Latest news with #femalefounders
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Meghan Markle's best friends pose up a storm at intimate Montecito dinner for female founders - but Duchess of Sussex is nowhere to be seen
Meghan Markle's besties posed up a storm at a luxury dinner for female founders - but the Duchess of Sussex was nowhere to be seen. Abigail Spencer and Delfina Blaquier - both of whom appeared on their longtime friend's Netflix series With Love, Meghan - were among the 'Montecito Girls' in attendance at the intimate gathering hosted by shoe designer Jamie Haller. The influencers shared a series of snaps and photos from the stunning event commemorating the opening of the Californian brand's first store. Flowers, personalised name-cards and curated menus all channeled a very As Ever aesthetic - but Meghan herself didn't appear to be present, possibly busy with the launch of her upcoming site restock. Food from trendy Italian restaurant Ospi coated the tales, including pizzas, pastas and al fresco antipasti perfect for the summer evening, while local vineyard Coquelicot Wines provided drinks. Complementing the porch set-up, candles adorned the setting while guests - which included fashion company owners from the area, such as Clare Vivier, Janessa Leoné, Emily Current and Meritt Elliott - enjoyed conversing. Social media posts from the night also featured a speech made by Jamie, as supporters gushed of their pride of her entrepreneurial drive. Meghan's former Suits co-star Abigail, 43, has been pals with the Duchess after they first met in 2007 at an audition; but they became closer once they became co-stars on the legal drama. The influencers shared a series of snaps and photos from the stunning event commemorating the opening of the Californian brand's first store The Duchess played Rachel Zane - a paralegal who later became an attorney - in the series and Abigail was cast as lawyer Dana Scott. Elsewhere Delfina Figueras, 44, bonded with Meghan as she is the socialite wife of Harry's polo-playing chum Nacho Figueras. Both she and Delfina took a myriad of selfies and videos from the event, boasting of a 'good start to a good night'. While Abigail sported a double denim ensemble, and accentuated her raven tresses with a bold red lip, Delfina contrasted her blonde locks with a black monochrome look. The duo huddled up close in snaps from the day - but Meghan may have likely been absent as she's busy following her release date for her new set of As Ever products, which is just days away. The Duchess took to Instagram on Monday evening to tease the 'delicious surprises' that will be in store during the second launch of her lifestyle brand. And she revealed that the products - which will also include previous 'favourites' - will be back even sooner than previously thought, with the restock going live on Friday, June 30 at 8am. She wrote on her As Ever Instagram account: 'Oh yes, honey…sweet things await. Mark your calendars for June 20 at 8 a.m. PT - we're bringing back your favorites, plus some delicious surprises you won't want to miss!' She added a picture of a stock of pancakes, topped with sweet raspberries and a generous drizzle of honey. As implied by the caption, Meghan's honey will be set to make a return - and it's likely her famous jam will also be up for grabs. In a newsletter to fans, she added: 'First off, a sincere thank you for making the debut of As ever absolutely extraordinary. We had a feeling there would be excitement, but to see everything sell out in less than an hour was an amazing surprise. 'We are pleased to share that on June 20th, we're going live with the products you love – plus, some new delicious surprises.' And posting on her personal Instagram account, she said 'so much love has gone into this'. After reports she had decided to 'pause' restocking the line, Meghan earlier this month revealed that As Ever would indeed be making a return. Alongside a snapshot of bowls of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries resting on a kitchen countertop, she wrote: 'To all who've been wondering and waiting, thank you! 'Your favorites are returning, plus a few NEW things we can't wait to show you. Coming this month... get excited!' The original As Ever range went on sale in March and products sold out within half an hour of going live. Meghan's first line of products included raspberry spread, honey, herbal tea and ready made crepe mix - all of which received a less than stellar review by Daily Mail's FEMAIL team. The shock announcement of an initial restock came shortly after she released a bonus episode of her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder where Meghan told of the difficulties of building her firm and 'tears' she has shed behind the scenes to Beyonce's mother Tina Knowles. She said of the April launch of As Ever goods including jam that a 'scarcity mentality at the beginning might be a hook for people,' comparing it to 'a sneaker drop'. But Meghan 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.' The Duchess 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."' Just a few weeks prior, the mother-of two had hinted that she might never restock her jam in an interview with a US business magazine which said she was planning to 'step back to assess' her brand. In the interview - given to coincide with the final episode of Confessions of a Female Founder - the Fast Company said Meghan wanted to 'step back, gather data from the launch, and figure out exactly what As Ever could be.' Her previous store sold out in 45 minutes and contained homely items as well as her long-awaited pots of jam. Addressing her first online shop, Meghan said Netflix agreed that rather than market her products under their brand, it would make sense for her to have her own store. Meghan also reportedly plans to add hotels and restaurants to her As Ever lifestyle brand. The Duchess is said to be trademarking her brand As Ever for 'hospitality services', The Sun first reported. This will allegedly include places to stay, as well as temporary lodgings and 'provision of food and drink', the newspaper revealed last week. Meghan could dish up a selection of her own edible creations, incorporating recipes she featured on her recent Netflix eight-part cooking show With Love, Meghan. Brand experts have claimed hotels and restaurants fit in nicely with the Duchess' business brand. Her lifestyle brand's website states: 'As Ever is more than a brand - it's a love language. 'Created by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, As Ever welcomes you to a collection of products, each inspired by her long-lasting love of cooking, entertaining and hostessing.' Meghan's representatives previously declined to comment when approached by MailOnline.
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Forbes' Richest Self-Made Women In The World 2025
It's never been a better time for women entrepreneurs – at least by the numbers. There are now an estimated 658 million female founders and company owners worldwide, compared to 772 million men, per the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Nearly two-thirds are early stage entrepreneurs, compared to less than half of their male counterparts. 'Women's entrepreneurship is the number one policy solution to things like health deficits and education deficits,' says Amanda Elam, who authored GEM's latest Women's Entrepreneurship Report. 'The types of businesses women start are [also in locations that are] fun to live in. And it turns out companies like to build their operations in places like that. So in international development, there's been this awakening.' As a nod to the triumphs and challenges for this cohort, for the first time ever, Forbes has compiled a standalone global ranking of the world's 50 richest self-made women. These ceiling breakers—who have made their fortunes in everything from collagen to coal—hail from 13 nations and four continents (there are currently none from Africa or South America). Altogether they are worth $276 billion, or $5.5 billion on average. That's $10 billion less than what the top 50 were worth at their peak in 2021, but $158 million higher than in 2017 – the first year Forbes tracked that many self-made women. The richest self-made woman in the world is Swiss shipping magnate Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, with a net worth of $38.8 billion. She and her husband Gianluigi Aponte started and co-own the Mediterranean Shipping Company, now the world's largest shipping line, with over 136,000 employees, 900 vessels and 675 offices. Rafaela started the Mediterranean Shipping Company with a $200,000 loan, which the couple used to finance their first ship and eventually expanded to a fleet of 17 in nine years. At 80, she's still in charge of designing the interiors and decorations of ships and sits on the board of the MSC foundation, the company's philanthropic arm. At a distant number two is America's Diane Hendricks, (estimated net worth: $22.3 billion) cofounder of ABC Supply, one of the biggest distributors of roofing, siding and more. She is one of 18 Americans in the top 50, including such high profile women as Oprah Winfrey and Sheryl Sandberg. Admission to this elite, 50-member club is $2.1 billion, meaning high profile executives and entrepreneurs like SpaceX's Gwynn Shotwell, Spanx's Sara Blakely, Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift simply aren't rich enough—for now. China, including Hong Kong, also has 18 citizens on the list, the richest of whom is Zhong Huijuan. Based in China's Jiangsu province and reportedly a former chemistry teacher, Zhong started Hansoh Pharmaceuticals in 1995 and got her big break four years later with Gainuo, a first-line drug for advanced lung cancer. Traded in Hong Kong, and boasting $1.7 billion in annual revenue, Hansoh specializes in treatments for oncology, anti-infections and autoimmune diseases. China has long been a leader in terms of women entrepreneurs. 'In the Chinese tradition, women are accustomed to wielding significant power and influence,' Ming-Jer Chen, a professor at the University of Virginia and an expert on East-West businesses, wrote in a 2020 article, which also noted that Chinese word for 'wife' is pronounced the same as the word for equal, 'qi.' Nearly half the list – 24 women – hail from Asia-Pacific, followed by North America with 20 and Europe with six. Aussie Melanie Perkins, who cofounded design software firm Canva in 2013, is the youngest of the bunch, at age 38. Next youngest is Russia's Tatyana Kim (49), a former English teacher who went on to found her nation's largest online retailer, Wildberries. These women operate in 14 industries but their most common route to wealth has been technology, with 14 deriving their fortunes from that sector. The richest among this group is Zhou Qunfei (estimated net worth: $10 billion), who chairs Hunan-based Lens Technology, a maker of touch screens whose customers include Apple, Samsung and Tesla. A former migrant factory worker, she founded the precursor to the company in 1993 and has grown the business to more than 136,000 employees and $9.5 billion in annual sales. The next most common industry, with just five, is retail, and includes two cofounders of China's fast fashion juggernaut Shein. While more women are moving into entrepreneurship than ever before, there is still a vast gap between men and women in terms of their level of success, at least as measured by their personal net worths. The world's 50 richest self-made men are worth $3.8 trillion, 14 times as much as the 50 wealthiest females. Altogether there are 1,920 men across the globe who have built billion-dollar fortunes, more than 18 times as many as women. The planet's self-made billionaires are worth a collective $11.2 trillion. Men—led by the likes of Elon Musk, Larry Ellison and Mark Zuckerberg—hold $10.8 trillion of that wealth, or 96%, leaving the most successful women around the globe with just 4% of the pie. Still there is plenty of reason for optimism, starting with the fact that self-made women now make up 3.5% of the entire billionaire set, a small percentage but about 50% higher than their share back in 2017. To compile net worths, Forbes valued individual assets including stakes in public companies using stock prices from June 13, 2025. We valued private companies by consulting with outside experts and conservatively comparing them with public companies. To be eligible for the list, women have to have substantially made their own fortunes. While none inherited their wealth, some climbed farther and overcame more obstacles to get into the ranks.
Geek Wire
5 days ago
- Business
- Geek Wire
Female founders' paradox: 71% cite difficulties in fundraising, but also strongly optimistic
GeekWire's startup coverage documents the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial scene. Sign up for our weekly startup newsletter , and check out the GeekWire funding tracker and venture capital directory . Leslie Feinzaig, founder and general partner of Graham & Walker and founder of Female Founders Alliance, presenting at a recent event with women entrepreneurs in New York City. (Graham & Walker Photo) In the eight years since a Seattle group launched to support female entrepreneurs, funding for women-led startups in the U.S. has actually declined. From 2017 to last year, their share of venture capital dollars to slid from 2.6% down to 2%, according to PitchBook. That organization, Female Founders Alliance (FFA), today is sharing results from a survey of 180 women who lead early-stage tech companies in North America, illuminating their entrepreneurial experience. The 'Forged in Fire' report poses the knotty question of whether anything has changed for female founders. For Leslie Feinzaig, founder and general partner of Graham & Walker, the VC firm that operates FFA, the answer is 'not a lot.' Leslie Feinzaig, founder and general partner for Graham & Walker. (LinkedIn Photo) Highlights from the survey, which drew heavily from leaders in Washington, California and New York and was conducted in February and March, include: 71% of respondents said raising money in their last funding round was somewhat or much hard than expected 40% said gender was a top barrier to landing VC 79% report using AI, mostly for product development and marketing 36% said gender had a negative impact on their startup, while 39% said it created positive as well as negative impacts Despite revealing persistent hurdles, the leaders were still hopeful, with nearly three-quarters of respondents optimistic about hitting their next milestones. Reasons for that sunny outlook include strong product and customer momentum; market tailwinds, particularly for AI; and confidence in their team and strategy. And Feinzaig points to two notable improvements since she launched FFA that should generate positive returns: artificial intelligence is making it both easier to innovate and lowering the cost of deploying new technologies, and there's much more community today for female entrepreneurs to connect and network. Female-centered groups 'just became louder and more prominent,' she said. 'So it's easier for women to find each other.' While U.S. public policy around tariffs, regulations and immigration have created a heightened level of economic uncertainty for startups in general, some of the challenges faced by female leaders are gender specific. Some of those surveyed said investors approach them with an attitude of skepticism, rather than seeing the potential of their startup. 'They ask how we're not going to fail, versus asking males how they will succeed,' one respondent said. 'It's so biased.' Feinzaig noted that both male and female investors may take a more critical eye to women who pitch their companies. Respondents also noted that women don't always trumpet their accomplishments in the same way as men and can be more measured in their pitch. Those surveyed also called out bias when investors focus on women's responsibilities outside of work, such as caregiving for children and older parents, and consider that a liability. Some recalled being hit on. Another factor tamping down female-fundraising totals is women disproportionately launch companies selling to consumers, as opposed to selling to other businesses. And when it comes to landing funding, Feinzaig said, 'right now, consumer tech startups have it harder.' Feinzaig offered three points of advice for women considering the leap into entrepreneurship: 'Make sure the river runs deep, because you're going to be challenged and you're going to need to anchor yourself in why you're doing what you're doing over and over and over again,' she said, crediting serial entrepreneur Liz Pearce for advising her that strong personal convictions and fortitude are essential. Rohre Titcom, CEO of the WNBA's Seattle Storm, once asked her, 'When's the last time you were proud of doing something easy?' And so while launching a company is tough, Feinzaig said, 'I don't think non-founders will ever experience the incredible pride and fulfillment that comes from building something from nothing, and building something people care about and making a difference in someone's life.' And finally, Feinzaig said that while one shouldn't literally risk it all, 'there's really very little downside to trying. And if you fail, I promise you'll be okay. It might take a minute, it might sting, but it's not the end of the world, and you're going to be so much stronger for it.' The report doesn't aim to shame investors into writing checks to female-led companies, Feinzaig said. Rather it means to give founders a voice and realize they're not alone. 'We want them to be able to keep doing what they're doing and sort of set aside the things that they have no control over and focus on the things that they can,' she added. 'Just because the numbers are what they are, doesn't mean that you don't find your people and find your believers. You do, and it's just harder to get there.'
Washington Post
01-06-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
‘Femtech' takes on the women's health-care marketplace
Could you use some discreet help with birth control from a $14.99-a-month period-tracking app? How about a hands-free, wearable breast pump, for $549; a $299 wristband to soothe hot flashes; or an extra-slim, temperature-neutral, LED-lit speculum to bring to gynecologists' appointments — part of a $125 kit including 'comfy socks'? These products and more are part of a fast-growing industry known as 'femtech' — high-tech solutions for women's health needs — whose many female founders say they're tackling age-old inequities.
Fast Company
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
How Meghan built her pioneering partnership with Netflix
Meghan carries many titles these days. Besides being the Duchess of Sussex, she's a podcaster, a philanthropist, a children's book author, the star of a Netflix show, and the founder of a direct-to-consumer startup. But when I sit down to speak with her, she says she's recently taken on a new role: that of Tooth Fairy. Archie, her 6-year-old son, recently lost his first tooth. Meghan rushed home to ensure she could be the one to leave a little money and a small dinosaur under his pillow. At 2 a.m., Archie woke Meghan up excitedly to tell her what had happened. 'I had a lot of business meetings the next morning, but I still chose to cuddle with him the rest of the night,' she says. 'Those mom moments energize me to be a better founder, a better employer, a better boss.' These are the kinds of work life details that Meghan likes to get into in her podcast series, Confessions of a Female Founder, made with the production company Lemonada Media (which is also behind podcasts by Sarah Silverman and David Duchovny, among others). It has had more than 800,000 downloads since its April launch. On the show, Meghan talks with female founders about the origins of their business, along the lines of Guy Raz's How I Built This. But the show also has another dimension: It allows Meghan to get practical advice about launching her own lifestyle brand, As Ever. 'I'm pulling back the curtain to allow people to see the candid experience of being a founder,' Meghan says. In the eight-part series, she's spoken to guests ranging from Bumble's Whitney Wolfe Herd to Kitsch's Cassandra Thurswell. The finale, released May 27, features Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx and Sneex. A Pioneering Netflix Deal In her conversation with Blakely, Meghan talks about how she partnered with Netflix to create As Ever, her new brand, which launched in February. The line included products like tea, jams, honey, cookie mixes, and her iconic 'flower sprinkles,' which are edible flower petals that spruce up dishes (priced between $9 and $28). Over the past few years, even as Netflix's subscriber numbers have continued to show impressive growth (it added 18.91 million subscribers, a year-over-year increase of 15.9%, in the fourth quarter of 2024), it has also been exploring how it can create products tied to the content of shows. The streaming service now has an online shop that sells everything from cosplay costumes for Squid Game to Stranger Things bomber jackets. With Bridgerton, one of Netflix's biggest hits, the streaming service produced its own products, like coffee mugs, but also licensed Bridgerton branding to other companies, like Hill House Home and Selkie, to produce dresses. Meghan says that she had been exploring various ways of launching a business when Bela Bajaria, Netflix's chief content officer, approached her. 'At the time, I had been working towards building out my own in-house team,' Meghan says. 'But I had a complete U-turn because I completely bought into the vision she was sharing, which is where content and commerce meet, not in a product placement way, but rather in an ideological way.' In many ways, this is a pioneering partnership for Netflix. Along with Meghan, the Netflix team decided that it made sense for As Ever to exists on its own, without any Netflix branding. This is why the line isn't called, 'With Love, Meghan,' like the show. 'The brand is in the same universe at the show, but they're not the same,' Meghan says. Meghan also points out that Netflix is not just a financial backer. The company's consumer packaged goods team works closely with Meghan's team to manufacture the products. 'We are on calls daily, working through product development, SKUs, and inventory,' she says. 'We have a field trip tomorrow to look at different manufacturers and suppliers as we expand the brand.' What Comes Next for As Ever As Ever's first collection was a runaway success. Meghan says that even though the team spent a year preparing the line and forecasting demand, all the products on the site sold out in 45 minutes. Now, they're trying to plan As Ever's next phase. The easiest thing to do would have been to simply restock the products, which would likely sell out very quickly again. But instead, Meghan wants to take a step back, gather data from the launch, and figure out exactly what As Ever could be. She says she's planning to announce new products in the first quarter of 2026. There are some clues about what new items might be in the pipeline. Meghan's trademark application for her brand includes things like cookbooks, tableware, cutlery, and serving ware. 'I want to really focus on the hospitality angle of As Ever, but as we take the learnings, we can understand what the customer's needs are seasonally,' she says. There are now many models for successful celebrity brands. As Meghan contemplates what comes next, there are many directions she could go, from focusing on a single product category, like Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Kim Kardashian's SKIMS, to a broader play, like Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop and Jessica Alba's The Honest Company. But for now, she believes it makes sense to build a brand around a single idea. 'My heart is very deeply in my home,' she says. 'Everything comes from being rooted in the love story of your home and garden, and then you can imagine different verticals coming out of that.' In the future, though, the sky's the limit. I ask whether she might explore a clothing business, since many women are drawn to her personal style. 'The category of fashion is something I will explore at a later date, because I do think that's an interesting space for me,' she says. As she continues building As Ever, there's a good chance we'll hear about her twists and turns through through a podcast. There's interest in doing a second season of Confessions of a Female Founder, and many female founders have approached her to be a guest on the series. But Meghan is now involved in such a wide range of projects, she's sure to find some way to tell her story. 'If I had to write a résumé, I don't know what I would call myself,' she says. 'I think it speaks to this chapter many of us find ourselves in, where none of us are one note. But I believe all the notes I am playing are part of the same song.'
