In 2022, the WE Empower Challenge Awardees will participate in events surrounding the 77th UN General Assembly as well as connect with renowned business experts from around the world. Awardees will also participate in a dynamic pitch competition, hosted by fashion designer, activist and Vital Voices Board Member Diane von Furstenberg, to present their business for the opportunity to receive a working grant.
The WE Empower Challenge is an annual global business competition for women entrepreneurs. The Awards Ceremony coincides with the UN General Assembly each September and honours women who are inspiring their communities through their businesses. The award specifically targets women who are advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and inspiring entire communities to create the world we want by 2030, with these objectives:
Yetunde Ayo Oyalowo is the Founder of Market Doctors, a social enterprise creating access to healthcare in the informal sector of Nigeria through mobile clinics and health posts in market locations. Market Doctors has visited 7,432 communities to reach over 120,000 people, including conducting over 5,000 first time medical consultations.
Within these consultations, there have been 25% measurements in the discovery of high blood pressure amongst patients and 15% of high blood sugar. Market Doctors has executed projects in nine states of the federation and also partnered with over 100 corporations and pharmaceutical companies to give their customers access to affordable drugs and medicine when needed. Under Yetunde’s leadership, Market Doctors has seen growth in both permanent staff and retains over 100 volunteers across the country.
Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 17 (Partnerships to achieve the Goals)
Bharti Singh Chauhan is Founder & CEO of CarversIndia trades LLP, a For Profit & PraveenLata Sansthan, a Not Profit Organization that works to empower girls and women across India. Bharti has challenged social barriers for her rights at an early age, and stands to be a role model for girls and women across the country by impacting the lives of more than 1 million women and girls through the production and sale of sustainable menstrual products.
Bharti holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Rajasthan University and is a Fellow from The School for Social Entrepreneur, India. Additionally, Bharti is an Incubate from Niti Ayaog Atal Incubation Centre Banasthali and recipient of the President Award as one of the 100 Women Achievers of India. She is recognized as an exceptional woman across South Asia by University of California, Berkley and Facebook HQ, Silicon Valley under Tell Her Story.
Bharti was declared as one of the Business Leaders 50 Under 50 by Business Mint Magazine. Her innovation of a Reusable Cloth Pad made of Bamboo Charcoal has been showcased at the Dubai Expo and she is known as Pad Women of India. She is an Ambassador of International Girl Rising Campaign, World of Difference by Vodafone Foundation, World Pulse and a Global Goodwill Ambassador. Bharti has received more than 46 national and international awards including the ICICI Advantage Women award, City Rising Gender Champion Award, and Women in Red Award.
Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 5 (Gender Equality), and 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
Dina is the founder and CEO of 360Moms, an online bilingual platform and mobile app aimed to revolutionize the digital support offered to mothers. Dina has over 20 years of experience in media and advertising agencies and has been in leadership roles most of her career. Dina is passionate about empowering women, and she’s dedicated to continuing her vision of supporting all mothers digitally regarding their children’s health and wellbeing through “360Moms”.
Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and 5 (Gender Equality).
Priyanka’s entrepreneurial journey began when she co-founded The Live Green Co after the arrival of her little niece, Naina, in 2018. Having to study the nutrition labels more carefully than ever, Priyanka realized a “huge gap in the food system” - the absence of clean-label, additive-free foods in the market - and she was determined to make a change. This led to the creation of the Live Green Co and CharakaTM - a technology that blends ancestral wisdom of plant nutrition with modern tech to find natural plant-based alternatives to processed and animal-based products.
Priyanka based her company in Chile due to the abundant entrepreneurial resources and has since been revolutionizing the movement toward a cleaner food industry and establishing itself as a dominant force in the plant-only food market. After completing her studies in retail management in India, Priyanka worked for many major brands including Unilever and Target. In 2019, she excelled in Wharton Business School’s Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program.
Some of Priyanka’s recognitions include the People’s Choice Award (2019), Top-10 Startup in 10 years (2020), Top-10 Food Innovations of Chile (2020), and 100 Women Leaders of Chile (2021). She was also an invited speaker at the Falling-Walls Science Summit and InvestChile e-Seminar.
Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
Danielle J. Harris is the Managing Director of Engagement & Innovation at Elemental Excelerator. Elemental is a new non-profit model for funding climate tech deployment. They are on a mission to redesign the systems at the root of climate change. Breaking down barriers to innovation alongside climate entrepreneurs provides Elemental unique insight into the policy, market, and technology interventions needed to rebuild systems to promote equitable practices, uplift people, and create truly sustainable communities around the world.
Danielle J. Harris is a passionate advocate for environmental and racial justice. As Managing Director of Engagement & Innovation at Elemental, she invigorates hearts and minds to achieve an equitable and resilient transition of markets, environments and neighborhoods in response to the climate crisis. Previously, Danielle served as Elemental’s Director of Mobility Innovation, enhancing the breadth, depth and founder diversity of the mobility portfolio.
Prior to Elemental, she served as a city planner in San Francisco where she witnessed the impact of tech on cities. This experience led to her shaping the SFMTA’s first Office of Innovation — a unique team rooted in genuine curiosity, collaboration, and inclusion responsible for assessing and integrating emerging technologies in San Francisco and facilitating the city’s relationship with tech companies.
Sustainable Development Goals 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), 10 (Reduced Inequality), and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).
Pitch Night is on 21st September and everyone is invited to attend and vote. Check out the livestream details and vote at 6:30 p.m. EDT on the night. (8.30am AEST 22nd September)