What We Do
- Our mission is to catapult women entrepreneurs to boldly lead and influence through growing successful businesses. At the Institute, we strive to:
- Provide exceptional educational programs, resources, tools, and mentorship for thriving women entrepreneurs who are in their second stage of business growth and beyond
- Address the professional and personal leadership development of women entrepreneurs
- Connect influential women entrepreneurs to professional advisors and resources for business.
- Forge powerful mentoring relationships among women
- Inspire women to take risks
- Cultivate creativity and innovation
- Inspire women to develop a healthy respect for cash and to be savvy about financing high growth enterprises
The First Organization of Its Kind
The institute, the
first organization of its kind created by, for and about emerging growth women entrepreneurs, was co-founded in 2001 by Marjorie Mathison Hance, Vice President for External Relations at St. Catherine’s (and former chair of the business department, and Vice President of Corporate Relations and Foundations) and Sue McCloskey, alumna of St. Catherine’s and successful entrepreneur.
These women leaders recognized that although women are starting businesses at twice the rate of men, women continue to encounter obstacles in their company’s growth and financing. There are many programs that help women get started in business but few that focus on more sophisticated leadership strategies as women grow their businesses. Enter the institute.
Over the past six years, the institute has grown to a membership of over 5,000 women business owners, senior women executives and a growing student population of all ages and backgrounds interested in entrepreneurship throughout this region and nationally.
The institute proudly continues the mission of the St. Catherine University to educate women to lead and influence. In fact, the roots of entrepreneurship began when this University was founded by
Sister Antonia McHugh.