‘High-growth women entrepreneurship is a unique path’: We Own It Summit

The We Own It Summit kicked off with an Angel Bootcamp, led by Susan Preston of the Kansas-based Angel Resource Institute. Preston gave the audience an introduction to angel investing.

“We’re aligned with our entrepreneur,” said Preston about being an angel investor. “We grow with our company.”

She also reflected on the positive impact that women have on businesses due to the different perspective that they provide.

Hosted by the Alliance of Women Entrepreneurs in Philadelphia, the Summit spanned two days and included networking, keynotes, and salons.

The day continued with the Global Venture Competition, presented by Astia and The Next Women. The winner of the competition was Austin, Texas-based Spot On Sciences, which makes a device that takes blood samples, presented by founder and CEO Dr. Jeanette Hill.

Officially kicking off the Summit was keynote speaker Bridgette Beam, Global Entrepreneurship Manager for Google for Entrepreneurs.  She spoke on Google
#40Forward, a women’s entrepreneurship program, and the importance of entrepreneurship. Also kicking off the Summit with a warm Philadelphia welcome was Mayor Michael Nutter. He stated that Philadelphia entrepreneurship’s “momentum was real and absolutely would be sustained” and enlightened the audience to all of the opportunities and advancements occurring in Philadelphia.

Friday started with a panel led by Sharon Vosmek, CEO of women entrepreneurship nonprofit Astia. She shared that “high growth women entrepreneurship is a pretty unique path” and discussed with her panel ways to foster it.

Then, the salons began. The rooms were packed with excited and enthusiastic investors and entrepreneurs from around the globe to participate in the conversations taking place.

Beth A. Brooke, Global Vice Chair of Public Policy for Ernst and Young, spoke at lunch. She discussed her work establishing a public and private sector partnership to improve the success of entrepreneurs. She also recommended the value of serving on another company’s board.

The day ended with a discussion of the output points from each of the day’s ten salons led by Dr. Teresa Nelson. The group worked to determine the goals of the Collaborative for the next year.

Read additional coverage from the Philadelphia Business Journal here.