Category: Industry Specific

New thing? Subscription Models For Restaurants

Restaurants, including large chains like Panera and P.F. Chang’s, but also local eateries and coffee shops are increasingly adopting subscription models to secure steady revenue and customer loyalty. These subscriptions can offer perks like free delivery, favorite dish selections or free beverages. According to this online piece on AP News, this model is capitalizing on the growing trend of Americans who subscribe to various services like streaming and groceries. While it hasn’t become a dominant aspect of the restaurant marketplace, it is something that small businesses might want to consider to stay engaged and competititve.

Thinking About Your Company Footprint

Even if you are a small business, you can still be thinking about ways in which you can reduce your environmental impact. This article posted in Entrepreneur shares 8 items to consider when determining practical ways to reduce your company’s impact on the planet. From energy efficiency in the office to flex scheduling to rethinking the office supplies you purchase, every change we make helps to make a difference.

Incorporating AI Into A Small Business

This article in Forbes discusses the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on small businesses and how AI can yield potential benefits. Specific areas where AI can be applied include analysis, customer care, marketing, operational efficiency, and recommendation algorithms. The article emphasizes the need for careful consideration before integrating AI, taking into account company size, resources, and operational goals. It also highlights steps for small businesses to follow, including defining goals, assessing tasks suitable for AI, conducting cost-benefit analysis, and tracking progress. Take a look at the piece and consider how AI can help you work smarter and not harder!

Black Female Founder Shares Experience in Raising Venture Funding For Her Health-Related Startup

Vanessa Rissetto (left) and Tamar Samuels (right) cofounded Culina Health. 
Lauren Anzevino

In this article from Business Insider, Vanessa Rissetto, co-founder of Culina Health, a digital platform connecting clients with nutritionists for virtual sessions, has raised $9.75 million in venture-capital investments. Rissetto discusses the importance of investing in women of color and leveraging investor relationships, while acknowledging the difficulty of fundraising for Black women founders in healthcare.

Chanae Richards Shares Her Journey Launching oloro interiors

Chanae Richards is the CEO & Principal Designer of ọlọrọ interiors, an interior design firm with offices in Philadelphia and New York. Chanae is also a graduate of the Women’s Entrepreneurship certificate program. She was recently featured in this article and video in Black Enterprise. We are so proud of the amazing journey she has been on and can’t wait to see where success next leads her!

Abena Foli Shares Her Startup Journey with POKS Spices

Featured recently in this article in the Cornell Chronicle, Abena Foli shares how her inspiration to bring West African flavors to the US marketplace was the idea behind her launch of POKS Spices. Foli is a graduate of the Bank of America Institute for Women’s Entrepreneurship certificate program and discusses how specific coursework as well as the connections made in the program opened her eyes to funding and resources that were available to launch and scale her business. We are so proud of all that she had achieved so far and can’t wait to see where POKS Spices goes next!

No More Greenwashing for Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney, famous English fashion designer and daughter of British singer-songwriter Paul McCartney, has always been a staunch supporter of animal rights and environmentalism and is known for the use of animal-free alternatives in her fashion work. This article in The Story Exchange shares how McCartney is now taking her designs to the next level. In one example, she is producing a parka made from Econyl which is a regenerated nylon created from discarded fishing nets and other plastic waste that is 100 percent recycled and recyclable. With the fashion industry being one of the most polluting industries, this is a fantastic step forward. Click the link above to read more.

Two Entrepreneurs Enabling Safer Travel for Women

Srishti Mendhekar and Priyansha Mishra are the founders of On Her Way, a platform that connects women travelers to a local woman who can help them awareness about safe spaces and general information about the area. “Women have needs and issues, which can be broadly categorized into safety and hygiene, and no one is solving that. The current travel ecosystem is made by men for men. We want to change that,” says Srishti. Read more by accessing an article about how they founded their startup in YourStory.com.

All Women eXXpedition Sailing Crews Tackle Ocean Plastic

Led by ocean advocate and skipper Emily Penn and founded in 2014, the nonprofit organization eXXpedition strives to shift the way people feel, think and act by building a global network of multidisciplinary women who can contribute to world-class scientific studies, explore solutions, and use their unique skill sets to tackle the problem from all angles. eXXpedition has been on a mission to “make the unseen, seen”—the unseen being women in sailing and science, the plastics and toxins polluting our oceans, and the diverse solutions to the problem. Read more about their work in this Upworthy article.