Latinitas’ Startup Chica Conference Aims to Teach Girls How to Turn Their Bright Ideas Into Businesses
AUSTIN, TX – October 11, 2017 — Austin-based nonprofit Latinitas will be hosting its 3rd annual Startup Chica Conference on October 14, 2017, from 9am to 5pm. Girls of all backgrounds between the ages of 9 and 18 will learn how to come up with innovative ideas to help solve social issues and turn them into products and apps that they will pitch to judges.
Latinitas is honored to have a special keynote speaker that the girls can really relate to: 13-year-old entrepreneur Mikaila Ulmer, Founder and CEO of Me & the Bees Lemonade, which can be found at Whole Foods Market and other natural food stores. “I felt it was very important to be a part of this event because it is an opportunity for me to inspire young girls like myself to dream big and go, with full force, towards their dreams,” said Ulmer. “I am excited to share, learn, grow and inspire!”
The full-day conference will take place on the first floor of Austin’s hub for innovation, Capital Factory (701 Brazos Street, Austin, TX 78701), which has played host to former President Barack Obama and Apple CEO Tim Cook. The girls will spend the day learning how to identify and solve problems, define their market, price and market their products, and present their ideas. The event will close with the girls pitching their ideas to a panel of judges.
Judges include Dr. Mark Sanders, Director of Transportation and Mobility at the Austin Technology Incubator at the IC2 Institute of the University of Texas at Austin; Luis Rodriguez, President & CEO of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Nelly Garcia, Co-Founder of Rocheli Patisserie; and Maria Peña, Co-Owner of Donn’s Bar-B-Que, which has several Austin locations.
“Blacks and Latinos have always been entrepreneurial. At Latinitas, we are enlightening young Latinas and other girls to their existing entrepreneurial DNA and will also have a workshop for parents explaining the same because for some families, encouraging their daughters to be entrepreneurial is as risky-sounding as being a writer or an artist. At Startup Chica, we are not only channeling Latina and other girls’ unique points of reference and innovation, but we are aiming to diminish the fears about pursuing an entrepreneur’s life,” said Latinitas Founder and CEO Laura Donnelly.
The $15 cost of attendance includes lunch and materials, and will be waived for all Club Latinitas members. Financial assistance is also available for those who may require it. Parents are invited to attend a workshop in the morning on how to support their child’s entrepreneurial spirit. The event is sponsored by eBay, Bumble, Capital Factory, Wells Fargo, LevelUp Institute, Donn’s BBQ, and the City of Austin’s Economic Development Cultural Arts Division.
More information on the Startup Chica Conference and the link to register can be found at www.startupchica.com.
About Latinitas
For 15 years, Latinitas, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has been empowering Latina youth using media and technology, providing direct digital media and technology training and esteem-boosting services to nearly 3,500 girls and teens across Texas annually. Founded by two journalism students fed up with the lack of representation of Latinas in media and technology industries, Latinitas presents enrichment programs at Texas schools, libraries and community centers that use culture as a thread to teach web and graphic design, blogging, video and audio production, photography and of late: video game and app development and coding.
About Mikaila Ulmer
When Mikaila Ulmer was just four years old, she was stung by two bees in the same week. Her parents encouraged her to do some research on the bees rather than being upset with them. Upon discovering the important role that bees play in our ecosystem, Mikaila was determined to help them. Using her Great Granny Helen’s flaxseed honey lemonade recipe, Mikaila launched her business from her home in Austin, Texas in 2009. Landing a deal with Daymond John on the show Shark Tank was just the beginning of Me & the Bees’ many business successes. Today, the award-winning lemonade is buzzing off the shelves of Whole Foods Market, Austin Starbucks and natural and organic food stores across the country. At just 12 years old, Mikaila has shared her story with Good Morning America, NBC News, The Real, Forbes and TIME, among others, and has been invited to speak on social entrepreneurship at prestigious gatherings including the White House United State of Women Summit, where she introduced President Barack Obama; Microsoft We Day, alongside Satya Nadella; and the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network Summit in South Africa.
Contact: Vicky Garza / 512-900-0304 / vicky@latinitasmagazine.org