By The Launch Pad
Inform. Empower. Motivate.
Starting a business is a difficult process, wrought with all kinds of challenges along the way. Reports show that women end up starting only 20% of all businesses, despite making up a majority of the working population. If you dig deeper you’ll find that an even smaller percentage of business owners are minority female-owned businesses. Supporting women entrepreneurs is critical to the success of our country.
Program Overview
Women Making Moves is a collaborative mentorship program that focuses on representation, skill-building, networking, and empowerment. We aim to build a support program for this largely underrepresented and undeserved population. WMM offers mentorship, resources, and a collaborative environment where women can thrive and grow in their businesses. WMM provides women entrepreneurs with a platform through which they can connect, build relationships, and take their business leadership skills to the next level.
Fast Facts
- The U.S. has 12.3 million women-owned businesses
- U.S. women-owned businesses generate $1.8 trillion a year
- Women started 1,821 net new businesses every day last year
- Latina women-owned businesses grew more than 87%
- There are 114% more women entrepreneurs than there were 20 years go
”On my own I will just create, and if it works, it works, and if it doesn't I'll create something else. I don't have any limitations on what I think I could do or be.
Oprah Winfrey
There are over 13 million women-owned businesses in the U.S., but women continue to face institutional barriers related to gender bias and funding1. 46% of female entrepreneurs faced gender bias when raising capital for their business2 and of companies founded solely by women received just 2% of the total capital invested in 2023 in venture-backed startups in the U.S.3 Despite the profound impact that female entrepreneurs make, they are still underserved when it comes to accessing working capital and the critical resources they need to grow. – U.S. Small Business Administration
64
women-owned businesses started by women of color last year
252,000,000
women entrepreneuers
Admission Requirements
- Commit to weekly meetings
- Self-starter comfortable working with other entrepreneurs
- Motivated individual or team with an entrepreneurial spirit and a team player
- Abide by Launchpad’s policies and practices
- Open to anyone who identifies as a female
Program Components
- Impactful resources to drive business results
- Networking sessions and a variety of topic series
- Team building experiences in a collaborative environment
- Mentorship sessions focused on helping students launch their business idea
- Comprehensive workshops from skill building to scaling
Application
Complete the interest form for our summer cohort. Summer session applications open April 15, 2024.
Meet The Creator
A native of Miami, Samantha Palmer-Shields, better known as “Sam”, joined The Launch Pad team in February 2013. She previously worked in many departments at the University of Miami including the Provosts Office – Faculty Affairs, School of Law Center for Ethics & Public Service, and it’s Legal Communication and Research Skills Program. Sam is a serial entrepreneur, lover of creativity, dream supporter, and embraces failure. Sam received her BA from Southern New Hampshire University and MSML degree from Western Governors University.
