The Spirit of Entrepreneurship™ Foundation’s Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards™ are designed to recognize the contributions of women entrepreneurs in Santa Barbara County to the economy as well as to support future economic growth through the recognition and education of student entrepreneurs. Working with the Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship at Santa Barbara City College, the 2013 gala Awards Dinner honored women entrepreneurs in eight categories and eight student entrepreneurs (or teams of students) who won the Scheinfeld Center’s New Venture Challenge competition at the high school and collegiate level.
Winners of the 2013 Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards
Front row (left to right): Kathy Odell, Life Achievement; Ali Bauerlein, Medical, Science & Technology, and Melissa Marsted, Communications, Marketing & Publishing. Not shown: Alethea Tyner Paradis, Tourism & Hospitality. Back row: Jill Latham, Emerging Business; Susanne Chess, Retail, Wholesale, Manufacturing; Barbara Klein, Professional Services; Joy Kelly, Beauty & Fitness.
Learn more about the winners here.
Lynda Weinman, Executive Chair and co-founder of Lynda.com, was our MC for the evening that included great food, wine, live music by Montecito Jazz and most important, inspiring stories from the winning student and women entrepreneurs.
The Scheinfeld Center holds the New Venture Challenge, a one-day business pitch competition, a week before the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards™ where judges select the four student winners (or teams of winners) at both the high school level and collegiate level. The Foundation provides the winners with cash prizes to support their winning business plan. All the winning students and their parents and/or teachers attend the Awards dinner as guests of the Spirit of Entrepreneurship™ Foundation. Learn more about the student winners here.
The Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards™ event is unique in that it inspires student entrepreneurs with role models as well as cash prizes while honoring outstanding women entrepreneurs with non-monetary awards. The proceeds from the event go toward underwriting the following year’s award dinner and funding the student prizes.
For more information about making a contribution to the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Foundation, a 501(c) corporation, please call 805-682-8380.
Our thanks to Montecito Bank & Trust and lynda.com for underwriting the student awards in 2012 and 2013 as well as to our other generous sponsors.
To see photos from the 2013 Spirit of Entrepreneuship Awards, click here »
The Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards™ in the News