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Project W: Changing the World One Company at a Time

The Trailblazing Founders in the Third Cohort of Project W’s Tech Equity Hub
07.11.23
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Launched in 2021 with a mission to help Black and Latinx female founders overcome the unique and often insurmountable challenges they face, the Tech Equity Hub has accelerated two cohorts of visionary founders, equipping them with the knowledge, resources, and connections necessary to reach their full potential. We are thrilled to welcome the founders in our third cohort who, over the course of twelve weeks, will participate in workshops, spend 1:1 time with mentors, build relationships for a lifetime with their fellow founders, and assemble in New York City at the end of the program for a pitch evening and other opportunities to make valuable connections.

 

These are the women to watch:

 

Adeola Ajani

Inspired by her own experience of being paid 40% less than her male counterparts, Adeola founded Fem Equity, a tech-enabled social impact organization that aims to disrupt the multibillion-dollar gender pay gap by providing resources and coaching.

 

Maria Artunduaga

Abandoning a career as a plastic surgeon after she lost her abuela to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Maria founded Samay, which means “to breathe deeply” in Quechua. Samay is developing an innovative home lung monitoring system that more accurately diagnoses COPD so that others will not lose their loved ones to this disease.
 
Abidemi Awojuyigbe
Accustomed to using her deep knowledge of technology and engineering to solving complex problems, Abidemi is on a mission to break down the unequal access to funding for higher education, a mission that is more important now than ever. She co-founded Scholist to ensure that everyone has access to scholarship funding regardless of color, race, background, and culture.
 
Alex Cusell
With a passion for creating beautifully designed technology that solves meaningful problems, Alex is doing just that with Jisell—helping consumers manage their gift cards, connecting brands with their customers, and, along the way, addressing the problem of the billions of pounds of plastic waste generated by gift cards.
 
Ursula De la Sotta Rubio
What began as a way to share important values with her own children and children of friends became Cuentología, the company Ursula founded to help Spanish-speaking parents raise self-confident, well-adjusted children through social emotional storytelling.
 
Elena Givens
With over twenty years in healthcare systems management, Elena is helping consumers make informed financial decisions about their healthcare. Her company, Healthcare Dollar, uses national healthcare facilities and medical benefits coverage data to provide consumers with complete elective-procedure cost estimation.
 
Celena Green
Committed to increasing economic empowerment and creating inclusive prosperity, Celena founded ProsperWorks to solve the hourly essential worker retention crisis, expand economic opportunity for employees, and strengthen businesses through employee ownership.
 
Carolyn Treviño Jenkins
As a cancer survivor and technology C-Suite leader, Carolyn was inspired by her personal and professional experiences to found We Are Here, which provides access to resources, support, and everyday services throughout treatment and beyond to people affected by cancer.
 
Vanessa Karel
With a passion for seeing life through someone else’s eyes, Vanessa founded Greether, a travel platform that aims to change the way women travel and support each other around the world.
 
Romina Silva
A climate and social justice advocate, Romina is passionate about tackling waste through innovation and technology. She founded FoodWare to introduce the takeaway container market to the circular economy.
 
Daniela Terminel
After over 15 years of disrupting industries and fostering entrepreneurship worldwide, Daniela has taken on the furniture industry with her proprietary technology that enables furniture to be made stronger, lighter, more durable, and more eco-friendly. Elephant in a Box, which Daniela co-founded, is on a mission to be for furniture and other verticals what Gore-Tex is for clothing.
 
Faith “Aya” Umoh
Leveraging her expertise as a data scientist, Faith (or “Aya”) has developed cutting-edge AI software to create visual narratives that transcend traditional storytelling. Her company, Creative Aya, builds bridges between brands and audiences by elevating cultures that are in the process of erasure and by amplifying experiences that have been historically marginalized.

Follow these founders and see how they drive meaningful change across industries and the globe.

 

If you would like to meet any of these founders, please contact Emily Baum at emilybaum@dwt.com.

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