Women Entrepreneurs We Love
Women's History Month is wrapping up, and we want to use this time to celebrate our fellow female entrepreneurs who are out there hustling every day. Through our network, we've been introduced to some incredible ladies over the years. Some are longtime entrepreneur veterans, while others are just starting out with a leap of faith and their talent. Either way, they continually inspire us with their innovation and work ethic.
To close out Women's History Month, members of our team rounded up some ladies we love, whose startups we think you should know about!
Rachel Benyola of Annee London
Rachel is an innovative inventor and good friend, who also got on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list with us this year! Her company is actually pre-launch, but when The London launches this summer it's going to be quite a thing. It's a foldable bike helmet with customizable fashion straps, that's actually scientifically proven to be safer than regular bike helmets. c'MON. Fashionable, functional and super safe? This is a must have for bike enthusiasts. -JESS
Kate McLeod's Body Stones
Kate McLeod is a Brooklyn-based entrepreneur who crafts a product I absolutely love and use every day. Her Body Stones are a luxurious way to moisturize your body, especially during dry winter months. The "stones" are made of solid oils that melt on contact. It doesn't leave a sticky or waxy residue, there's no flaking and, of course, it's all natural. -JESS
The Women of Worn Creative
When PiperWai began to rapidly grow, we turned to Worn Creative for a full rebrand. We worked with them on a website update, new product labels, messaging, photography and a new logo. What's special about Worn is the agency is 100 percent female run and operated and it works specifically with women-led businesses on all things strategy, branding and design. -SARAH
Gianne of W.E.L.L. Summit
W.E.L.L. Summit is one of our longest partnerships. We've participated in their events since 2016, when they were just one conference. Since then, W.E.L.L. Summit has become a full-blown community with multiple conferences in various cities. We love being on this journey with W.E.L.L. Summit, being part of their events, participating in an Instagram takeover and being welcomed into their community with open arms. -SARAH
Amy, Shelby and Jackie of Soom Foods
Soom's products are fabulous because I'm allergic to both tree nuts and peanuts. I used to always be jealous of my friends who could eat nutella, but I had really hard time finding any comparable products. Sure, there are some soy butters and sunflower seed butters available, but it wasn't until I tried Soom's Chocolate Sweet Tahini that I really felt like I had found an equivalent substitute.
I put this stuff anywhere you'd normally put peanut butter or nutella: on toast, on french toast, mixed into oatmeal, to make tahini fudge (seriously, just swap the peanut butter in a fudge recipe out for Soom's Sesame Tahini and it's awesome), in cookies, in smoothies, straight in my mouth, all of it.
Sesame's high protein content makes it an awesome substitute for peanut butter, just without the anaphylactic shock. My husband is equally satisfied using Soom's products in the place of peanut butter or Nutella, so it helps us feel normal and snack healthily. -OLIVIA
Aiste of Devinto
My aunt owns an eco-conscious clothing line, Devinto, with each piece made to order and all scraps considered for repurposing. She also emphasizes maintaining a smaller wardrobe with more versatility to prevent the urge to purge and replenish seasonally.
The fashion industry can be an extremely unethical and globally destructive world... From just a quick google search: "These numbers mirror national averages: Americans recycle or donate only 15 percent of their used clothing, and the rest—about 10.5 million tons a year—goes into landfills, giving textiles one of the poorest recycling rates of any reusable material." This just articulates the amount of clothing going into the landfill... not the blood, sweat, tears and textile weaving behind each piece at it's creation. If you'd like to learn more about the impact your favorite t-shirt or trousers have on the overall world around you, I encourage you to check out the movie The True Cost. -CASSI
Arielle of Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse
Another one of my favorite female-owned businesses is a neighborhood comics and coffee shop. Amalgam Comics combines my two loves: coffee and pop culture. They host creative, fun events and offer a comfortable and open environment for people in the community to hang out at. -CASSI
Autumn of SmooveGal Beauty
I was recently introduced to Autumn and her company, SmooveGal, through Twitter. I saw so much of Jess and Sarah in the way she hustles and knew she had something special going on. She is 19 years old, taking college courses and is already an entrepreneur with her own line of false eyelashes. Autumn took a leap of faith and invested $180 and the last of her scholarship check into product, packaging and shipping material for her company, as well as an upscaled hot dog cart to sell her lashes out of. Customers prefer her brand to big-box cosmetics brands because SmooveGal lashes can be reused up to 25 times. I'm particularly a big fan of Autumn's because of how much she's accomplished in such a short time. I remember my first two years of college and couldn't imagine going to school and running my own business. She is a literal wonder woman. -LINDSAY
Ahlam of Dirty Lamb
Another one of my favorite female entrepreneurs is Ahlam, who is behind the life-changing Dirty Lamb brand. I've struggled with hormonal breakouts my entire adult life and had pretty much given up. I had tried prescriptions, hundred-dollar creams, natural remedies, basically any cruelty-free acne products I could get my hands on. I kept dreaming of the day I could walk into the world without foundation, but realized that day would never come. Until I met Ahlam, who introduced me to her brand. Since I started using her Turkish Coffee Face Mask a month ago, I have not had a single breakout. This is coming from the woman who previously woke up every day with a new zit. -LINDSAY
KJ and Amanda of Mented
I love Mented for its diverse cosmetics line. So many cosmetics companies offer limited skintone collections and Mented said nope to that noise. The company grew out of a conversation about nude lipstick. KJ and Amanda couldn't find the perfect shade, so they went ahead and created a whole line that fit everything they were looking for. Also unlike many of the big cosmetics companies out there, Mented is made in the U.S., vegan, paraben-free, non-toxic and cruelty free. The brand has also expanded its line, with an eyeshadow palette, nail polishes and lip glosses. -JIYUH
Joy of oh joy!
Like many of the PiperWai team members, Joy Cho of Oh Joy is originally from Philadelphia. Oh Joy first launched as a design studio in 2005 and eventually evolved into the lifestyle brand it is today. In 2015, Joy was featured on TIME's most influential people list. Her website features colorful accessories, home decor, travel gear and more. Joy's blog is full of DIY tips, favorite fashions, easy decor tutorials and lots of female empowerment. -LINDA
Alisha of Girls' Night In
Going out is so 2006. That's why Alisha Ramos created Girls' Night In Club, a newsletter for those who love the homebody life. Every Friday morning, Girls' Night In sends out a newsletter full of self care recommendations, from books to skincare, new styles and more. -LINDA
Kate Ryder of Maven
Recently, we partnered with Maven for a giveaway and I was introduced to the brand Kate built. Maven is the first digital clinic for women and connects women with medical professionals that offer better-tailored services to their needs. For women, navigating healthcare can be a challenge, especially when it comes to family planning and reproductive health. The format is pay as you go, and access to health information and services through Maven is often much less expensive than your average copay. -CARA
