LGBTQ+ Business Founders Panel & Happy Hour Link

Join us to celebrate LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs as a community! Ventures and The Riveter are hosting a happy hour and panel discussion with LGBTQ+ founders on how they built their businesses. Our goal is to provide an affordable and accessible space for local, diverse LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs to have real conversations about what it is like to own a business. Ask questions, hear their stories, learn how they navigate challenges and bias, and celebrate their triumphs, large and small. 

Panelists include:

• Beto Yarce | Executive Director of Ventures [Moderator]

• Joy Hollingsworth | Co-Founder of Hollingsworth Cannabis Companyand owner of Elio CBD

• Edward Holmes | UX Designer and Founder of Edward Holmes Design

• Eli Allison | Founder of Repair Revolution

• Elliat Graney-Saucke | Founder of Elliat Creative and Executive Director of the Seattle Documentary Association

This event is powered by Ventures and The Riveter

Ventures provides access to business training, capital, coaching and hands-on learning opportunities for entrepreneurs with limited resources and unlimited potential. Ventures serves those in our community for whom traditional business development services are out of reach, with a focus on women, people of color, immigrants, and individuals with low income. Our ultimate goal is to support individuals to increase their income potential, achieve long-term financial stability, provide for their families, and enrich their communities through small business ownership.

The Riveter is a co-working space and community platform built by womxn for everyone. As we celebrate Pride month with a powerful programming series that amplifies LGBTQ+ voices with an intersectional lens, we center and remember the history of the Gay rights movement, Pride movement, and recognize the legacy of the community. We understand that LGBTQ+ rights and Women’s rights are deeply intertwined. We believe in empowerment for all, not in empowerment for some. We stand in solidarity with our LGBTQ+ community and commit to continuing to use our platform to advance equity alongside the LGBTQ+ community. 

Our event is open to everyone whether you identify within the LGBTQ+ community or not. We encourage you to invite your friends, family, and aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking to start or grow their businesses.