Ingrid Vandervelt (iV), founder and chairman of Empowering a Billion Women by 2020, has been announced as the luncheon keynote speaker for the first Women’s Entrepreneurship Summit, presented by Mary Kay in partnership with The Dallas Entrepreneur Center (The DEC) on Friday, January 27, 2017, from 7:30 – 5:00 p.m. at the Fairmont Hotel Dallas.
“We are delighted to add Ingrid Vandervelt to our already stellar line-up of expert speakers and panelists for this inaugural Summit, which has been thoughtfully designed for current or potential women business owners,” said Crayton Webb, vice president, corporate communications and corporate responsibility, Mary Kay Inc.
Vandervelt was the first Entrepreneur-in-Residence (“EIR”) for Dell Inc. where she oversaw entrepreneurial initiatives worldwide helping to build a $250 million business segment and founded the $125M Dell Innovators Credit Fund, Dell Founders Club, and the Dell Center for Entrepreneurs during her 3-year term.
She sits on the United Nations Foundation’s Global Entrepreneurs Council, is a Managing Partner of Belle Capital, founding organizer of the GLASS Forum (Global Leadership & Sustainable Success), and co-founder of The Billionaire Girls Club. She also created and hosted CNBC’s first original primetime series, “American Made,” reaching over 1M viewers around the globe and serves on the Advisory boards of Springboard Enterprises, Current Motor, and is a Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) Member. Vandervelt has been featured on outlets including NBC, CNBC, FOX, ABC, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Bloomberg, CNN Money, Fortune Magazine, Fast Company, Inc Magazine and Entrepreneur Magazine.
The Women’s Entrepreneurship Summit will begin with a light breakfast followed by morning keynote speaker, Gloria Mayfield Banks, internationally renowned motivational speaker and #1 U.S. ranked Mary Kay Independent Elite Executive National Sales Director. Attendees will then select from a menu of breakout sessions, which have been customized for entrepreneurs of all ages and stages and will include case studies, how to’s and tools to take your company to the next level. A seated luncheon will feature keynote speaker, Ingrid Vandervelt.
Throughout the day, unprecedented mentorship opportunities and networking will help broaden participants’ knowledge and expertise, and the first-ever “Pink Tank” will provide the opportunity for pre-selected participants to fast pitch their business ideas for seed funding from The DEC. The day will conclude with a “Champs and Candy” reception featuring sweets from Make Your Life Sweeter.
Confirmed breakout sessions and speakers include:
- Why Women Make Great Entrepreneurs: Amber Venz Box, RewardStyle, Valerie Freeman, Imprimis Group, Cindy Williams, Mary Kay Independent Senior National Sales Director
- 10 Questions You Need To Answer Before You Become An Entrepreneur: Stacy James, Mary Kay Executive Independent National Sales Director, and Yasmeen Tadia, Make Your Life Sweeter
- How To Build the Best Team For Success: Sheryl Chamberlain, Cap Gemini; Kristina Libby, S.W.C./SoCu; Karen Piro, Mary Kay Independent National Sales Director Emeritus; and Jill Scigliano, Dallas Entrepreneur Center
- Customer Development: How To Find And Grow Customers: Melissa Youngblood, LCC Management Consulting
- Building Your Brand: Sheryl Adkins-Green, Chief Marketing Officer, Mary Kay Inc.; Heather Capps, HCK2; Holly Mason, Mason Baronet; and Jessica Nunez, True Point;
- Fundraising: How To Fund Your Business: Julia Taylor Cheek, Everly; Louise Kee, Golden Seeds; Cynthia Nevels, Integrality; and Cristin Thomas, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses
Pink Tank judges include Sheryl Adkins-Green, Mary Kay Inc. Chief Marketing Officer; Trey Bowles, co-founder and CEO, The DEC; Abi Ferrin, fashion designer and CEO; Abe Minkara, director of business development for Mark Cuban Companies; and Beth Van Duyne, Mayor, City of Irving.
Registration is $100 per person and includes light breakfast, breakout sessions, lunch, keynote speakers, mentorship opportunities, Pink Tank and post-event reception. Tickets will be $125 at the door. For more information or to register, visit www.marykaywomenssummit.com or info@thedec.co.