Empowerment
Empowerment.
That’s one word to use if you had to describe Friday’s Curated event, held at Tory Burch’s global flagship store in Soho, New York, organized and hosted by Rechelle Balanzat, the CEO of Juliette Technologies.
Let’s think of JP Morgan Chase, Andrew Carnegie and Rockefeller for a second… Where did they make their intros and build connections?
Yeah.
For us, what better way to do it than in the House of Tory Burch?
At 151 Mercer Street, in the heart of downtown Soho, visitors are greeted by huge glass doors with — what looks like — golden door handles.
Next they’re hit with Tory Burch’s signature logo — something so simple, yet so luxurious. Now, they’re surrounded by one-of-a-kind accessories, purses, and shoes at every turn.
But the third floor is where the magic happened.
From CEO’s and venture capitalists to artists and social media influencers, you had some of the world’s most powerful women all in one room.
Balanzat kicked off the evening with a brief welcome and a catchy phrase: empowered women empower women.
Over 30 guests filled the brightly colored room as Balanzat thanked them for being change agents — people who help shape the future.
Well, it’s true.
Let’s look at some statistics:
Women-owned businesses employ 10.1 million people across the U.S.
1,817 new women-owned businesses are started each and every day.
Women own an impressive 42% of businesses in the U.S.
However, despite women’s economic contributions:
Women receive only 2.7% of venture funding.
Women are 1/2 as likely as men to receive an SBA loan.
VCs tend to fund businesses they feel connected to, but 89% of investors are male.
Rechelle Balanzat is no stranger to working with limited resources. Since 2014, she has built her company from the ground up without institutional funding.
Entrepreneurship can be a long and difficult path; which is why community is so important.
“Curated at Tory Burch” featured women who uplift, empower, and inspire the communities that they serve. In many cases, they are the first. The first from their family to take a risk. The first from their country to immigrate to America. The first in their industry to break barriers.
Allow us to introduce them.
Cynthia Casasola, a singer/songwriter, actress and dancer, sang a special live performance of her song “Thought of California” for the crowd. It was intimate and raw. She didn’t use a microphone, but her voice still filled the room.
“Thought of California” will be the opening song for upcoming film, “Asian Persuasion,” marking the directorial debut for three-time Tony-award and Grammy-winning producer Jhett Tolentino.
Next, we’re talking about Eileen Rhein. Rhein is an attorney for DLA Piper, but is also a social media influencer and CEO of LightTravelsFaster Inc.
Jessica Perdomo, CEO of JJ Gray Inc. has been featured in multiple renowned publications including Harper’s Bazaar, In Style, Vogue, Oprah Magazine and Town and Country Magazine to name a few.
Tai Abrams is the CEO & Founder of Admission Squad, an accomplished mathematician, best-selling author, and trains underserved students on how to get into Ivy League schools.
Sandra Stjerneus is a Swedish model and influencer who came all the way to New York for Balanzat’s Curated event.
Tricia Brouk is an award-winning director, a producer, author and founder for The Big Talk Academy. Guests received copies of her book The Influential Voice.
And thanks to Tory Burch, they were able to congregate and foster connections in somewhere as sacred as 151 Mercer Street. By lending her space, she has enabled empowerment; she has empowered them to empower one another.
Embrace Ambition
Empowered women empower women.
