YBI graduates 12 women from WE Create Program
Staff report
YOUNGSTOWN
The Youngstown Business Incubator’s Women in Entrepreneurship, WE, Program graduated 12 women from its WE Create Program on Wednesday.
WE Create is the first step for women entrepreneurs interested in YBI’s WE Program who have a very early-stage business or business idea.
Also on Wednesday, a $500 grant was awarded to Juanita Thompson, who runs Little Miss Inner Beauty, a nonprofit summer program that teaches young girls about confidence, inner beauty and self-value.
Thompson won the award after the women gave a business pitch to a panel of judges. The judges for the evening were Carmella Williams, director of diversity and inclusion for YBI; Corey Patrick, director of marketing and communications for YBI; and Audra Horton, owner of Too Hot Mamas, a former WE Launch program participant.
Other businesses that graduated from the program are: Dr. Shale’s Mango Salsa, the Urban Eggroll, Fancy Pants Fashion Consulting and Personal Shopping, NorWood Catering, a baby-gear consulting company, a resume and application-filling app and multiple personal beauty product companies.
More than half of the participants plan to apply for the next phases of the WE Program – the WE Accelerator Program and WE Launch Program – and are looking forward to growing their business to add value to the community and their potential customers.