NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SheKnows Media, a leading women's media company with 79 million unique visitors a month* and nearly 292 million social media fans and followers, today announced that GoDaddy will serve as the sole, premier sponsor of the live version of The Pitch: SMB Edition at #BlogHer16: Experts Among Us, taking place August 4-6 in Los Angeles.
The Pitch: SMB Edition returns to the annual conference after making a smash debut at #BlogHer15, becoming a trending topic on Twitter. Featured in Fast Company, Ebony Magazine, Business Journal, The Chicago Tribune and Tech Republic, The Pitch was created by SheKnows Media as a platform and video series that elevates, connects and coaches female entrepreneurs. More than 50 women business owners to date have been mentored by the program, which is celebrating the first anniversary of its official launch at last year’s conference.
In addition to joining The Pitch: SMB Edition judging panel, GoDaddy Senior Vice President of Presence and Commerce Lauren Antonoff will provide motivational advice for entrepreneurs and women in tech, such as those represented by the #BlogHer16 audience of 3,000 content creators and social media influencers, before announcing the winner of the competition at the close of the day on August 6.
“The BlogHer conference by SheKnows Media is great because it brings entrepreneurial women together in ways that spark ideas and provides a supportive startup environment that encourages participants to discover, share, and create,” Antonoff said. “At GoDaddy, we’re on a mission to help women break down barriers, achieve their full potential, and get the recognition they deserve. The women of SheKnows Media are doing exactly that, and I’m excited to hear what creative ideas come out of this summer’s live pitch competition.”
Also announced today, Sallie Krawcheck, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Ellevest, a recently launched digital investment platform for women, will kick off The Pitch: SMB Edition keynote with a presentation about the opportunities that entrepreneurism offers women.
Krawcheck will also emcee the competition, featuring women founders who will present their pitch to the audience and a panel of high-profile judges. Prior to the event, the SheKnows Media team will help each participant hone their business proposition and will professionally produce a 60-second video via the company’s in-house production team, which will be shown at the conference.
Krawcheck and Antonoff will be joined onstage by the following panel of judges, who will offer live critiques and ask critical questions:
- Courtney Nichols Gould, Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer, SmartyPants
- Lisa Skeete Tatum, Chief Executive Officer, Landit
- Majora Carter, Chief Executive Officer of StartUp Box and last year’s winner of The Pitch at #BlogHer15: Experts Among Us
- Shira Lazar, Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Host of What’s Trending
- Tai Beauchamp, Style Influencer and Entrepreneur
“2016 is an amazing time to be a female entrepreneur: startups with female leaders are more successful than those run only by men, there are growing networks to support us, the costs of running a business are coming down and there are more sources of funding available than ever,” said Krawcheck. “Based on my personal experience transitioning from the corporate world to becoming an entrepreneur, I am more engaged and inspired than I’ve been in my life. I look forward to seeing The Pitch: SMB Edition presentations and supporting other female entrepreneurs who are working to get their ideas off the ground.”
The winner of The Pitch: SMB Edition keynote will be determined by a combination of the rankings of the judges, and the popular vote of the #BlogHer16 attendees. The winner will receive year-long marketing, media and promotional support from SheKnows Media.
The Pitch participants include:
- Barika Edwards, Founder, OweYaa, a web-based platform that engages military service members and spouses through an exchange with startups and nonprofits to help them develop skills and gain civilian work experience
- Ritu Natayn, Founder of Zum, an online marketplace that helps busy parents secure trustworthy scheduled and on-demand rides and care for their kids
- Stacy Katz, Founder of Not Parent Approved, a card game for families inspired by Cards Against the Humanity that is appropriate for kids
- Zahra Aljabru, Founder of Mode-Sty, an online shopping destination for quality, stylish and modest clothing
In addition to sponsoring The Pitch: SMB Edition keynote, GoDaddy will host its own booth in the conference Expo Hall. It is also the premier sponsor of The Pitch booth by SheKnows Media, where conference goers are encouraged to record their own 60-second pitches. Finally, GoDaddy will sponsor The Pitch: SMB Edition on SheKnows.com August through October, hosting a monthly contest that rewards winners who submit the best Pitch entry.
Elisa Camahort Page, Chief Community Officer, SheKnows Media, said, “At SheKnows Media, we created The Pitch to help change the ratio of women- versus men-owned businesses by giving female entrepreneurs strategic access to female consumers via our massive marketing and media channels. At last year’s annual #BlogHer conference, The Pitch: SMB Edition ignited a tremendous amount of support from the audience. It was powerful and inspiring to watch thousands rally behind the women who participated, and we look forward to bringing the competition back again this year.”
Learn more about The Pitch here. To register for #BlogHer16: Experts Among Us, click here. More information about SheKnows Media can be found at www.sheknows.com.
* comScore, Media Metrix, Multiplatform Key Measures Report, May 2016, U.S.
About GoDaddy
GoDaddy's mission is to radically shift the global economy toward small businesses by empowering people to easily start, confidently grow and successfully run their own ventures. With more than 14 million customers worldwide and more than 62 million domain names under management, GoDaddy gives small business owners the tools to name their idea, build a beautiful online presence, attract customers and manage their business. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com.
About SheKnows Media
SheKnows Media is the number-one women’s lifestyle digital media company with 79 million unique visitors per month (comScore, Media Metrix, Multiplatform Key Measures Report, May 2016, U.S.) and 292 million social media fans and followers. The company operates a family of leading media properties that include SheKnows.com, BlogHer.com, STYLECASTER.com and HelloFlo.com. SheKnows Media also organizes the conference #BlogHer16: Experts Among Us, the largest annual celebration of women online content creators, social media influencers and brand executives, taking place in Los Angeles, August 4-6, 2016. With a mission of women inspiring women, SheKnows Media is revolutionizing the publishing industry by forging a new kind of model that seamlessly integrates users, editors and content creators onto a single platform designed to empower all women to discover, share and create. Whether it’s parenting or pop culture, fashion or food, DIY or décor, our award-winning editorial team, Experts, bloggers and social media influencers produce authentic and on-trend content every day. We dig deep to learn what makes our audience tick, revealing unexpected insights on women and digital media. Our robust, end-to-end suite of premium branded content and influencer marketing solutions generate more than 2 billion ad impressions per month (sources: DFP), allowing brands to distribute authentic content and integrated advertising at scale.
SheKnows Media is based in New York and Scottsdale, Ariz., with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. We also operate internationally in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.
