Black Female Founder Attracts Venture Capital With Allergen-Free Snacks

Black Female Founder Attracts Venture Capital With Allergen-Free Snacks

Denise Woodard, Founder & CEO at Partake Foods, and her daughter Vivi In 2016, Denise Woodard, CEO and founder of Partake Foods, was frustrated by the lack of food options with the nutritional profile that she required and the taste appeal to her one-year-old daughter, Vivienne, who had life-threatening food allergies. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 8% of children in the U. S. have food allergies. That's 1 in 13 children. Woodard and her daughter's babysitter spent weeks in the kitchen unsuccessfully experimenting with developing a good tasting, good-for-you snack. Woodard's entrepreneurial journey has been bitter-sweet. Bitter, because it took George Floyd's murder and Black Lives Matter to focus the world on systemic racism and the inequities that Black female founders face funding their startups. Black female founders have received just 0. 6% of all VC investment since 2009, according to ProjectDiane 2020. But sweet, because her company, Partake, has benefited from increased media, consumer, and investor attention. The death of George Floyd sparked a much-needed conversation about systemic racism. It is creating opportunities. Some corporations, venture capitalists, and government agencies are addressing historic inequities with beefed-up advocacy, programs, and investments. "I'm cautiously hopeful," said Woodard. "We