. Firms like Slauson & Co. and Gold House Ventures are backing underrepresented founders with $100K to $500K investments, helping them scale beyond pitch stages. These programs combine capital with coaching and network access, enabling founders to move from overlooked to investable. South Park Commons (SPC), founded by Ruchi Sanghvi, is a San Francisco-based accelerator and community for technical founders exploring what to build next. More than just an early-stage fund, SPC offers a space for experimentation, often backing founders pre-idea and staying involved through seed rounds. The organization has a strong track record of backing women, immigrants, and technically ambitious nontraditional founders. Its founding team and many of its members are women or BIPOC, creating a community that reflects the future of inclusive innovation. Founders are increasingly turning to generative AI not just for experimentation, but as a core part of their operational playbook. According to Gusto, 47% of new businesses used GenAI in 2024, more than double the 21% adoption rate in 2023—and usage is even higher among Gen Z-led startups. Rather than relying on large teams or expensive outsourced services, many early-stage founders are using GenAI to get more done with less. Customer acquisition is by far the most common GenAI use case, with 71% of GenAI users applying it to marketing tasks and 37% using it to streamline their sales process. Others are automating everything from legal document generation to content creation to financial modeling. Female founders are adapting to the macroeconomic environment. They are addressing local job challenges and using GenAI to improve productivity and manage costs. These shifts point to business models focusing on stability and long-term growth rather than cashing in on short-term fads. This wave of AI-driven efficiency isn't about cutting corners—it's about unlocking leverage. With limited capital, smaller founding teams and fewer institutional advantages, today's entrepreneurs are using GenAI as a way to build faster, test smarter and stretch every dollar further. As startups adapt to tighter capital environments, AI's most promising companies are trending younger and leaner—founders are skewing earlier in their careers and headcount is shrinking, reflecting a new era of capital discipline and operational focus (source). Entrepreneurship is also creating jobs. More than two-thirds (69%) of new firms hired at least one worker or contractor last year, and 57% of those plan to expand their headcount in 2025—despite a broader slowdown in hiring across the economy. Importantly, the barrier to entry is shrinking. Among female founders who used startup capital, 38% needed $10,000 or less, and 53% funded their companies through personal savings.
The Independent
14-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
E2E Female 100: It's time to lead by example
I am absolutely delighted to help to shine a light on these exceptional female founders and leaders. After all, to create, grow and maintain a successful business in the current climate, with continually escalating costs to do business and little in way of support or incentive, takes grit, determination and strength, all qualities which must be celebrated. At the heart of every strong, dynamic business lies a core of pure fire. A heady mix of entrepreneurial spirit teamed with a steely resolve and a truck-load of resilience. While some of us may be born with a passion for business and have the privilege and good fortune to be actively encouraged or able to pursue it, it's true to say that this isn't the case for all. Worryingly, in our industry, food and drink wholesale, a recent report by Food and Drink Wholesale UK (FWD) revealed that the number of female leaders is actually moving backwards. This is despite diversity, equity and inclusion identified as a key priority to drive the sector forward and encourage the next generation of talent to join. The report, Championing Change, revealed that just 16% of senior-level roles in the wholesale sector are held by women, compared to 48% of senior leadership roles in the UK's top 150 businesses. This is overwhelmingly disappointing to read. At Lioncroft Wholesale, I work alongside many incredible women whose skills, experience, insight and knowledge is exceptional, including our COO Daali Wouhra, without whom the business would not be the success that it is. What comes across loud and clear from this powerful FWD report is that a lack of visibility of female leaders is proving to be a major stumbling block for those looking to progress their careers. After all, we often have to see something before we can truly visualise it for ourselves. We need to see those who go before us in order to be inspired to follow their footsteps. With that in mind, in business, I do believe that role models and mentors have never been more important. Countless studies have shown that women with strong mentors are more likely to pursue and achieve leadership roles. Whether a mentor offers career guidance, confidence building or introductions and wider connections, these relationships can prove to be invaluable for those looking to sharpen and develop their skills and identify routes for progression. And let's be honest, gender diversity in leadership is not only critical when it comes to inspiring others, but also for the overall success of a business. Research continually shows that companies with diverse leaderships teams benefit greatly from the richness of different perspectives, resulting in better, more informed decision making and problem solving. A mix of life experiences, cultures, backgrounds and ages can challenge boundaries and provide invaluable insight. In fact, research from McKinsey has demonstrated that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25% more likely to have above-average profitability*. These different viewpoints, opinions and challenges that drive ideas forward leading to the best results and making companies more robust along the way. This is why the E2E Female 100 track is so critical. Championing female success in a world that can still feel dominated by men has to be a priority for us all.
