Julie Aigner Clark, Founder of Baby Einstein, Baby Bytes and the Soft Skin Company
Co-founder of Baby Einstein, Clark invested $15,000 dollars into the company and aggressively marketed it by meeting retailers at trade shows and sending its products to publications for reviews. Focused on infant entertainment, it was later sold to The Walt Disney Company in 2001. Now Julie Clark is involved in startups like Baby Bytes and the Soft Skin Company.
Melinda Emerson, Media Entrepreneur and Founder of Melinda Emerson Foundation
“You never lose in business, either you win or you learn.” — Melinda Emerson Melinda Emerson left television as a producer to pursue her entrepreneurial dream to create an award winning production company Quintessence Multimedia. The production company she founded has done productions for Verizon, Comcast and Radio One. But she didn’t stop there. She wanted to see other small businesses become successful ventures. She founded the Melinda Emerson Foundation, which has become a facilitator for small businesses by providing free information, educational materials and opportunities.
Leah Busque, Founder of TaskRabbit
Leah Busque founded TaskRabbit in Boston in 2008 and has since raised over 5 million dollars in funding from different venture capital firms. The company was built as a marketplace for errands. If you want an errand completed, you simply need post the task on their marketplace and say how much you will be willing for to pay for the task to be completed. Tasks are completed by everyday people who have certain skills they can market, or are simply in need of some extra income. Although Leah Busque has stepped down as CEO, she remains at the heart of the company.
Alex Von Tobel, Founder and CEO of LearnVest
After leaving Harvard, Alex von Tobel proceeded to start LearnVest in 2009, a personal finance and financial planning site for women. She is also the author of New York Times bestseller Financially Fearless, which came out in 2013. In March 2015, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. announced its intentions of acquiring LearnVest.
Jennifer Hyman, CEO and Co-Founder of Rent the Runway
“Be humble, be curious, and listen to the people who have come before you. I’ve found that entrepreneurship only gets harder every year and as your team gets bigger, the stakes get higher.” – Jennifer Hyman Jennifer Hyman is the co-founder and CEO of Rent the Runway, a company that is democratizing the luxury industry for women. The New York-based company makes it possible for regular women to rent luxury items such as outwear, special occasion dresses and accessories. Featured photo credit: http://www.balancedmommagazine.com via balancedmommagazine.com
