On May 9th, Worth convened for a day of inspirational conversations on the state of gender equity in the U.S. Led by members of our Groundbreaking Women list, industry titans, brilliant investors, and savvy healthcare professionals, we examined a wide range of issues vital to the dialogue on advancing women across all industries. Some of the most notable conference topics included how to get on a corporate board, why middle-aged women are the most chronically underserved market, the importance of investing in women-led businesses, how to plan for life’s financial upheavals, and how to create a women’s business culture.
“Nobody said, ‘We don’t want a woman in charge,’ There were all kinds of rationale behind this, but that’s fundamentally what it was,” said Marin Alsop, telling the story of how she became the first woman to lead a major U.S. orchestra.
Alsop was in town for her debut as the head conductor at the Metropolitan Opera for the new performance “El Nino,” which received rave reviews. She described the conductor’s challenge of bringing “hundreds of extremely talented individuals with very large egos,” together to share her vision. And she related that to the challenge that all women leaders have, whatever business they are in. Alsop’s inspirational journey can be viewed on Amazon Prime’s documentary, “The Conductor.” It’s a story you don’t want to miss.
Health Equity for Women
“Informal and fun, without an ounce of forced hokiness” is the best description we heard for Ellen Willcox of Listen.co’s report on just how underserved middle-aged women are. Armed to the teeth with clear and memorable data, Wilcox explained the lengths middle-aged women will go to self-treat.
With women actively excluded from clinical trials until the 1980s, and only required to be included in the 1990s, it’s unsurprising that they have learned to get by on their own, Wilcox noted. This creates real, significant gaps in women’s health coverage and is a missed financial opportunity for healthcare companies. Listen.co is a consumer-focused investment company that funds Wilcox’s research to serve its investor’s decision-making process better. Self-treating is just the tip of the iceberg, and we encourage you to view the entirety of her analysis.
Climate Entrepreneurs
From personal health to the health of the planet, the Women for Climate discussion covered it all. University of Vermont associate professor Rachael Floreani cofounded Burlington Bio to bring healthy, climate-friendly cultivated (aka lab-grown) meat to market. Her engineering professor counterpart (and fellow Groundbreaking Women honoree) Rachel Slaybaugh has stepped from a career as a Berkley nuclear engineer to a venture capitalist at DCVC. The firm funds large climate-friendly ventures such as geothermal plants and “carbon-negative” cement tech. Daniela Fernandez took the greatest route from micro to macro, founding from her dorm room the global environmental organization Sustainable Ocean Alliance (a name she workshopped with John Kerry). Fernandez made an impassioned plea to recognize the centrality of the global ocean to the health of the planet.
The panelists broke down the opportunities and challenges for women in their fields. Floreani, for instance, noted that even finding acceptance in the male-heavy world of engineering was easier than gaining a foothold in the business world. Fernandez’s VC fund Seabird Ventures provides seed funding of typically $100K for many women-lead climate tech startups. But women are less represented in senior leadership for the type of larger companies that DCVC funds, ranging from a $250K seed stage check to series C at $30M. Bridging this gap from small startups to larger ventures by creating a pipeline of talent is a critical challenge for women entrepreneurs, the three agreed.
However, the panelists noted that women have achieved greater representation and reached higher positions in the climate and food-related industries than in many others—although there’s still a long way to go. What’s more, Slaybaugh says that data show that companies with diverse teams tend to perform better, and she encourages her companies to foster that diversity.
Women in Wine
To close out the day, Worth went Beyond the Vines with Jenny Lefcourt, cofounder and president of Jenny & Francois Selections, and Laura Huston, founder of Belle & Bottle.
Lefcourt explained why she has chosen to create a wine importing company based around natural wines. She detailed how over 300 additives—beyond sulfites—can find their way into a bottle. Worse yet, a consumer can’t know which ones and in what amount. Furthermore, the wine industry is one of the worst polluters in agriculture, Lefcourt said. Thus, she decided to work with producers focused on regenerative agriculture and a low-tech or no-tech wine-making approach.
Huston technically comes from the retail side of the wine world. But rather than making yet another run-of-the-mill online retailer, she decided to focus on community. In 2016, Huston launched Belle & Bottle—the social club. The “Belle & Bottle Social was created to connect women who share a love of wine, food, and travel with the women who make [it],” Huston explained. By creating the online community, she hopes to empower women and help foster genuine connections so often missed in the digital age.
The Value of Mentorship
The Groundbreaking Women Summit was supported by event cosponsors SAP, Seabourn, and Wilmington Trust, who also participated in the discussions.
Supriya Jha, chief diversity & inclusion officer of venue host SAP, discussed how she has mentored talented women in her career. She spoke on the topic along with Luminary founder Cate Luzio and Groundbreaking Women honoree and Être founder Illana Raia. In a separate talk, Netalya Leahy described the strong mentoring she received at Proctor and Gamble and how she’s brought those lessons to her role as president of luxury cruise company Seabourn.
Wilmington Trust’s head of U.S. markets Lisa Roberts explained how financial institutions are just starting to take notice of women and wealth—and not moving fast enough to seize the opportunities.
As we reflect on the discussions and revelations of the day, one thing becomes abundantly clear: The work toward gender equity is far from over. Yet, with each summit, each conversation, and each step forward, we inch closer to a future where all women have the opportunities and support they deserve. Stay tuned as we continue to share insights and videos from the summit, amplifying the voices and stories that drive us toward a more inclusive and equitable world.
