My tribe of female founders
In October 2020, Columbia University started a program called Project Two.Eight and selected a handful of female founders to participate in this free incubator. The founders had a connection to Columbia, either as an alumna of the university, the business school, the journalism school, or the medical school, among others. The name is derived from the fact that only 2.8% of all venture capital goes to companies with female founders.
We met Saturday mornings for 4 hours over a span of 12 weeks. During this time, we heard from experts in a myriad of fields — all shedding light on various aspects of being an entrepreneur that we needed to focus on, from marketing to fundraising and beyond. We showed up each week, frequently with kiddos clamoring in the background, and occasionally on our laps.
The program ended in December, and we’ve kept in touch on a regular cadence where we share our decisions and challenges and serve as thought partners for each other to overcome the questions of the week. We support each other with our time, our brain power, and our connections, even selflessly working to get each other featured in publications that will help our brands grow.
When we think about our journeys and the beauty of the process, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude to part of the Project Two.Eight tribe. I encourage you to find those who support them and are willing to give their time, resources, and energy to promote your passion. If the end result is anywhere as beautiful and inspiring as the journey, I know we’ll all end up in a great place.
Sheeva Abolhassani leads ASD 123: an interactive platform targeting areas of deficits for children with autism with a particular niche in the area of voice.
Manju Dawkins, MD leads Thimbl (powered by Achelon): a platform of pain and anxiety-reducing products designed for needle procedures.
Anna Gannon leads Curbicus: a patent-pending, hardware device that provides a clean, compostable solution to dog waste for urban pet parents.
Bonnie Gurry and Elizabeth Landau lead GreenPortfolio, which helps you use your personal finances to take action against the climate crisis by recommending investments, bank accounts, and other financial products that invest in renewable energy.
Jennifer Jaki Johnson leads WellMiss™: an inclusive wellness brand of nature-infused skincare and supplements that fosters community and self-care practices to help women take on their daily wellness challenges.
I run Marengo: a boutique firm that connects clients with coaches, both for personal goal setting and executive coaching for leadership teams.
Nora Geier leads CareersKitchen: a digital, gamified career development program empowers early professionals to find and pursue their ideal career for success and happiness at work.
Hao Li leads Multipliciti: a B2B marketplace to buy and sell sustainable building materials. Our goal is to manufacture future buildings with a global network of manufacturers.
A big thanks to Courtland Thomas, J.J. Sass, Carmen Ferreyra, and especially to Shashi Srikantan for facilitating an incredible program with top notch speakers. We wouldn’t be here without you.
https://columbiaventurecommunity.com/project-two-eight-columbia-female-founder-accelerator
