Funding Gap

Business publication Inc. is teaming up with serial entrepreneur Phyllis Newhouse and others to produce a new TV show for women business owners. (Credit: ShoulderUp WOW) Looking for your business’s next big break? These auditions may be for you. Business publication Inc. is teaming up with ShoulderUp WOW, a production company founded by Emmy-winning producer Angelina Vivolo Cicala and serial entrepreneur Phyllis Newhouse, to give women business owners the floor by way of a new TV show. Not the chaotic trading floor, as the show’s title – “Women of Wall Street” – might imply. It will, instead, focus on giving women entrepreneurs a chance to pitch for bigger, brighter futures. Think “Shark Tank” – but by women, and for women. (Selected entrepreneurs will be invited to present their ventures at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City, though.) The show "will give talented women entrepreneurs access to capital that will help them accelerate their businesses growth, while also highlighting the larger issue, which is the need to close the funding gap for women-founded businesses,” Newhouse said in a press release provided to The Story Exchange. Newhouse is also the co-founder -- with Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis -- of ShoulderUp, a movement that aims to educate and empower women. Davis, however, is not involved in the production of "Women of Wall Street," according to a consultant for the show. Through the end of August, interested women business owners may send video testimonials that detail what their firms do or sell, and why they’re genuinely unique. Those who are chosen to advance in this competition will pitch in person in New York in October. Appearing on the show will not pay in and of itself, its creators note. But the winner will score a $100,000 investment – not to mention, a serious notoriety boost. “Women of Wall Street” will air in April 2023 on CBS-owned stations around the country, as well as streaming services like Paramount+ and Pluto TV. (Note: This article has been updated. An earlier version stated that ShoulderUp, the movement co-founded by Newhouse and Davis, was involved. ShoulderUp WOW, the production company co-founded by Newhouse and Cicala, is co-producing the show.)

Funding Gap

The Next ‘Shark Tank’ – But for Women

The Story Exchange

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