Circular Summit to Bring 300 Role-Breaking, High-Growth Female Entrepreneurs and Investors to Hit Washington DC

Circular Summit, the experiential event convening high-growth female founders, investors, media, policymakers and ecosystem builders, will return for the third year on March 1-2, 2018, in Washington, D.C., at the United States Institute of Peace. Hosted by Alice, Circular Summit will be an action-oriented two days of workshops, activations, visionary talks, mentorship and network building to accelerate growth and close the gap for growth-oriented, role-breaking women entrepreneurs, with a special focus on minority and veteran founders. Circular Summit guests will also engage with policymakers to ensure they are supported through policies and legislation throughout this new administration.

Last year, Alice launched the world's first AI platform (www.helloalice.com) for business owners, enabling all entrepreneurs to access trusted resources, communities and opportunities to grow their companies. “Silicon Valley has proven its value for a privileged few. Alice is a movement to broaden the startup ecosystem in a way that strengthens all small business owners and creates real change in the number of women and minority-owned businesses that are succeeding big. Just as Alice connects financial and intellectual capital to business owners in the digital world, Circular Summit translates that mission into real-life experiences,” said Carolyn Rodz, co-founder and CEO, Alice.

“Last year, the power of this event became crystal clear when we heard from attendees that they secured capital from venture capitalists and angel investors, landed features in outlets like Inc., Entrepreneur and TechCrunch, and formed partnerships with companies like Dell and Johnson & Johnson. Those results get the Alice team and community fired up for this year’s Circular Summit because we know these two days will truly have a positive impact,” added Elizabeth Gore, co-founder and chairman of the board, Alice.

Circular Summit will also be the capstone of a week of small and medium business events in Washington, D.C., following Steve Case’s Rise of the Rest Summit and the Kauffman Foundation’s State of Entrepreneurship. “Only two percent of U.S. women-owned businesses earn more than $1 million in annual revenue; now, it’s time for real, impactful and systemic change. By collaborating with organizations like Rise of the Rest, Kauffman Foundation, the SBA and corporate partners, these events will help move the conversation forward for macro- and micro-level change, so that business owners of all backgrounds can grow, support their families and contribute meaningfully to their communities and economies,” added Gore.

Speakers slated for Circular Summit 2018 include:

• Kara Goldin, founder and CEO, Hint Inc.
   
• Neil Blumenthal, co-founder and co-CEO, Warby Parker
   
• Cathie Reid, co-founder, Icon Group
   
• Jen Gotch, founder and CCO, ban.do
   
• Susan Tynan, founder and CEO, Framebridge
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• Alexis Jones, founder, I AM THAT GIRL
   
• Kathryn Finney, founder and managing director, digitalundivided
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• Laurie Fabiano, president, Tory Burch Foundation
   
• Victor Hwang, vice president of entrepreneurship, Kauffman Foundation
   
• Sarah Jones Simmer, COO, Bumble
   
• Ashleigh Axios, former creative director, The Obama White House; design exponent, Automattic
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• Sarah Meister, hardware, design and technology growth manager, Indiegogo
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• Meredith Finn, senior director, Salesforce Ventures
   
• Abe Minkara, business development director, Mark Cuban Companies
   
• Zaw Thet, partner, Signia Venture Partners
   
• Melissa Bradley, managing director, Project 500
   
• Pocket Sun, founder, SoGal Ventures
   
• Lauren Flanagan, managing director, Belle Capital
   
• Carmen Jones, founder and president, Solutions Marketing Group
   
• Georgie Benardete, co-founder and CEO, Align17
   
• Julia Pimsleur, author, Million Dollar Women
   
• Kate Goodall, CEO, Halcyon
   
• Geri Stengel, founder and president, Ventureneer
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• Susan McPherson, founder and CEO, McPherson Strategies
   
• Kristin Haffert, co-founder, Mine the Gap
   
• Aimee Woodall, founder and president, The Black Sheep Agency

Highlighting her experience at Circular Summit, Onēva CEO and co-founder and 2015 Best Startup Silicon Valley award winner Anita Darden Gardyne said, “Team Alice changed my company in significant, lasting and meaningful ways, and it all began at Circular Summit.”

Tickets are available at www.circularsummit.com.

About Alice:

In 2015, co-founders Carolyn Rodz and Elizabeth Gore created the world’s first and fastest-growing virtual accelerator for women. Founded in Houston with offices in San Francisco, Alice has since launched an artificial intelligence platform to accelerate business growth by providing founders with curated content, tools, experts, communities, events and opportunities based on their unique company profile. A free software for founders, Alice solves the pain points of business owners in real-time by mapping local ecosystems and filtering it down to the resources right for an individual user at the right time. www.helloalice.com

MEDIA CONTACT:

Courtenay Siegfried
(713) 516-1055
​Courtenay@HelloAlice.com