VEST Her

Although women represent half of the U.S. population, labor force and businesses, we are underrepresented in rooms where decisions are being made and where women's voices desperately need to be heard. 

To make things worse, the pandemic has disproportionately affected women in the workplace.

More than half (53%) of women in the workplace are experiencing burnout. 

One in four working women in North America are considering downshifting their careers or dropping out of the workforce.

For working mothers, particularly those with young children, the number is one in three.

VEST connects women across industries, regions and career levels to create a support system and makes it cheaper for women to access quality coaching in a remote and flexible environment. Through our established networks and partnerships we are also able to provide career mobility and opportunities to the women we serve. 

Workplaces were never designed with women in mind, as a result women continue to suffer the repercussions of a system that was not built for them. The pandemic has directly highlighted this as more and more women continue to leave the workforce. 

Furthermore, we still hire, promote, appoint and invest through existing networks. Plenty of research shows male professionals have benefitted from coaching and networking organizations for decades. Utilizing these platforms to find jobs, receive promotions, and secure funds to start a company or investment funds. Women have often been intentionally or inadvertently excluded from such opportunities. Covid has made it even harder for women with families to join these opportunities.

As a result. despite women representing half of the U.S. population, labor force and businesses, we are underrepresented in rooms where decisions are being made and where women's voices desperately need to be heard. This inequality will continue to compound unless we intervene.

VEST curates and provides top tier coaching in an affordable and collaborative manner and connects women with other influential women, so members become top of mind for career and investment opportunities. We do this virtually through out platform. 

VEST Her U on-demand masterclass platform helps women join/re-enter the workforce by providing on-demand classes and career resources through VEST established partnership network.

VEST bureau, is a talent bank of influential women with the skills, training and network needed to create impact at scale.

VEST Her Podcast, curates and invites guest speakers to help women navigate through established societal norms and bias: from being discouraged from studying certain subjects, to facing discrimination during the hiring process, unequal pay and restricted career progression. 

 Expediting the number of women in leadership across industries and sectors means women will have more influence over markets, equitable policies, and flow of capital. 

Women are more likely to embrace employee-friendly policies and programs to champion racial and gender diversity. In fact more than 50% of women say they consistently take a public stand for gender and racial equity at work, compared with about 40% of men. Senior level women are also more likely to mentor and sponsor other women: 38% of senior level women currently mentor or sponsor one or more women of color, compared with only 23% of senior level male peers. 

Workplaces were never designed with women in mind, as a result women continue to suffer the repercussions of a system that was not built for them. The pandemic has directly highlighted this as more and more women continue to leave the workforce. 

More women in positions of power and influence will lead to a compound effect, more representation, more role models and more best practices shared, which will also result in more equitable spaces as women tend to embrace employee-friendly policies and champion gender and racial diversity.

We've reached more than $100,000 in revenue in less than five months after we launched. We have active members as well as secured partnerships. Our most recent partnership includes partnering with the Mayor of Oklahoma City to act as a talent back to put more women in public boards and commissions. We are a finalist of the SHRM Better Workplaces Challenge and have moved on to the second phase of Google's Impact Challenge for Women and Girls. 

VEST provides top tier professional and executive coaching to women joining the workforce for the first time, or returning to work after personal leave, in a remote and flexible environment. Our partnership network leverages VEST as a talent bank and trusted pipeline to fill career opportunities, board appointments, investment and public speaking opportunities. 

VEST content and peer-cohorts will be accessible from anywhere at any time. Content will be designed by women for women, focused on the barriers women face entering/rejoining the workforce.

Currently we have 69 paying members members and a waiting list of ~200. We look to be at 180 before the end of the year. In five years as we introduce the on-demand platform and leverage partnerships with universities and career ed institutions, we look to be in the 5,000-10,000 range.

Currently: Members, MRR, Churn, Diversity of Members

Future: On demand memberships, churn, MRR and transactional fees through talent bureau. Courses completed per user, Number of partner organizations, Employment rate | Career Mobility (long-term KPI)

Four Full-Time and Six Advisors

We already work with women in the workplace and have built a strong network of influential women. We’ve built an app and platform for women to connect, learn from and with each other. We’ve secured a strong lineup of high-profile coaches, have partnered with Mayors to place more women in public commissions and boards, as well as corporate partners who use us as a trusted pipeline for career opportunities. Our team is composed of women who’ve already achieved C-suite positions and have a long history of investing capital and resources to level the playing field for women and marginalized communities. Founding Members include: Former Mayor of Tulsa, Kathy Taylor, Claudia San Pedro, CEO of Sonic Corp, Sue Ann Arnall CEO of the Arnall Family Foundation, Elizabeth Frame Ellison, CEO of the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation, Marie Rocha Founding Partner of Realist Ventures and Erika Lucas, Co-Founder and CEO of StitchCrew.

Three out of the six founding members identify as women of color. Three out of the four FT employees identify as women of color. Three out of the four FT identify as women. 

Commitment

We recognize working mothers, women of color are the most marginalized. More than 53% of women in the workforce are experiencing burnout. As a result, one in four women are considering downshifting their career or dropping out of the workforce. For working mothers, particularly those with young children the number is one in three. Women of color are dealing with distinct issues because of their race, having less allies at work, being significantly underrepresented in senior leadership and being promoted more slowly than other groups. Violence in our country has also taken a heavy emotional and mental toll on Black women. We are committed to building solutions to level the playing field for those who are most marginalized. 

Workplaces were never designed with women in mind. As a result, women continue to suffer the repercussions of a system that still treats them unequally, as amplified by the covid-19 pandemic. In fact, women’s labor force participation rate is now the lowest it’s been since 1988. Fixing this is not just a women's issue and creating more equitable workspaces benefits everyone. 

Several reports now show that company profits and share performance can be close to 50% higher when women are well represented at the top. Senior level women are more likely to embrace employee-friendly policies and programs to champion racial and gender diversity. Subsequently, companies with diverse talent and executives are more likely to retain the best talent and engage in decision-making that accounts for orienting to larger varieties of customers than companies with a more monolithic customer base. This leads to higher profits and long-term sustainability.

The pandemic could cost typical American woman Nearly $600,000 in lifetime income. To build more equitable workspaces we need the best minds to work together. We are applying to this grant not just for funding but to leverage the network.

MIT Faculty and Solve Members who've worked in the areas of supporting women in the workplace. I need to know based on research which are the areas we need to focus on for content development. We also need help knowing the best data we need to be collecting to demonstrate impact and theory of change. 

VEST is an on-demand platform providing top tier professional and executive coaching to women joining the workforce for the first time, or returning to work after personal leave, in a remote and flexible environment. 

Harvard Business Review placed the median executive coach cost at $500/hour with a range of $200-3500 per hour, with most coaches expecting you to book a minimum set of hours for an established period of time. The average cost of attending a leadership/career conference ranges from $4500-$7500, plus travel. Furthermore, most students don’t have access to career guidance. Across the country there is a 455:1 student to counselor ratio. This makes access to quality coaching and networking unattainable for many women who are unemployed, joining the workforce for the first time or re-entering due to personal circumstances.

Our partnership network leverages VEST as a talent bank and trusted pipeline to fill career opportunities, board appointments, investment and public speaking opportunities. 

VEST is an on-demand platform providing top tier professional and executive coaching to women joining the workforce for the first time, or returning to work after personal leave, in a remote and flexible environment. Our partnership network leverages VEST as a talent bank and trusted pipeline to fill career opportunities, board appointments, investment and public speaking opportunities. 

Harvard Business Review placed the median executive coach cost at $500/hour with a range of $200-3500 per hour, with most coaches expecting you to book a minimum set of hours for an established period of time. The average cost of attending a leadership/career conference ranges from $4500-$7500, plus travel. Furthermore, most students don’t have access to career guidance. Across the country there is a 455:1 student to counselor ratio. This makes access to quality coaching and networking unattainable for many women who are unemployed, joining the workforce for the first time or re-entering due to personal circumstances.

Working mothers, women of color and senior-level women. More than 53% of women in the workforce are experiencing burnout. As a result, one in four women are considering downshifting their career or dropping out of the workforce. For working mothers, particularly those with young children the number is one in three. Women of color are dealing with distinct issues because of their race, having less allies at work, being significantly underrepresented in senior leadership and being promoted more slowly than other groups. Violence in our country has also taken a heavy emotional and mental toll on Black women

VEST is an on-demand platform providing top tier professional and executive coaching to women joining the workforce for the first time, or returning to work after personal leave, in a remote and flexible environment. Our partnership network leverages VEST as a talent bank and trusted pipeline to fill career opportunities, board appointments, investment and public speaking opportunities. 

Harvard Business Review placed the median executive coach cost at $500/hour with a range of $200-3500 per hour, with most coaches expecting you to book a minimum set of hours for an established period of time. The average cost of attending a leadership/career conference ranges from $4500-$7500, plus travel. Furthermore, most students don’t have access to career guidance. Across the country there is a 455:1 student to counselor ratio. This makes access to quality coaching and networking unattainable for many women who are unemployed, joining the workforce for the first time or re-entering due to personal circumstances.

Working mothers, women of color and senior-level women. More than 53% of women in the workforce are experiencing burnout. As a result, one in four women are considering downshifting their career or dropping out of the workforce. For working mothers, particularly those with young children the number is one in three. Women of color are dealing with distinct issues because of their race, having less allies at work, being significantly underrepresented in senior leadership and being promoted more slowly than other groups. Violence in our country has also taken a heavy emotional and mental toll on Black women