Women's Entrepreneurship (WE) initiative launch

composite of several female faces combining to a single figure next to the words WE: Women Entrepreneurs

Access recordings of this event.

Hear from leading women and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Director Kathi Vidal at the launch of Women’s Entrepreneurship (WE), a community-focused, collaborative, and creative initiative to inspire women and tap their potential to meaningfully increase equity, job creation, and economic prosperity.

In celebration of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day on November 19 and President Biden’s recent proclamation naming November 2022 as National Entrepreneurship Month, on November 30 USPTO Director Kathi Vidal will be joined by several leading women entrepreneurs, funders, and strategists to launch a new initiative to increase and empower women entrepreneurs in the United States.

While women represent the fastest growing category of entrepreneurs worldwide, they remain severely underrepresented as business owners compared to men, and still struggle to acquire funding for their ventures. WE lifts women up with a community-based approach that builds upon the USPTO's successful Women's Entrepreneurship Symposium.

The program will feature stories and advice from successful women leaders, entrepreneurs, and funders as well as resources to help women get started, protect their IP, fund their ideas, and expand their network of mentors and advisors.

Speakers include:

  • Alejandra Castillo, U.S. Assistant Secretary, Economic Development Administration, Department of Commerce
  • Shelly Kapoor Collins, Founding Partner, Shatter Fund, and Partner, Sway Ventures
  • Lisa Dyson, Founder & CEO, Air Protein
  • Kara Goldin, Founder, Hint 
  • Madeleine Key, Senior Strategist, Key Media 
  • Carrie Lee, Chief of Staff, Minority Business Development Agency, Department of Commerce
  • Pattie Sellers, Co-CEO, SellersEaston Media; Co-Founder, Fortune’s Most Powerful Women (MPW)
  • Qyana M. Stewart, CEO & Principal, Consultant of GlobalForce Tech Consulting, LLC; President, GlobalForce For Girls, Inc.
  • Sarah Megan Thomas, Actress, Producer, Writer   
  • Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Director, Department of Commerce
  • With pre-recorded remarks by Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo

The event has limited in-person attendance at the Clara Barton Auditorium at USPTO headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia (advanced registration required). The event will also be available to watch via livestream. For more information, please email WE.

Accessibility accommodation

Accessibility

If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation, please submit your request to the contact information listed above.

CLE Header
This event is part of a series: Advancing Equity, Women's Entrepreneurship