I Testify Today before the Senate on Entrepreneurship

On Sunday we had a standing-room-only crowd at our Latinas and technology event at the National Council of La Raza 2014 Conference. What an event! It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces, and plenty of new ones. Thank you for joining us and our partners at Coca-Cola for what we hope was an informative and inspiring event. 

Since there was so much great information provided by Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and founder of Lean In, along with top Latina executives from Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Comcast, we will be sharing their presentations with all of you through the Adelante website next month. We will also include videos of our Latino superstars that wowed the audience with their online business savvy. 

I am sending you this message from our nation’s capital. I can’t begin to tell you how honored I am to be in Washington, D.C. today as part of a panel of distinguished women entrepreneurs who will testify before the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship at a hearing entitled: “Empowering Women Entrepreneurs: Understanding Successes, Addressing Persistent Challenges, and Identifying New Opportunities.” 

Advancing the cause of entrepreneurial women of color is one of my missions. I know firsthand the challenges of launching and growing a business, and through Adelante I have made it my mission to give Latinas across the country more opportunities to start and run successful businesses. The hearing will be live streamed today at 1:45 pm EST at www.sbc.senate.gov/public/ . I urge you to tune in as this impacts us as Latinas and our entire community. 

The hearing focuses on: • Re-authorizing the (26-year-old) Women’s Business Center program, the only entrepreneurial education program that reaches out and provides counseling and training services specifically to low income and socially disadvantaged women. • Strengthening opportunities for women-owned businesses to secure equal access to federal contracts and capital. • Greater access to capital for women-owned businesses by improving the Small Business Administration’s micro lending programs, intermediary lending program, and establishing a reporting mechanism on the distribution of SBA loans by race and gender. 
Hermanas, this is our time to be heard by the business and political leaders of this country.