Thank You for an Inspiring
7th Annual Minority Women Lead!
We extend our gratitude to everyone who made the 7th Annual Minority Women Lead Pitch Competition, held on August 8, 2024, in Irvine, California, an extraordinary success. Your support—whether as competitors, judges, event partners, or attendees—allowed us to celebrate the remarkable achievements of women entrepreneurs.
Thursday
August 24
Thank You for an Inspiring 7th Annual Minority Women Lead!
We extend our gratitude to everyone who made the 7th Annual Minority Women Lead Pitch Competition, held on August 8, 2024, in Irvine, California, an extraordinary success. Your support—whether as competitors, judges, event partners, or attendees—allowed us to celebrate the remarkable achievements of women entrepreneurs.
Applications Open for Minority Women
Lead Pitch Competition
Thank you for applying, applications are closed as of Friday, June 14th at 5 PM PT.
1st Place: $5,000 cash prize
- 2 round trip flights from Southwest Airlines
- 3 complimentary consultation sessions with Nakatomi PR
- Admission for 2 to the National ACE conference
- Admission to the American Women’s Leadership Institute program from the Center for Asian Pacific American Women
2nd Place: $3,000 cash prize
and special one-on-one mentorship and business development conference prizes
3rd Place: $1,000 cash prize
and special one-on-one mentorship and business development conference prizes
Join us in celebrating and supporting minority women entrepreneurs. Get your tickets now and be part of this inspiring event!
Applications Open for Minority Women
Lead Pitch Competition
Thank you for applying, applications are closed as of Friday, June 14th at 5PM PT.
1st Place: $5,000 cash prize
- 2 round trip flights from Southwest Airlines
- 3 complimentary consultation sessions with Nakatomi PR
- Admission for 2 to the National ACE conference
- Admission to the American Women’s Leadership Institute program from the Center for Asian Pacific American Women
2nd Place: $3,000 cash prize
and special one-on-one mentorship and business development conference prizes
3rd Place: $1,000 cash prize
and special one-on-one mentorship and business development conference prizes
Join us in celebrating and supporting minority women entrepreneurs. Get your tickets now and be part of this inspiring event!
Celebrate Our Finalists:
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Runner Up
Runner Up
Ashley Xie
Pallavi Pande
Kelly Pan
Rebecca Cesar
Mayumi Kimura
Continue to support these outstanding women as they continue to drive change and make a difference!
Celebrate our finalists:
First Place
Ashley Xie
Rooted Fare
Second Place
Pallavi Pande
Dtocs LLC
Third Place
Kelly Pan
Impact Food
Runner Up
Rebecca Cesar
Tinted Health
Runner Up
Mayumi Kimura
Insight Therapy & Consulting
Acknowledgments
Judge
Judge
Judge
Judge
Abby Malchow
Judge
Debra Nakatomi
Judge
Mylen Yamamoto Tansingco
A special thank you to our keynote speaker, Sylvia Kim, Founder and CEO of The Rebel For Good, and to Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (District 73) and City of Irvine Mayor Farrah N. Khan for their impactful remarks. We also appreciate Courtney Pong, Owner of CSz Boston & The Rozzie Square Theater, for her invaluable guidance and support as our speaking coach.
We are also thankful to our 2022 and 203 participants who hosted exhibitor tables and continued to engage with our Minority Women Lead network: Hydro Gummy, Mixed Asian Media, Clean Circle, Mila’s Keeper, and Yellow Chair Collective.
A huge shoutout to Prepped with Love for adding delightful flavors to our event.
Relive the Highlights
Check out the event photos, beautifully captured by Mas Moriya, to relive the unforgettable moments of the evening.
In the meantime, please support our 2023 finalists:
Melissa Muganzo
Mindy's Kitchen
Mackenzie Loy
The Homemade Marketplace
Linda Yoon
The Yellow Chair Collective
Lena Chao
Clean Circle
Lara Vu
Mila's Keeper
Selection Timeline
5:00 PM
Doors Open
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM Networking Hour
Network while enjoying complimentary apps and drinks
6:00 PM
Program Begins
Grab a comfortable seat as
the program begins
6:15 PM – 7:30 PM
Pitch Competition
Cheer on our top 5 finalists
7:30 PM
Judge Deliberations + Keynote
Get inspired by our keynote
while the judges deliberate
7:50 PM
Winner Announcement
Celebrate the winners as they’re announced and solidify some final business connections
8:00 PM
Event Ends
Go home to get your pitch ready for next year’s competition
Experience innovation in action at Minority Women Lead!
Join us at the 7th Annual Minority Women Lead hosted by the California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce and National ACE on August 8, 2024 in Irvine, CA. This event is all about creating space for the next generation of visionary minority women. If that sounds like you, apply to be part of the top five innovative entrepreneurs that will be recognized and rewarded in our nationwide pitch competition! Not ready to pitch? We’ve got you covered— various investors outside of our judges panel will be present at the event, so there are many connections and investments that can be made beyond the competition.
#MinorityWomenLEAD
For more information about sponsorship, please contact Matt Sumida at [email protected]
Sponsors
Platinum Sponsor
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsor
Competition Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
DoorDash
JP Morgan Chase
Molina Healthcare
Siemens Mobility, Inc.
T-Mobile
To discuss sponsorship opportunities, please contact: Matt Sumida at [email protected]
Sponsored by:
Virtual Conversations
Join us for an engaging virtual conversation series featuring influential women of color as they share their stories and discuss opportunities and issues impacting women in the workplace
Women-Led Businesses
Women of color are starting businesses at a faster rate than any other demographic. Today, there are an estimated 6.4 million minority women-owned businesses in the US. Hear stories from some of the women-owned businesses and learn how you can support them!