COMx: Women Driving Social Impact Through Entrepreneurship

(COMx Panelists from left to right: Lisbeth Arias, Emily Neville, & Catherina Gomes)

The NC State Institute for Nonprofits and the Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) organization were hosts to over 70 attendees at this Fall’s COMx event, which took place on Thursday October 18th at the Raleigh offices of Google Fiber. The theme of this event was “Women Driving Social Impact Through Entrepreneurship.” The goals of COMx are to build diverse communities across sectors, present real-life experiences of diverse women making social impacts through their professional enterprises, and to foster an informative environment that allows for an open discussion about the necessity of diverse workforces. Because of COMx’s theme and goals, the event was selected as a featured event for NC State University’s Diversity Education Week, which took place October 15-19, 2018.

COMx began with networking over appetizers and drinks, and then the attendees settled in for an engaging panel discussion. The distinguished panelists were a diverse group of women, and the majority of them were NC State alumnae or students. The panel discussion was moderated by Tia Bethea (NCSU ‘04, ‘15), Community Engagement Manager at Google Fiber. The COMx panelists included: Lisbeth Arias (NCSU ‘15), Creator and Founder of Descalza, Catherina Gomes (NCSU ‘15), CEO and Founder of Seven Hundred Rivers, Sophia Hyder, CEO of Papilia, and Emily Neville (NCSU’ 20), Founder and CEO of Reborn Clothing CO.

During each of their presentations, the accomplished panelists shared their personal perspectives on finding success as women entrepreneurs. The panelists discussed the importance of showcasing one’s differences, and gave examples of how to ensure social impact within an entrepreneurial endeavor. After their presentations, all panelists answered questions from an interactive audience. It was clear from the enthusiastic conversations throughout the night that guests, which included students, faculty, staff and community leaders, left with new knowledge about the positive impacts that can be made from a diverse workforce.

(COMx Panelist: Sophia Hyder)