Women entrepreneurship is soaring worldwide. While venture capital has surged over recent years, the numbers haven’t entirely changed for female founder startups. The amount of venture capital investments available to women, particularly of color, remains small.
In 2021, only 2% of venture capitalist funding in the US went to companies founded and led by women. Companies founded and led by women of color only saw 0.34% of funding. Compared to years ago, women today have more operational expertise and money to invest in women-led businesses across our community.
Our Missions Align
Incubators like HAYVN HATCH are important for helping female founders in the Connecticut tristate area receive training and support for the early stage of their businesses. HAYVN enables female entrepreneurs to connect, network, and receive funding from established angel investors. If not through this women-centric event, with one of our other specialized programs.
During our pitch night, five diverse female founders will pitch their companies’ vision to an audience of angel investors, VCs, educators, and fans. Support offered will assist with funding, marketing, and further their journey into growing the business.
Where Are They Now?
Leading up to our next HAYVN HATCH pitch night on Monday, October 3rd, we followed up with previous participants and winners. These phenomenal women continue to change the narrative surrounding successful female entrepreneurship in a male dominated space. See how HATCH helped them grow their business and what they are up to today!
Courtney Toombs, CEO/Founder of Doctionary — HATCH Participant
Dr. Courtney Toombs is an orthopedic surgeon and author who co-founded a clinical solution with her sister Allison Toombs. Doctionary is here to change the medical industry through a technology-based solution that combines language, communication, and medicine.
Through HAYVN HATCH, Courtney could pursue her dreams of becoming an entrepreneur while having an established career in the medical field. She received funding from HAYVN’s SBA Grant to fund her tech development.
“HATCH got us on our feet. We received support in creating our brand, logo, and business plan.”
Courtney recently hired an employee and is looking to make her business public by the end of this year.
Listen to HAYVN Hubcast’s podcast with Courtney about how a How a Doctor Becomes a Startup Co-Founder, and learn more about her story.
Joan Jia, CEO/Founder of Rentry Inc. — HATCH Winner, April 2022
Joan Jia is on a mission to help individuals and families access vital information in the real estate marketplace to build financial wealth and independence. Rentry Inc is here to bridge the gap through her multi-family real estate technology first marketplace.
“We wanted to digitize our experience and knowledge so that every consumer will have access,” she said. “We want every consumer to have an alternative to building financial wealth and independence in the real estate market.”
HAYVN LAUNCH and HATCH gave her the tools she needed to excel, from pitching to investors to fundraising and networking with real estate brokers. Since her professional shift from fintech to real estate investing, Joan has hired three people following her success with HATCH.
Listen to HAYVN Hubcast’s podcast with Joan about Making Real Estate Relevant, and learn more about her story.
Dr. Katherine Saunders, Co-Founder at Intellihealth — Winner of HAYVN HATCH, April 2021
weight-related medical problems. But you may remember her as Co-Founder of Intellihealth.
She is grateful for being a part of a supportive community of trailblazing women. Through HAYVN HATCH, she acquired the skills to get through her first pitch competition and participate in others.
“I felt so fortunate to win the competition and take advantage of the prize package — from Fran Hauser’s pitch feedback to Holly Hurd’s blog feature,” she said. “It was also wonderful to meet inspirational women in the Hayvn community — other founders, investors, and members. These introductions have led to several collaborations and investments.”
Today, she continues to scale and democratize access to effective obesity treatment across the U.S.
Listen to HAYVN Hubcast’s podcast with Joan about Creating Specialized Support for Effective Obesity Solutions, and learn more about her story.
Patricia Trongone, CEO/Founder of Patch Organics — Winner of HAYVN HATCH, September 2019
Patricia Trongone is the Founder and President of Patch Organics Pumpkin Seed Milk. She has always had a passion for health, wellness, and nutrition. HATCH provided exposure marketing and growth that helped Patricia turn her dream into reality of providing a more sustainable milk alternative for individuals and families.
She began as a grassroots organic green juice cleanse program, including healthy soups, salads, and snacks. Since 2019, her company has focused solely on organic pumpkin seed milk. They’ve created three additional flavors and distributed products to supermarkets, like Whole Foods, in the metro area.
Join Our Unique Women-Centric Pitch Night
Our next HAYVN HATCH event is happening LIVE, in-person at HAYVN on Monday, October 3rd, 2022, at 5:30 PM. Get tickets to meet amazing founders and teams behind five great new businesses.
As a member of our audience, you can also invest in these companies as angel investors. This allows you to contribute additional money to founders and companies that you like. Learn more here.
HAYVN Coworking
Founded in 2018, HAYVN is a flexible workspace for enterprising women (and men) to connect, create and grow. Along with a vibrant & engaged coworking community of entrepreneurs and business professionals, HAYVN is a business HUB, offering short- and long-term office space leases, meeting rooms rentals, and events to support local businesses. HAYVN is proud to be a Certified B Corporation™ and a CTNext partner. We believe in using the power of business to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy and have met the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. HAYVN’s workshops and signature programs encourage women of all colors and ages and acts as an incubator for developing skills and pursuing funding. HAYVN Launch incubator is a 2021 winner of the SBA's Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC), and the only 2021 winner in Connecticut.
Visit our beautiful safe ‘HAYVN’ in Fairfield County, CT at 320 Boston Post Road, Darien, CT, 06820. Arrange a private tour today, or to learn more about our health and safety response, read through our detailed guidelines here.
