New York SBDC Research Network

From Lendedu : Being a female entrepreneur can come with its challenges. On top of building a business, many women business owners juggle numerous responsibilities like family or caregiving commitments. For these reasons, running a business as a woman can feel sometimes like you’re Ginger Rogers, who famously said that she had to do everything Fred Astaire did – except backwards and in heels. Fortunately, some organizations have realized the added difficulties women entrepreneurs can face in finding funding and have set up grants and investment opportunities specifically for female business owners. There are also several traditional funding opportunities you can access. This guide can help you navigate the different types of programs that want to give you money to help you grow your business.

From BizWomen : When Heatherjean MacNeil launched her fashion startup, Proxy Apparel, several years ago, she applied to a prominent accelerator program. Two years in a row, she was accepted as a finalist. And two years in a row, she found herself pitching her business to the same room of older white men. The men had money to give, which was good. But there were misunderstandings about market opportunity, the vision behind the potential consumer demand and avenues for growth. “I think that [more broadly] represents the fact that, particularly in investment circles, there’s such a strong absence of women, so you feel as if you’re the other,” MacNeil told me recently. “And I think it’s harder to understand how to build relationship capital in that context.” Now, she’s part of a team of women working to create an alternate experience for other female entrepreneurs. MacNeil co-founded with Susan Duffy and Sharon Kan the Babson College Women Innovating Now Lab— or WIN Lab — an eigh

After operating a childcare business for more than a decade, Sabrina Samuel decided to open another business that would complement the services offered at her daycare center. Her vision was that of an in-door play-space in which children could play in a safe environment, expand their motor and social skills, and which would foster their cognitive development. Sabrina's Play Studio is a 1,900-square-foot play space designed for kids from infants up to age 9. The well-organized facility looks like a giant rec room and is divided into areas for different age groups. When Sabrina was planning the new business, she consulted the SBDC about start-up costs, financing and sources of capital. She got a loan from TD Bank and vendor equipment financing, and also contributed equity to launch her new business. Today, Sabrina’s Play Studio is in much demand. In addition to standard play time, the center offers after-school programming, summer camp, birthday parties, ch