Visa Champions Female Entrepreneurs in 2019
January 15 2019 - 07:00AM
Business Wire
- She’s Next, Empowered by Visa, launches
to support the advancement of women-owned small businesses around
the world
- Next phase of multi-million dollar
marketing campaign – “Money is Changing” – to feature real female
business owners
As part of its ongoing commitment to support female
entrepreneurs, Visa (NYSE: V) is launching a global initiative –
She’s Next, Empowered by Visa – to encourage women small business
owners as they build, sustain and advance their businesses.
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Visa unveils a global initiative to
champion women-owned small businesses everywhere: She’s Next,
Empowered by Visa. Visa executives Mary Ann Reilly (left) and Suzan
Kereere (right) are joined by Rebecca Minkoff, founder of Rebecca
Minkoff (center) and the Female Founder Collective at an event at
Hudson Yards in New York City. (Photo: Business Wire)
The global rate of female entrepreneurship has been increasing
more quickly than that of male entrepreneurs,1 with more than 163
million women around the world starting a business since 20142.
She’s Next will champion this growing trend, with additional
support from leading small business advocates, including Square and
Yelp.
“Starting and growing a business can be both incredibly
rewarding and daunting. That is why Visa is committed to empowering
women business owners through a year-long program
of education, cutting-edge digital payment technology and a
powerful peer network,” said Suzan Kereere, global head of merchant
sales & acquiring, Visa. “There is never enough time or enough
resources, but when we work together to support each other, amazing
things can happen.”
Inspiring Female Business Leaders
She’s Next, will be supported by the Female Founder Collective
(FFC) – a network of businesses led by women, supporting women –
that launched in 2018 and quickly grew to over 3,000 members. From
streamlining payment methods to linking women small business owners
with like-minded peers and experts, Visa and FFC will together
offer unmatched resources and opportunities for female
entrepreneurs.
“As women, we have the power to shape and transform our
communities—through our purchasing power and also through the
leadership and employment opportunities we offer as business
owners,” said Rebecca Minkoff, founder of Rebecca Minkoff and the
Female Founder Collective. “By joining forces with Visa, we will
help build awareness of women-owned businesses, provide them with
more opportunities and invest in women across the socioeconomic
spectrum around the globe.”
Going Global
She’s Next was unveiled at a preview event at Hudson Yards in
New York City today, coinciding with the National Retail
Federation’s (NRF) Big Show. Over the course of 2019, Visa will
create pop-up events around the world that offer a range of
practical tools, resources, insights and networking opportunities
for female entrepreneurs, including:
- Interactive Workshops: Beginning
with an inaugural event in Atlanta on January 30, alongside Super
Bowl LIII in Atlanta, Visa will host a series of interactive
workshops to tackle business challenges specific to each community.
Future events are planned for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France
2019™ and beyond.
- Access to Experts: Each workshop
will include experts from Visa, local and national subject matter
experts, and partners to maximize benefits to female business
owners. Specifically at the inaugural workshop in Atlanta, leaders
from Visa, Square and Yelp will bring their own expertise and
innovation to the workshop.
- New Research: Initial insights
from a forthcoming survey commissioned by Visa of US-based female
small business owners will help to inform the issues that matter
most to women entrepreneurs. Select findings include:
- Key Motivators: The top three
things women cite as motivators in starting their own businesses
are: pursuing their passion (48%), having financial independence
(43%) and having flexibility (41%).
- Money Matters: Nearly three
quarters of women (73%) report that it was difficult to obtain the
funding they needed to start their own business. In fact, six in
ten (61%) self-funded their business.
- Digital First: When asked to
identify top workshop topics they would like to learn more about,
respondents said improved social media and digital marketing skills
to promote and grow their businesses.
- Advertising Campaign: In 2019,
Visa will launch phase two of its multi-million dollar Money is
Changing marketing campaign in the United States, building on its
millennial women focus and featuring real-life female business
owners. Visa will feature a diverse spectrum of women in the
campaign who will highlight the practical steps they have
personally taken to change the game and challenge existing taboos
when it comes to money.
Visa, Women and Small Businesses
She’s Next builds off the success of Visa-supported programs
focusing on small businesses, as well as female business owners.
Recent examples include Visa’s sponsorship of the Great British
High Street program in the United Kingdom and Visa’s Money is
Changing marketing campaign in the United States. In addition to
Visa’s efforts, the Visa Foundation made its first financial
commitment of up to $20 million to Women’s World Banking.
As a market leader in the small business segment in the United
States, Visa provides a full suite of payment services designed for
virtually every need, whether businesses are accepting payments
from 3.3 billion Visa accountholders worldwide or making secure,
seamless payments to their own providers using Visa Business
credit, debit or prepaid cards.
For more information on Visa’s small business solutions, please
visit
https://usa.visa.com/partner-with-us/info-for-partners/info-for-small-business.html.
About Visa Inc.
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital
payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most
innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling
individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced
global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable
payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than
65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless
focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected
commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a
cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from
analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people,
network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more
information, visit About
Visa, https://usa.visa.com/visa-everywhere/blog.html
and @VisaNews.
1 Gem 2016/2017 Women's Entrepreneurship Report
2 2016/2017 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor
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Visa Inc.Caylah Novakcnovak@visa.com(415) 805-1984
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