Entrepreneurs gather at last year’s Women of Color Startup Party with a Purpose.
Anuradha Yadav, executive director of Women of Color Entrepreneurs, speaks at last year’s event.
Women of Color Entrepreneurs (WOCE) is gearing up for its fifth annual Women of Color Startup Party with a Purpose on Oct. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. to “celebrate women entrepreneurs and their champions who are taking Massachusetts to new heights.”
The celebration will take place at Commonwealth Pier Harborwalk at 200 Seaport Blvd.
“We started this to really highlight our work supporting women entrepreneurs in Massachusetts,” said Anuradha Yadav, executive director of WOCE. “We’re a nonprofit that provides long-term support to women entrepreneurs, and we’ve supported over 80 entrepreneurs since we’ve started in 2019.”
The nonprofit is honored to “celebrate these amazing women entrepreneurs and champions at our Startup Party with a Purpose and to bring together women entrepreneurs that we have supported in Massachusetts for the last eight years,” Yadav said in a press release.
“Successful women entrepreneurs are needed to build a strong and resilient economy. Congratulations to all of our amazing awardees,” Liz Powers, cofounder and CEO of ArtLifting and one of the awardees remarked, in a press release. “I’m deeply honored to receive the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from WOCE. ArtLifting was built on one belief: the artists with disabilities we work with deserve the opportunity to share their talents with the world — a real market for their work, not charity. WOCE is built on that same principle, widening the circle so more women entrepreneurs get the chance they’ve earned. I’m honored to be counted among them.”
Yadav added that the event also creates opportunities for awardees and attendees to get to know one another.
“We’ll be recognizing the awardees, but we will be creating some networking opportunities for all of the attendees to make it a great event for people to meet other people who you know can really change the trajectory of your business,” she said.
Among this year’s awardees are “Corporate Champion” Yie-Hsin Hung, president and CEO, State Street Investment Management; “Entrepreneur of the Year” Joanne Chang, pastry chef and co-owner of Flour Bakery+Cafe; “Entrepreneur of the Year” Liz Powers, cofounder and CEO, ArtLifting; “Community Champion” Foley Hoag LLP, legal excellence rooted in community impact since 1943; “Entrepreneur Champion” Dr. Shakenna K. Williams, MBA, PhD, executive director of the Babson College’s Frank & Eileen™ Institute for Women and Allies; and “Media Champion” Alberto Vasallo III, president and CEO, El Mundo Boston. The event will be hosted by Boston Globe business columnist, associate editor and host of Globe Opinion podcast “Say More,” Shirley Leung.
“It’s important to have events like this to celebrate all the great work, all the inspiring small businesses and entrepreneurs and business leaders in Massachusetts, and to just connect in person, meeting in person, and just having opportunities to network is so important,” Yadev said.
ON THE WEB
Learn more at woce.us/events/startup-party-with-a-purpose