‘No Need To Be Demure’: Lessons For Emerging Founders From The World’s Most Influential Women

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Women of all ages took the stage at Forbes’ 12th annual Power Women’s Summit this week in New York City’s Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Actors and producers like Issa Rae and Kerry Washington took the stage along with athletes like Olympic medal-winning gymnast Jordan Chiles and paralympian Ali Truwit to speak about the importance of “taking the lead”—this year’s summit theme. The celebrities were joined by business leaders like J. Crew’s CEO Libby Wadle and fashion mogul Emma Grede who spoke to the importance of sticking to your core purpose as a founder.

Grede spent much of her career in marketing roles and is now part of one of the most well-known pop-culture clans of our time—she is the CEO of Khloe Kardashian’s Good American and was an integral part in building Kim Kardashian’s Skims.

And while she acknowledges that the Kardashians are at the center of the zeitgeist and at the forefront of social media, she told moderator Lindsay Peoples, 30 Under 30 media alum and Editor in Chief of The Cut, that a business needs more than trendiness to succeed. “It’s a great accelerator to growth. It’s really fantastic if you want to get in front of a lot of people at a certain point in time. But it doesn’t mean that you’re going to have a successful business. So I tend to stay really far away from trends and lean into purpose.”

But for those who don’t have a cofounder with 300 million Instagram followers, tapping into the right trends can be key. That’s the line J. Crew’s CEO Wadle walks.

Wadle says she focuses on striking a balance between the brand’s core ethos and what’s hot today: “It’s very tempting when you’re coming in and trying to make great change and transform… to try to go after new, or go after younger,” Wadle says. “The real learning for us, and the balance has been how to really nurture the core, whether it’s the core customer or the core product.”

While these female leaders had varying strategies about how to find, connect with and retain their customers, one thing many of the event’s speakers agreed on was the importance of connecting with other women in the space.

Both Grede and fashion designer Tory Burch, another one of the day’s panelists, shared how important networking, seeking mentorship and unapologetically asking for help is in a woman’s career.

“No need to be demure in what you’re asking for,” Grede said.

Alex & Zoya

Student Special: Forbes 2024 Under 30 Summit

Forbes is excited to offer a limited number of complimentary tickets to top students for the 2024 Forbes Under 30 Summit, taking place in Cincinnati, Ohio, from September 22-25! This is your chance to attend the Summit and join the world’s brightest young leaders, founders and creators. Enjoy four days of unparalleled networking, incredible speakers, and a private concert. Don’t miss out—apply here now. Remember, you must be 21+ to attend!

Adam Neumann’s Climate Company Is Issuing Refunds After Failing To Launch Crypto Token

Adam Neumann is most well-known for running (and stepping down from) WeWork, his co-working startup that was once valued at an inflated $47 billion. He’s since moved on to run Flowcarbon, a climate tech startup that wanted to bring carbon credits onto the blockchain. In 2022, the startup announced it had raised some $70 million in funding from investors like Andreessen Horowitz. But within the last few weeks, Flowcarbon has reportedly been issuing refunds to people who purchased its “Goddess Nature Token” and waited years for a launch that never happened, according to Forbes. Read more here.

Lister Lowdown

–PatientPartner, founded by Forbes 2021 Consumer Technology listers Patrick Frank and George Kramb, have raised $7 million in seed funding led by LionBird, a venture capital firm specializing in early-stage digital health investments, along with follow-on capital from FCA Venture Partners. PatientPartner is a platform that allows new patients to connect with experienced patients to gain first-hand knowledge about breakthrough treatments to best determine their own treatment path.

–2021 Under 30 Asia Finance & VC lister Morgan Lai has announced the founding of a new company, Fountain. Fountain is a web3 operating system designed to help enterprises and institutions manage and automate treasury, risk management and trading operations. This week, the startup announced closing a $3.5 million seed round from investors like Foundation Capital, Caladan, Primal Capital, Druid Ventures, United Overseas Bank, Blockchain Founders Fund and more. Lai initially was named to the Under 30 list for her work as the founder of Formulate Ventures, a firm that invested in seed-stage enterprise companies.

–Raphael Peralta and Thelma Zabloki, 2024 Under 30 Europe Science & Healthcare listers, announced Tuesday they raised a $6.5 million seed round for their biotech startup CardiaTec. The U.K.-based company uses AI for computational drug discovery, with a focus on cardiovascular disease. The new round was led by Menlo Park, CA-based venture capital firm Montage Ventures. Zablocki and Peralta previously raised $1.9 million from investors including Cambridge Enterprise.

One Minute With Jade Watson

We’re bringing you the scoop on a new Under 30 community member. Up this week: 2024 Under 30 Media lister Jade Watson, the founder of SickBird Productions, a full-service production company specializing in unscripted content. Watson also co-hosts a podcast called After Hours, where she and two other founders talk about scaling businesses.

The following has been slightly edited for length and clarity.

How did you get the idea for SickBird Productions? I started SickBird Productions after noticing a significant lack of female leadership in content creation. I wanted to create a company with diverse leadership, focused on empowering women through unscripted storytelling, podcasts and digital content.

What excites you most about producing content? The ability to tell authentic stories that resonate with people excites me the most. I love seeing how content can shape perspectives, empower individuals and drive cultural change, especially through diverse, unscripted storytelling.

What are some of your passions outside of work? I’m passionate about travel and learning from different cultures. I also have a love/hate relationship with running.

Tell me about a typical day-in-the-life. A typical day involves working with my team on multiple projects, developing new content, managing partnerships and keeping a close eye on current projects. I also carve out time to explore new ideas, monitor industry trends and connect with my team on a creative level.

Is there one thing you absolutely can’t live without? My ability to stay connected with my team is something I can’t live without. Whether we’re brainstorming ideas or refining projects, collaboration is key to everything we do.

Do you have any predictions for the podcasting industry, given its explosive growth recently? I see podcasting continuing to evolve, with more niche shows gaining traction. There’s also a growing demand for visually engaging, multi-platform content—combining traditional podcasting with video and interactive elements, such as live shows.

What’s your advice to other young entrepreneurs looking to break into the media industry, on both the production and podcasting sides? My advice is to trust your vision, but be data-informed. Build personal connections, as relationships can open unexpected doors. And stay agile—media trends shift quickly, so adaptability is crucial.

Any general advice for founders across industries? Stay true to your mission, and don’t be afraid to take calculated risks. Focus on building a sustainable and scalable model while keeping your passion at the core.

If you could go back in time, what’s one thing you would tell your younger self? I’d tell my younger self to be patient and trust the process. Building something meaningful takes time, but if you’re committed to your vision, the results will come. “Be stubborn about your goal but flexible about your method.”