Welcome to April! The month has started off with a soggy entrance, but that has me looking forward to warmer days and bright flowers! So, I am not going to complain! This is an exciting month for me and the Halfstack team! I have the honor of heading to New York City at the end of this week to attend The Project Entrepreneur Intensive 2017 coordinated by the Rent the Runway Foundation. I pitched Halfstack for a spot back in October not knowing if we would get in, and then in February I received the awesome news that I was one of 200 female founders selected to attend this weekend intensive! I have to admit that I was shocked and overwhelmed and brought to tears. Working on this publication for the last 5 years has been a labor of love. It is not always easy and it's not nearly as glamorous as it seems to be. Yet, it's an opportunity to create with passion and showcase some incredibly talented people which makes the sleepless nights and hard work worth it. To be included in this intensive is a great opportunity to truly connect with inspiring and motivating women who are doing kick ass things in their perspective industries and I could not be any more excited!
So, what is this PE Intensive, you ask? Project Entrepreneur ignites bold ideas by providing women access to the tools, training and networks needed to build scalable, economically impactful companies. The organization reaches this goal through a multi-faceted national initiative that includes this robust digital hub, multi-city events, a venture competition, and a 5-week accelerator program.
Rent the Runway co-founders Jennifer Hyman and Jenny Fleiss – in partnership with UBS – are on a mission: to break traditional barriers in women’s paths and democratize the knowledge and resources necessary to build impactful ventures.
This week marks the kick off of Project Entrepreneur Intensive 2017 - a weekend filled with workshops and keynotes from prominent women business owners and professionals across multiple disciplines. Some notable figures include Sarah Blakely of Spanx, Poppy Harlow co-anchor at CNN, and Carley Roney co-founder of The Knot/XO Group Inc. Attendees will also have the chance to learn more about working with investors and taking their companies to the next level through workshops and a few will have the chance to pitch for $10,000 grant and acceptance into a 5 week accelerator program at Rent the Runway headquarters this summer.
Halfstack is a part of just a handful of digital media brands and one of the only indie zines. I have already had the honor to connect with some of our local midwestern/Chicago founders and it's exciting to know we will be meeting up in a few days in a new city. I'm excited to meet new people, learn new things and grow. I will also be vlogging the experience. So, make sure to stay tuned on our youtube channel HERE to follow along. If you have any suggestions on places to check out and eat while I am in Midtown (won't be too far away from Time Square) share tips in the suggestions below! I am excited to also be staying at POD 51 - it looks like the perfect creative haven! Keep up with me on Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and I'll likely live feed on Facebook.
While, I am out in NYC, the team will be holding down the blog! We are beginning prep work for the Summer issue of Halfstack and our upcoming digital content for Youtube! I have a podcast going live this month as well featuring Chicago singer: Ashley Lauren-Elrod. We talk about how the lowest point in her life helped her get to where she is now, the journey she's been on following her creative dreams and how she's using music to combat Sex Trafficking. She's truly an inspiration!
Thanks again for all your support!
Jen Lezan - Editor in Chief
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