Dear friends,
You have heard me talk about this initiative for months now. Finally, the LiisBeth team and I are pleased to be able to launch our beta version to a select group of friends and colleagues–which includes you!
So what is LiisBeth? A community supported indie, hyper-niche, micro-multi-national, online magazine and platform for feminist entrepreneurs. Our secret sauce? A unique voice. Plus a commitment to developing and funding original, authentic and evocative works (field notes) to surface socially progressive stories, thought-leadership and perspectives on entrepreneurship-a combination you won’t find in mainstream and even a lot of today’s online media.
Many of you know that my own experiences as a social entrepreneur have led me to become extremely passionate about the role venture creation and growth can play in driving social change. However, my work in Toronto’s start up space over the past three years has led me, along with many others, to the observation that our collective obsession with unicorns, disruptive, extreme growth-but cheap to fund (aka digital) ventures is problematic–at least if we believe a society’s true gains via entrepreneurship depends on fostering diversity in its expression, supporting boot-strapped and natural growth ventures that benefit local communities and the planet, and ensuring it is an inclusive, equal opportunity and bias-free space. Sadly, based on today’s statistics and research, we know that it is not.
Fortunately, there is growing list of concerned voices and organizations looking for ways to address this. And we felt the need to join them–with a complementary solution to what is already underway. And this is how LiisBeth was born.
Helping the entrepreneur eco-system achieve its full change-making potential by widening the lens is what LiisBeth is all about. Our mission is to tell untold stories that challenge stereotypes and biases, help disseminate feminist entrepreneurship related research, and create a community of entrepreneurs and supporters who embrace feminist values of equality, social justice and social transformation — to evolve entrepreneurship-and the policies and eco-systems which support it- for the benefit of all.
So, explore the LiisBeth site. Check out the several original “only found here” stories generously contributed by supporters of the concept. Tell us what you like, dislike or want to see in the future. And consider being a contributor. I am sure you also have a story to tell.
