This week’s Startup Week Chattanooga will include a forum-style discussion on Women & Business: Facts, Fiction & Forecast, offered for free to the public by a woman-owned
and directed public relations agency, Feminology LLC.
The event will concentrate around the challenges facing women today in the path to starting and owning their own businesses, and examine what the community offer in terms of necessary tools and resources. The “Superwoman” crash course and panel discussion will feature a diverse group of area business and civic leaders who have a passion for startups and entrepreneurship in a
group panel discussion moderated by Amanda Jelks of Jelks Law Firm.
Keynote speaker Julia Maltby will lead the discussion and share insights about being the
Pitch Advisor for the NY Media Center 2015 Demo Day program, working for Plum Alley, and
being a leader in the entrepreneurial movement.
“It only makes sense for Chattanooga, well-known as a city for startups, to take a look at
what we’re doing relative to creating a path-to-market for women,” said Sheri Young,
founder/CEO of Feminology, LLC., the sponsor of the event. “Not every great startup fits the bill
for an incubator, an off-the-shelf growth model, or a tech-savvy investor. But our community is
rich with innovative people and business ideas that, when brought to life, can positively impact
the economy, our families, and create jobs.”
According to the National Women’s Business Council, in 2012 there were 9.9 million
women-owned business in the United States, and these businesses generated $1.6 trillion in
receipts. “These stats have only risen in recent years and further demonstrate that
women-owned businesses undeniably affect our economy nationally,” Ms. Young added. “Add to
these stats the fact that more and more women are becoming single income providers for
dependent children and are looking for ways to thrive economically while caring for their
families. This event is about bringing us all together as a business community to evaluate what
we’re doing, or not doing, to move the needle.”
The panel is comprised of Alex Lavidge, director of GIGTANK 2015; Tiffanie Robinson,
director of Operations at Lamp Post Group and founding board member of The JumpFund;
Scott Maucere, founder and CEO of PUSHTOSTART; Keri Randolph, director of Learning at
the Southeast Tennessee STEM Innovation Hub; Mary Sedrick, Director of the Women’s
Business Center at BrightBridge Inc.; Darin Wright, founder of local downtown retail cosmetics
boutique, Elea Blake Cosmetics; Laura Hessler, owner of local business, The HR Shop; and
Pamela Morris, managing partner for Freight Depot Accounting.
The event is a part of Startup Week Chattanooga, a celebration of Chattanooga’s entrepreneurial community. The event will be on Oct. 15, noon-1:30 p.m. at the Bessie Smith
Cultural Center, 200 East Martin Luther King Blvd.. A free boxed lunch is
offered.
For more information and to RSVP, visit https://femstartupweekcha.splashthat.com/, or register for the event at www.startupweekcha.com.