The new Chicago Digital Equity Fund and Tech Desk initiative will help support women-owned businesses launched through DePaul's Women in Entrepreneurship Institute's Business Accelerator Program.
Seven qualified participants in the
Women in Entrepreneurship Institute (WEI)
Accelerator Program at DePaul University will each receive a $5,000 technology grant to use toward their tech enablement needs—whether that be digital marketing, social media channels, e-commerce integration or other tech-related services—as an expansion of the WEI program they just completed this summer.
The grants are part of Chicago Digital Equity Fund and Tech Desk, supported by Verizon, a new initiative launched July 27 by
GET Cities, WEI and
Gumbo Media, which is hosting the program.
Read more about the Chicago Equity Fund and Tech Desk launch.
“Receiving this tech grant is great because it will help my company speed up the process of establishing the best tech stack and operational processes for my company,” says Karyna do Monte, founder of
Archie.io and one of the entrepreneurs receiving the technology grant. “I am excited to demonstrate how a bit of help can go a long way for me as a small business owner and am grateful for the opportunity to work with such a supportive organization."
WEI's goal is to provide women entrepreneurs with the tools and resources they need to grow their businesses and reach new markets. WEI supports women entrepreneurs through research and programs that invest in the success and sustainability of women-owned businesses. As a 100% women-led institute, board members and WEI staff use their own entrepreneurial experience to address women's funding gap and obstacles in scaling their businesses, board positions, and funding.
“This is a game changer for Chicago's women entrepreneurs. The cards have been stacked against women business owners in terms of financing and gender bias for far too long. At WEI, we are excited to provide the Chicago Tech Desk to our cohort members as a way to help level the playing field,” says Kimberly Campbell, Program Manager at Women in Entrepreneurship Institute.