Documentary on women as entrepreneurs to be screened today

A documentary film chronicling two years in the lives of five young women entrepreneurs will be shown at 4:30-6 p.m. today (April 26), hosted by the Women and Leadership course in Purdue's Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation program.

The film, "She Started It," was released in 2016 and includes perspectives from several experienced and successful women in business. The screening, free and open to the public, will be in the Burton D. Morgan Center, Room 121. After the film, there will be a networking hour with pizza.

"She Started It" follows the global roller coaster ride of the five young women -- seeking venture capital, building teams, bringing products to market, failing and starting again -- from San Francisco to Mississippi, France and Vietnam.

Their stories illustrate and dissect the cultural roots of female underrepresentation in entrepreneurship -- including pervasive self-doubt, fear of failure, and risk aversion among young women. It exposes, too, the structural realities women face as they become entrepreneurs, including lack of female role models and investors, and the persistent dearth of venture capital funding made available to women-led companies.

The screening will be followed by pizza and an informal networking hour at 6-7 p.m. with faculty and local entrepreneurs involved with STEM innovation and entrepreneurial efforts. An RSVP to entrcert@purdue.edu is suggested.

For more information on this event, contact Lorraine Kisselburgh at lorraine@purdue.edu.