Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization (WEDO) / #ChooseWOMEN was founded in 2013 as a non-governmental, non-racial, non-gender, and non-political volunteer non profit organization. Our movement was established to bring awareness to the 250 million girls living in poverty globally that deserve to be given a chance in life, while simultaneously inspiring and empowering the 4 billion women on the planet!
WEDO was started by social entrepreneur and humanitarian Wendy Diamond, to empower, celebrate, and support women in business worldwide. WED works globally to empower women and girls to become active participants in the economy by igniting a network of women leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to initiate startups, drive economic expansion, and advance communities around the world. In order to achieve this ambitious goal, WED builds and catalyzes the vital networks of like-minded individuals and organizations that women business leaders need in order to realize their full potential and change the world.
Our movement accelerates and educates the world on the importance of why it’s pivotal to empower women in business globally. WEDO convenes Business Leaders, Change Makers, Government Officials and Civil Society to collaborate and find solutions in critical areas of entrepreneurship ecosystems, education and policy creation to empower women in business. WEDO is celebrated at the United Nations and in 144 countries and 65 universities/colleges internationally.When women are elevated financially, communities and countries prosper. It builds a global blueprint to alleviate and eradicate poverty.
Internationally Renowned Social Impact Entrepreneur, Impact Investor, Humanitarian, Best Selling Author –Wendy Diamond is CEO and Founder ofWomen’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization.
Wendy was inspired to launch WED in 2013 after volunteering in Honduras with the Adelante Foundation, an organization that provides microcredit to locally impoverished women. Recognizing the fact that women perform 66% of the world’s work, yet only earn 10% of the world’s income and at the same time, women account for 85% of consumer purchases and control $20 trillion in worldwide spending, Diamond was inspired to create a simplified movement in the world to empower women in business to alleviate poverty.
She is an advisor/Investor in social impact disruptive technologies and women-led businesses in health sciences, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology and virtual reality. Wendy has authored 10 widely-celebrated books, garnered three Guinness World Records, and has appeared in media outlets including Oprah, NBC’s Today Show, The New York Times and Forbes. She has also been a featured keynote speaker at the United Nations, Harvard University, and Davos.
Wendy sits on the Advisory Boards of Ellis Island Honors Society, Global Women in Blockchain, Social Innovation Summit, Humane Society of New York and Grey Muzzle Foundation.Prior to WEDO, Wendy foundedAnimal Fair Media, Inc., the premier pet lifestyle media platform bridging celebrity, pop culture and animal rescue, to support animal rescue/welfare after learning 12 million animals were euthanized a year.
THE FACTS
Today, women account for 85 percent of consumer purchases and control $20 trillion in global spending. At the same time, they perform 66 percent of the world’s work (both paid and unpaid) yet only earn 10 percent of the world’s income. In the U.S., there are approximately 10 M woman-owned businesses, generating $1.3T in revenue and employing 7.8 M people. This number is expected to increase by 90 percent in the next five years, with 500,000 new businesses being created each year in the U.S. alone. At the same time, 1 in 3 women in America lives in poverty and of the 1.3M people living in severe poverty globally, 70 percent are women and girls.
Women in developed and developing nations alike are becoming increasingly active participants in local and global economies at a rapid rate. Today, in the United States, 38% of new businesses are founded by women, but only between 2-6% of them receive VC funding. One recent survey of 350 woman-owned tech startups revealed that 80% of founders used their own savings to launch their businesses. At the same time, an increase of women in leadership positions from zero to just 30% is associated with a 15% increase in profitability. Women are the world’s most responsible borrowers, paying back microloans worldwide today at a 97% rate of return. 90% of the money they earn is used to educate their children and to provide for their families.
Our WED achievements include in the Saudi Arabia WED team hosted a nation-wide entrepreneurship training program for 60,000 female college students and early-stage entrepreneurs. 25 young women received funding to launch their own businesses. In New York City at the UN, WED donated 1000 microloans to impoverished women so they can start their own business. In Oman, our WED ambassador announced an initiative to empower women by using their vote against arranged marriages. And in Uruguay, a partnership with a local university offered 20 scholarships to the girls present at the WED summit. Our Philippines team educated 1000 rural women with financial literacy – all over the world WED’s Ambassador team is making an impact!
Women’s Entrepreneurship Day is every day! Celebrate, empower, and support women in business.
We are proud to share that New York State’s Governor Kathy Hochul, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio proclaimed Women’s Entrepreneurship Day an official day on November 19th annually. Every year, the U.S. House of Representatives recognizes our movement on November 19th as “A Day in Honor of Women Entrepreneurs” under the leadership of Congresswoman Grace Meng.
New York City Governor Kathy HochulNew York City Mayor Bill de Blasio
Congresswoman Grace MengThe Official Proclamation
#ChooseWOMEN
Since the first WED in 2013, we have grown our organization to become a powerful network for women in business, and have reached over 5 Billion people. Our social impact initiative #ChooseWOMEN is a simplified movement to educate and unite consumers and businesses across the world in the name of empowering women in business! #ChooseWOMENinvites consumers to support women-owned businesses on the Wednesday after Thanksgiving in the spirit of Small Business Saturday and Giving Tuesday. Global participants can log on to ChooseWOMEN.org — the largest global directory of women-owned businesses in the world — allowing anyone, anywhere, anytime to find and support women in business!
Click on our #ChooseWOMEN logo below to find the women-owned businesses around you! Be a part of this worldwide movement!
