Texas Woman's University Alumni Program
Alumna Chef Cynthia '96 of Soulgood Talks Tech to the Kitchen
Aug. 3 Texas Woman's University hosted their TESSTalk Series. Cynthia Nevels ’96, alumna and owner of the Dallas-based organic vegan quick service food company Soulgood discussed her journey at TWU and her path to becoming an entrepreneur.
How many entrepreneurs are there in the US?
31 million entrepreneurs According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, there are 31 million entrepreneurs in the U.S., which is about 16% of the adult workforce. However, about 55% of adults have started a business at some point in their lives, and 26% have started two or more businesses.
Chef Cynthia started her career in tech after graduating from Texas Woman's University in 1996 with a BA in Psychology and a minor in business administration. She then moved to Silicon Valley in 1999 to work for Siebel Systems which is now Oracle before trying her hand at becoming an entrepreneur.
Women entrepreneurs statistics show that 252 million entrepreneurs out of approximately 582 million in the world are female. Added to 153 million women who have already been running businesses, we can see the impact of women on business.
Research also shows that women now account for 41% of the global workforce and control more than $20 trillion in annual spending. Predictions are that this number will go up to $28 trillion in the next few years.
Key Female Entrepreneurship Statistics
22.4% of small business owners in the US are women.
17% of black women are in the process of starting or running a new business.
The female entrepreneurial activity rate in the US is 13.6%.
14% of women-owned businesses employ between 11 and 50+ workers.
Women represent 50% of entrepreneurs in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Women made up 36.8% of Canadian business owners in 2021.
South Asia has less than 20% of female entrepreneurs.
Women-owned and controlled enterprises create direct employment for about 27 million people in India.
Chef Cynthia shares her journey of overcoming adversity to build a social impact business model designed to positively impact the planet, people and animals. Watch the YouTube video of the TESSTalk and chime in to share your journey to entrepreneurship.