During Women’s History Month, we want to remember the strong women throughout history and the women in our everyday lives who add immeasurable value to our world. To them, we say thank you — not only for the incredible achievements of national and global importance, but for the unseen work they do behind the scenes.
It is no secret that women-led startups have been hit especially hard by COVID-19. In fact, venture capital fundraising for women-led brands was down by about one-third in 2020. The bright news is that we expect these startups to bounce back, especially once the pandemic lifts.
In honor of female luminaries, we want to shine a light on 3 women who lead their own start-ups and continue to evolve their industry.
Psst, stay tuned… We include an extra special feature at the end!
Without further ado, let’s introduce them!
Saniya Shah
With an undergrad engineering degree from Boston University and an MBA from Cornell, Saniya Shah is no stranger to technology. She is the CEO and co-founder of the travel tech startup, Pilota, which launched a new product in 2020 — FlySafe. This product uses artificial intelligence to help travelers to assess their health and safety risks while they plan and book their trips.
Her company is one of the first to bring this solution to the market, which is crucial during the age of COVID-19.
Emily Kennedy
Emily Kennedy is the CEO of Marinus Analytics, a startup that uses artificial intelligence to help law enforcement track down victims of sex trafficking. Working alongside professors and researchers at Carnegie Mellon, where Kennedy received her degree, she helped develop Traffic Jam. This software uses AI, such as facial recognition software, to aid law enforcement in finding missing victims and taking down criminal networks.
Just in 2019, Traffic Jam helped identify 3,800 victims.
Jasmine Crowe
As founder and CEO of Goodr, Jasmine Crowe helps major U.S. cities tackle the issue of food waste. In the U.S alone, we discard over half of the produce we grow. That’s why Crowe facilitated a tech solution that connects restaurants and grocery stores with nursing homes, shelters, and other community locations.
Here’s how it works: The service is available in Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., Seattle, and Philadelphia. A restaurant manager can use the Goodr app or website to indicate which items they can donate. Once a Goodr freelance driver picks up the order, they deliver it to places in need.
They have already diverted about 1 million pounds of food away from landfills.
Now For Our Special Feature…
Drumroll please! During Women’s History Month, we want to highlight someone special to us.
If you didn’t know already, ZenChange is a woman-led company. Our founder and CEO is Diane Moura. With a track record of consulting with 30 of the Fortune 500 companies, she is not only a talented speaker and workshop facilitator, but an experienced marketer and business executive. She’s guided our marketing team to help bring more website visitors, sales, and clients for small businesses since 2012.
Support Local Women-Owned Businesses
Take the time this Women’s History Month (every month!) to support your local women-led businesses. They’re essential pieces to the backbone of our small business economy.