1. Please tell us what gave you the inspiration to launch Women Entrepreneurs Boston?
We have an incredibly strong entrepreneurial ecosystem here in Boston but most of the programs are dedicated to a particular sector, stage, or industry. In addition, we realized that there is a common thread that connects all women entrepreneurs -- a unique set of challenges they face, including access to capital, scaling, and making the strategic connections they need to build and scale their business. We thought that the best way to create economic equity in Boston would be to develop a program that would convene all women entrepreneurs and the programs that support them -- a place where women could build their network, get inspired, make connections, and find the resources they need to build and grow their business.
We tested this model at the Women’s Business accelerator in October 2014 when we brought together 100 women from entrepreneurs from various sectors and industries to focus on growth, marketing, and business leadership. And we saw magic happen. Women were opening their networks, offering advice, and making truly meaningful connections. Add to that the momentum created by our Women on Main program, the Babson WIN lab, Innovation Women, and Capital W, just to name a few, and we recognized that it was the perfect time for WE BOS.
2. What did you find most surprising or compelling about the data regarding women-led businesses in the Boston-area?
In Boston, 29 percent of our startups are founded by women, and according to 2015 Global Startup Ecosystem, this makes us the number two city internationally for women-led startups. This wasn’t too surprising to me, since I get to meet these rock star women every day! What is surprising is that a massive funding disparity remains, particularly in the VC space. The Diana Project data released last year found that only 3 percent of venture capital dollars go to women led startups.
3. How did planning a week like WE BOS week fit into that vision?
The goal of this program is to support and advance ALL women entrepreneurs, so bringing together organizations that support women entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurs themselves for a full week of skill building and networking felt like the perfect way to launch this program. As soon as we started talking about the idea of WE BOS week, we began getting daily phone calls from women looking for ways to get involved -- or just to tell us how excited they are that Boston was taking the lead and having WE BOS week! It is a true testament to why Boston ranks #2 internationally for women-led startups.
In total, WE BOS week had 14 events in partnership with 12 organizations. These high-impact events were attended by a diverse group of more than 1,000 women from all over Boston -- ranging from aspiring entrepreneurs to established business owners.
4. What are some of your favorite moments from WE BOS week?
The Mass Innovation Nights Women Founders evening was definitely the highlight of the week. Standing back and looking at the room filled with over 600 women in attendance, I could only think “Wow -- there isn’t much this amazing group can’t accomplish”
We were also pleased that some of our strongest events were held in the neighborhoods, like the “Building an All-Star team” workshop at the new Roxbury Innovation Center in Dudley Square.
5. How do you plan to capitalize on the momentum that WeBosWeek has generated?
Coming out of the success of WE BOS Week, we are going to harness every bit of energy we can to fulfill the vision of making Boston the number one city for women-led businesses! We’re already planning a new slate of events that will be focused on those areas of opportunity that we’ve identified. For example, we are currently looking at a series of events for the spring that will focus on funding, in conjunction with the second Capital W: Boston Women’s Venture Capital Summit in May.
We also will continue working with the wonderful people at the Babson WIN lab and SheStarts, offering more content this winter. A few upcoming events:
Jan 26th - Going from 'Me' to 'We': Building your Team to Scale.
In partnership with SheStarts
March 9th - Tell All Funding Panel
In partnership with the Babson WIN lab
6. If people want to get involved, what can they do?
For WE BOS to be everything it can be, we need to hear from our women entrepreneurs at all levels, whether they are starting a brick and mortar business in a Main Streets district or seeking opportunities in the high growth space. WE BOS is for everyone.
You can visit we-bos.com and join our mailing list to hear about upcoming events, and you can follow us on Twitter at @WE_BOS! If you are a women entrepreneur and would like to discuss resources in the Boston area, please drop me a line at Kara.Miller@boston.gov.
