Experience the 2026 Female Force Summit: Celebrating Women’s Leadership and Innovation
Business leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and media executives came together for this year’s Female Force Summit, a significant gathering marking Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day. The event was hosted by leading publications including ELLE, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health, and Oprah Daily, featuring discussions on business growth, innovation, career sustainability, and challenging traditional industry norms.
The summit’s recorded sessions offer valuable insights into how women can strengthen each other’s entrepreneurial ventures through strategic networking, mentorship, financial backing, and community building.
Opening Session: AI-Powered Shopping Revolution
Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni discussed their entrepreneurial journey with Cosmopolitan’s Editor-in-Chief Willa Bennett, sharing insights about founder-driven expansion, establishing consumer trust in artificial intelligence, and maintaining core values while scaling rapidly. Their venture, Phia, operates as an intelligent shopping assistant that connects consumers with brands in real-time. Gates explained their platform addresses a universal consumer concern: determining whether a purchase is worthwhile. The service provides instant analysis of pricing, value retention, and alternative options. Starting with a $250,000 investment from their academic mentor who encouraged them to commercialize their classroom project, the company recently secured $35 million in Series A funding.
HearstLab Success Story
Eve Burton, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of Hearst Corporation and co-founder of HearstLab, delivered keynote remarks introduced by Hearst Magazines President Debi Chicherella. Burton highlighted HearstLab’s achievements as an investment platform supporting women-led enterprises. Since launching in 2016, the organization has backed 93 companies that collectively represent $3.2 billion in value.
Athletic Excellence and Sustainable Impact
Two groundbreaking athletes shared their experiences transitioning from sports excellence to meaningful advocacy. Misty Copeland, American Ballet Theatre’s first Black principal dancer, and Allyson Felix, Olympic track champion and co-founder of Saysh and Always Alpha, discussed the challenges beyond initial success. Copeland noted that while entering her field came relatively easily, maintaining her position proved more challenging. Moderated by Women’s Health Executive Editor Abigail Cuffey, they explored how they’re leveraging their athletic achievements to create lasting change for women in sports.
Technology Meets Social Purpose
In a session sponsored by Spectrum Business, Oprah Daily Executive Editor Paulie Dibner interviewed Viveka Hulyalkar, CEO and co-founder of Beam Impact, about addressing missed opportunities in corporate social responsibility. Hulyalkar identified a gap where brands donate significantly to charitable causes without consumer awareness, making it difficult for shoppers to distinguish genuinely committed companies from those engaging in superficial marketing. Beam addresses this by partnering with retailers like Tarte and Moleskine, allowing customers to designate which nonprofit receives 1% of their purchase at checkout. This transparency has transformed consumer behavior, reducing comparison shopping and increasing purchase completion rates, with participating brands experiencing 7-12% revenue increases.
Women Transforming Technology
Good Housekeeping Editor-in-Chief Elspeth Velten moderated a panel examining women’s progress in technology and remaining challenges. The discussion featured three female entrepreneurs: Basha Rubin of Priori, Kaitlyn Albertoli of Buzz Solutions, and Milena Berry of PowerToFly. Berry’s platform connects technology companies with qualified female professionals, directly increasing women’s earning potential. Albertoli applies artificial intelligence to advance the traditionally slow-moving electrical utilities sector. Rubin’s company has helped organizations save millions on legal expenses by connecting them with a curated network of qualified attorneys.
Global Education Initiative
Parampreet Singh, chief external affairs officer for the Malala Fund, emphasized the importance of community-driven solutions for girls’ education worldwide. Singh explained that when girls lack educational access, the negative impact extends beyond individuals to affect families, communities, and entire nations. The session highlighted a partnership between home fragrance company Pura and the Malala Fund, supporting local educational initiatives in Tanzania, Brazil, Nigeria, and Pakistan through a collaborative fragrance collection.
Leadership Under Pressure
The summit concluded with 20/20 co-anchor and ABC News correspondent Deborah Roberts interviewing Ida Liu, CEO of HSBC Private Bank and frequently recognized as one of finance’s most influential women. Liu’s career path included transitions between finance and fashion before returning to banking in 2007. She emphasized that professional advancement rarely follows a straight line, sometimes requiring strategic steps backward to move forward. Their conversation covered intelligent risk-taking, barrier-breaking, and developing habits for lasting impact. Liu discussed her commitment to dismantling both traditional glass ceilings and what she terms the ‘bamboo ceiling’ facing Asian women in their careers, measuring success not only by business performance but by how many opportunities she creates for others.
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