Fellow CEOs,

One of the best things I ever did for myself as an entrepreneur was to apply a women’s focused development program. The program was an absolute game changer for me. It reinforced my knowledge in business structure, legal, finance, strategy and really helped me see my blind spots. It also helped me realize how much I was holding my own self back with my lack of confidence as a leader and vision of what was possible. I walked through the door that week as someone who just ran a small business and walked out as a CEO with a game plan to scale into something much bigger than I had ever dared to dream. That was over 10 years ago.

Reality is though, being an ambitious woman is exhausting. We all need a strong support system to help bolster us when we’re fatigued and boost our confidence when a lot is on the line. This is why a strong community of people who understand your struggles is of paramount importance. Now that more women than ever before are starting businesses, communities like this are key to help these founders not only make their companies successful but move from move from small business to enterprise mindsets.

Our diverse and dynamic community is the kind of learning environment and support system that makes a real difference. So much more than just a pathway to funding, we’re here to give you real tools to solve business problems, help make valuable connections and guide you as you scale your business.

As a reminder: women lead companies:

• Receive Less Than 2% Of All Venture Funding
• Minority Women Lead Companies Receive Less Than .4%

Despite these, women lead companies outperform similar companies run by men. Our goal isn’t to be exclusive or exclusionary. Rather, if we are going to treat these figures as our strategic KPIs, we must focus and solve the unique challenges of being a women CEO.

In 2023, you can expect more opportunities to connect. We want to know what you’re up to and how we can help. We want to put you at the table with experts and give you the competitive edge. No matter what business stage you are in, we want you to thrive and take your next steps with conviction.  

As an organization, we’re poised for big things in 2023. We are excited as our community events have been steadily growing and we’re kicking off additional events starting in February. More than just about funding, Vaxa Factor will help founders, owners, entrepreneurs and CEOs grow and develop themselves. We are tailoring our events and programs to the needs of founders. Pitches focused on business and customers, in addition to those focused on VC and Angel funding. Community resources and 1on1 opportunities in areas founders need to develop themselves and their businesses. And when you ready, funding and grant programs to help you take your businesses to the next level.

Our community will be membership driven and we’ll be launching our initial membership program is Q1 as well. Thanks to our community partners and sponsors, we expect our membership fees to easily affordable. We know as founders you capital is precious. We also expect to keep a number of events free to help reach founder and owner communities who traditionally are overlooked by other organizations.

Keep an eye on your email and on our social media channels for event information and growth opportunities.

I look forward to meeting each of you personally and seeing the impact our community will have in the entrepreneurial landscape.

Holly Pezzano

CEO