Entrepreneurship is (or Should Be) Gender Neutral

I hate the term “female entrepreneurship.” We don’t call entrepreneurial endeavors led by men, “male entrepreneurship.” We just call it entrepreneurship. Unintentionally or not, “female entrepreneurship” implies a rare, or “wow, women can start and lead businesses? Really? Since when,” distinction. The gap widens as we separate the genders into distinct categories. I’m not the only one calling for us to crack the glass for equality on this ceiling.

Astia does too. A San Fran-based nonprofit, Astia funds women-led ventures not because it’s trendy, but because the ventures are highly innovative and high performance. They know that in the last 20 years, because of increased access to higher education and changing views of gender roles around the globe, women are more empowered to launch their own businesses and own organizations with big products for big markets. Astia identifies the world’s top women leaders and connects them with angel investors for a shift of focus from our differences—a one percent biological difference—and social rules to a synergistic alliance among all business leaders.

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Julie is passionate about telling the story of where business meets good. She is the Founder of B Storytelling, a content development company specifically designed to help popularize the good happening through business. They do this by helping Benefit Corporations and other social enterprises identify, build and leverage their brands. Julie has an MBA in Managing for Sustainability from Marlboro Graduate School. She lives in West Palm Beach, Florida with her husband, Thomas.