Why Cartier Is Excited About These Brilliant Female Startups

Update, June 22: Cartier has announced the seven laureate winners for 2020. The winners are Stephanie Benedetto of Queen of Raw; Adriana Luna Diaz of Tierra de Monte; Chunguang (Charlotte) Wang of Equota Energy Technology; Joanne Howarth of Woolpack Australia; Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen of Female Invest; Temie Giwa-Tubosun of Life Bank; and Nadia Gamal El Din of Rahet Bally. 

Originally published on April 1: Taking an idea and turning it into a full-fledged company is no easy feat, to say the least. Nobody can do it on their own, so access to support (or lack thereof) can make or break a business. That's why Cartier has set out to assist female entrepreneurs in their quest to make positive impacts on the world via the Cartier Women's Initiative, which will be awarding over $1 million in funding this year. Cartier just announced the 21 finalists for 2020, and they all have brilliant ideas to share.

"The program is open to women-run and women-owned businesses from any country and sector that aim to have a strong and sustainable social and environmental impact as defined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals," Cartier explained in a press release.

Among the 21 finalists are three exceptional women from North America. First up is Stephanie Benedetto of New York City, who "buys and sells unused textiles, via the Queen of Raw marketplace, keeping them out of landfills and making the world a less wasteful place," per a statement. The fashion industry could certainly use more help in becoming more sustainable, and Benedetto could easily become a driving force.

Another finalist is Kelly Nguyen from Santa Clara, California. Per a statement, her company, IDLogiq, "empowers patients to proactively verify, authenticate and manage medications with a single mobile scan using strong cryptographic identity authentication, real-time tracking, and intelligent medication management."

Rounding out the finalists from North America is Sarah Tuneberg from Denver, Colorado. Her company, Geospiza, helps organizations understand exactly how climate change could affect their businesses. Stay tuned: The laureates will be announced in June, and we'll be waiting with bated breath to see who takes home the top honors.

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