Prospera Women

WOW... what an absolute thrill to co-host our first ever Prospera Women program in New York City! Big thanks to 01Booster Inc. of Tokyo, Japan and the leadership from Fumiha Branscombe for including us. The 10 women-led startups from Japan demonstrated their wonderful talents to NYC's extensive startup ecosystem over a 9-day period. All of this was possible thanks to the hard work and contributions from Jennifer Bassuk, Saori Kakiuchi and Elizabeth 🇪🇺🇮🇹🇽🇰🇦🇱, as well our outstanding speakers and panelists Cara Moyer, Crystelle Desnoyer, Randi F. Plevy, Breen Sullivan and Michelle Flowerman. What a team! We will be back soon....

I was truly honored to be among the inspirational speakers and panelists at the IDEAS+LEADERS Summit in New York City on January 30, 2025, at the historic The Kosciuszko Foundation. Big thanks to Dr Elena Pawęta and Pawel Pietrasienski, Ph.D. for the opportunity. As a co-founder of Prospera Women, I relayed the importance for investing in women-led tech companies worldwide. Grace Park

We are back again - this time in New York City! We are thrilled to be co-hosting the 4th annual APT Women program in partnership with 01Booster Inc. and Fumiha Branscombe in New Work City!!! Prospera Women is looking forward to meeting 10 outstanding women-led startups from Japan. See you soon! Grace Park Saori Kakiuchi

Just over one week ago more than 200 women entrepreneurs, corporate executives, policy makers and investors from USA, Europe and Asia attended #InnovateHer Women’s Empowerment Global Summit in Sardinia, Italy in partnership with CREA UniCa - Università degli Studi di Cagliari. In addition to inspiring keynotes, impactful workshops, one-to-one mentoring sessions, and fabulous networking opportunities, we also heard the voices of women from 18 community leaders in Albania, Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, and United Arab Emirates during the live roundtable discussions. Although progress is being made in closing the gender gap for women entrepreneurs aiming to scale globally, it is clear that a significant 'seismic event' is needed for these talented women to secure the capital from venture capitalists necessary to truly grow their businesses. Prospera Women aims to tackle this specific challenge head-on! Join our community of empowered women and our next roundtable discussions in early December! Hosted by Grace Park and Prospera Women advisors. We have a long list of phenomenal people we wish to thank for delivering such an epic event last month! First and foremost, Maria Chiara Di Guardo, Maryia Zaitsava and Elona Marku, from CREA UniCa - Università degli Studi di Cagliari, our wonderful co-hosts and partners in Sardinia. Secondly, the VIP guests from Silicon Valley and around the world: Grace Park, Amy Peck, Ari Qayumi, Shirin Etessam, Leah Edwards, Paolo Privitera, LouAnn Conner, Shannon Bindler, Zofia Kierner, Maria Pace, Jacqueline Ruedin Rüsch, Fumiha Branscombe, Isabelle Andrieu, Stephanie Hurst, Susan Allen and Anastasia Dgebuadze. And finally, the amazing Anna Tserelova! Sending you all a big thank you for your wonderful participation and support. The best is yet to come!

It is with great pleasure to introduce a visionary leader and trailblazer in the world of venture capital and technology innovation, Ari Qayumi. As the Founder, General, and Managing Partner at Mindful Venture Capital, Ari is at the forefront of investing in transformative early-stage technology companies that are shaping the future of infrastructure, healthcare, and financial services. With a rich background that includes pivotal roles at Silicon Valley Data Capital and RBC Capital Markets, Ari has a proven track record of identifying game-changing innovations and driving digital transformation on a global scale. Beyond her investment acumen, Ari is deeply committed to sustainable development and mindful technology design, leveraging her expertise as a Senior Advisor to the stanford behavior design lab. We are fortunate to have Ari with us at the InnovateHer: Women’s Empowerment Global Summit for Emerging Technologies in partnership with Università degli Studi di Cagliari to share her insights and experiences, and I know we are all in for a truly inspiring session. Please join me in welcoming Ari Qayumi to Sardinia on October 25-26!

Everyone in the Prospera Women community has a track record investing in women-led startups. We are so proud to have Paolo Privitera be included in this group, and thrilled to have him join as a speaker at InnovateHer Global Summit at the Università degli Studi di Cagliari in Sardinia later this month. Paolo is a proud husband and father of two, MIT MBA, is a seasoned Silicon Valley-based global entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in tech. Originally from Venice, Italy, he founded his first company at 16 and has since launched 6 more, with 4 successful exits. Investor in over 150 companies and 10 funds, Paolo has raised over $300M. Paolo earned his U.S. citizenship in recognition of his distinguished skills and contributions to the tech and entrepreneurial sectors. His last company Evensi, the world’s largest events discovery platform, acquired by Events.com, and now getting ready to go public at Nasdaq. He mentors at 500 Startups, Create Cures Foundation, Health Wildcatters, and more. Paolo is founder and general partner at 1521 Ventures, investing in exceptional startups and funds that tangibly enhance people’s lives. Paolo remains committed to giving back and supporting entrepreneurs across the globe. His core values and assets include kindness, integrity, network, speed, and resilience. 

Startups within the Prospera Women community are being offered a free webinar on Developing Your Pitch to Customers and Investors, by world-renowned Donna Griffit. Register here: https://lnkd.in/e3vgZ9DN Donna Griffit will help startup founders to transform their pitch into compelling stories that inspire action. With 20+ years of experience across 30+ countries, Donna has helped over 1,000 startups and Fortune 500 companies raise $2B through impactful presentations. With Donna's guidance, startups will learn to develop a pitch that showcases their potential and drives results.

It is a true privilege to welcome a distinguished leader in the world of startups, venture capital, and academia, Leah Edwards. With a career that began on the founding team of Post Communications—an innovative digital marketing platform that sold for an astounding $380 million in just two years—Leah has been a driving force in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Her experience spans multiple sectors, including her recent role as a Venture Partner at Pegasus Tech Ventures, where she has been instrumental in raising capital and making critical investment decisions. Additionally, Leah is a respected lecturer at both Stanford University and UC Berkeley, where she inspires the next generation of leaders in engineering and entrepreneurship. As an angel investor, board member, and mentor, Leah's influence touches startups and innovators across the globe. Please join us in Sardinia at the Università degli Studi di Cagliari on October 25-26 to welcome the remarkable Leah Edwards, along with 15 other women investors and corporate leaders from Silicon Valley!

It is with great pleasure to announce that Ms. Zofia Kierner will be a featured speaker, instructor and panelist at our upcoming event - InnovateHer: Women’s Empowerment Global Summit for Emerging Technologies on October 25-26 at CREA UniCa - Università degli Studi di Cagliari in Sardinia, Italy. Zofia Kierner is a Polish-American award-winning social entrepreneur, visiting lecturer at Harvard University and University of California, Berkeley, education and gender equality advocate, Forbes 30 under 30, 25 under 25 laureate and Vogue Leader 2023. She founded the Girls Future Ready Foundation, an educational organization that spotlights the power of thousands of young women and runs multiple international projects. After impacting 80,000 girls and generating over $25M worth of impact, she founded 50one, a boutique social impact agency to support companies and individuals with the creation and implementation of their impact efforts. Her goal is to close the social impact gap. She has a background in Data Science and AI from UC Berkeley. Zofia is a frequent speaker at international conferences or internal company workshops representing the voice of youth, especially when it comes to education, Gen Z in the workplace, female empowerment, global mindset, the role of business in social impact, and everything in between!

We are thrilled to have Anastasia Dgebuadze join Prospera Women as an advisor, and most recently as a mentor to the startups participating at InnovateHer: Women’s Empowerment Global Summit for Emerging Technologies, in Sardinia next month! Anastasia is a highly experienced marketing professional with over a decade of international expertise. As a lecturer in Paris, she is loved by her students for her engaging teaching style and practical insights. With a strong focus on startups, Anastasia has successfully guided numerous ventures in defining and developing their brands, helping them scale in competitive markets. Currently, she serves as a consultant at Capgemini, one of the world's leading consulting firms, where she applies her deep knowledge of digital marketing and strategic growth. Anastasia will be sharing her expertise at the upcoming conference, providing valuable mentoring for aspiring entrepreneurs. A few tickets still remaining! Please register now... https://lnkd.in/dNkVpcvP