Philippine Consulate Host 'New York City Women Entrepreneurs’ Conference: Get Your Business Funded'

Women participants during the WE Master Money Conference held at the Philippine Center New York. (Photo by PCG NY)

New York  – The Philippine Consulate General in New York hosted on 22 June 2019 the WE Master Money Conference: Get Your Business Funded which was organized by the Women Entrepreneurs NYC, an initiative of the NYC Department of Small Business Services dedicated to empowering and helping women start and grow their business. 

Consul General Claro S. Cristobal welcomes women participants to the Philippine Center during the WE Master Money Conference. (Photo by PCG NY)

In his welcome remarks, Consul General Claro S. Cristobal welcomed the more than 80 women coming from the diverse NYC community. Most of them are either in the early stages of their business, are looking to expanding their business or interested in opening a business. He expressed hope that Filipino and Filipino American women would take advantage of the WE NYC programs and what the city offers, emphasizing that with New York being the world’s media capital, it is a good place to build their personal and business brands.

The one-day conference afforded the participants the opportunity to get practical and inspirational insights from the distinguished women entrepreneurs and mentors. Ramona Cedeno, founder of FiBrick Financial Services – a certified Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) accounting practice, talked about what potential investors and lenders are looking before making a decision to invest in a company.

Tuesday Brooks, founder of Ajoy Management Consulting, spoke about the conventional and alternative sources of funding that they can tap into. 

#KillerPitchMaster communicator Precious Williams, founder of Perfect Pitches by Precious, revealed to them the art and science of the “killer” pitch that will help them “slay all competition” and keep their business top of mind. 

Sanja Jhankar, co-founder of Luminoustudios, demonstrated how to create an effective and high quality crowdfunding videos for a successful crowdfunding campaign.

Katie Klencheski, founder of SMAKK Studios, imparted how they can tell their story in a way that defines the brand’s value, connect it to the audience, and explain what differentiates it from competitors.

(L-R) Consul General Claro Cristobal poses with WE NYC Director Diana Franco, Florencia Giordano and Cody Jacobs.  (Photo by Afrikanspot/We NYC)

One-on-one free credit consultations were also offered throughout the day, where participants were able to consult with volunteer financial counselors and got personalized assistance on how to build, repair and improve their personal credit. 

Deputy Consul General Kerwin Orville Tate with Diana Franco and Ramona Cedeno during the networking event at the WE Master Money Conference. (Photo by Afrikanspot/WE NYC)

WE NYC Director Diana Franco and Deputy Consul General Kerwin Orville Tate co-hosted the conference.

The Consulate - WE NYC collaboration was born out of the success of the WE Empower Filipino American Women's Entrepreneurship Forum organized by the Consulate in April 2019.

contributed pcgny