In 2022, primarily male-dominated industries are seeing a refreshing entrance of female disruptors, entrepreneurs, coaches, and investors. Here at Revved Digital, as a partially female-owned business, we’re keen to embrace this as the future of industry, whether in Food & Beverage, Tech, Finance, Real Estate, B2B, or other. Here’s our list -in no particular order – of top-10 female entrepreneurs to watch in 2022 . Stick around until the end of the article for our top-4 local highlights!
Top 6 Female Entrepreneurs To Watch In 2022:
Sara Blakely | SPANX®
Sara Blakely, a Florida-born entrepreneur known for being the founder of SPANX®, is certainly a force to be reckoned with. In 1998, Sara’s idea for SPANX® was born out of necessity when she couldn’t find any undergarments that didn’t show through her cream-colored pants. Using scissors and a sprinkling of innovation, she simply cut the feet off of an existing pair of pantyhose and – viola! – the initial idea for SPANX® was born.
Fast-forward to 2000, and SPANX® are featured in “Oprah’s Favorite Things” list, catapulting Blakely’s brand into the national spotlight. In 2012, Sara was even named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. Today, SPANX® can be found in over 66 countries and Blakely herself has a net worth of $800 million.
Robyn Rihanna Fenty | Savage X Fenty®
There are probably not many readers who haven’t heard of billionaire entrepreneur, musician, and philanthropist Rihanna, or her beauty & skincare brand, Fenty Beauty. In 2022, Rihanna’s new El Segundo, California-based company, Savage X Fenty, raised a whopping $125m in a Series C, and they are currently working on an IPO. Rihanna continues to shatter glass ceilings in 2022, and although she has already positioned herself as one of the most influential women in the world, it seems as though she’s not done yet.
Elizabeth Stein | Purely Elizabeth©
Having secured over $50m in funding rounds in early 2022, Elizabeth Stein’s organic food company Purely Elizabeth© specializes in nutritious, organic breakfast foods. The company closed a $50m Series B round of financing in January of 2022, and Elizabeth’s growth is showing absolutely no signs of stopping.
Kimberly Shenk | Novi Connect
Kimberly Shenk, serial entrepreneur and founder of Novi Connect (as well as NakedPoppy in 2017) is on a roll this year. In 2022, she managed to raise $40m Series B funding, bringing them to a total of $51.8m in total funding raised.
Novi Connect is a B2B marketplace where companies can source verified, innovative, sustainable, and transparent ingredients and packaging for compliant materials, making manufacturing in the food, pharmaceutical, and other industries easier and safer – for all involved.
Isabel Rafferty Zavala | Canela Media
Isabel Rafferty Zavala launched Canela Media, the world’s first and only female & minority-owned leader in competitive set and online video, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Canela Media provides the Hispanic & Latinx community free access to bilingual content & media, and has raised a total of $45m in funding.
Elizabeth Giorgi & Hayley Anderson | soona
Power team Elizabeth Giorgi & Hayley Anderson founded soona, a virtual content a creative media firm specializing in assisting brands & businesses create professional-grade photos, videos, and GIFs for their eCommerce brands.
Soona is the first virtual content production platform, which is changing how businesses create assets for e-commerce, social media, and marketing.
Local Highlights: Revved Digital’s Picks For Top 4 Women In Leadership & Entrepreneurial Roles In & Around Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley, and Orange County.
Now that we’ve talked about 4 women in power to watch on the national stage, let’s talk about our picks for 4 female entrepreneurs in our local neighborhood to pay attention to. This list is in no particular order, and is composed of our favorites including our friends, past clients, and women in business whom we admire and are making a difference in their community or industry.
Hanna Nicole Palacios | Revved Digital
Hanna Nicole Palacios, alongside her husband, Andrew Palacios, is the co-owner of Revved Digital, a marketing & PR firm dedicated to helping brands & personalities scale by leveraging their online presence, social media, and brand identity. Palacios serves on the executive leadership team, working hand-in-hand with our clients to help get them on the right track for brand success and also working tirelessly behind the scenes here at Revved to make sure sales & operations are running smoothly.
Outside of Revved Digital, Palacios is a domestic violence survivor, animal rescuer & philanthropist, and is currently authoring a memoir + self-help book which will detail hardships she has overcome with the goal of helping other DV survivors do the same.
Katrina Ghazarian | Gameday HR, HR Sucks Podcast
Katrina Ghazarian is a Forbes-featured TEDx speaker, author, podcast owner (HR Sucks Podcast), and CEO of HR consulting firm, Gameday HR.
In 2018, Ghazarian quit her job to start Gameday HR, a human resources consulting firm that helps businesses develop more fun workplaces & authentic corporate culture, and absorbed her former employer as her first paying client. Nowadays, she spends her time helping companies scale their HR efforts to be more compliant, incorporate culture-building best practices, and publishing helpful eBooks, courses, & guides which you can purchase and download on the official Gameday HR website.
Tracy Ramirez | The Market Grill
Tracy Ramirez is a local Monrovia, California legend, who alongside her husband Alex Ramirez have amassed a cult-like following for their Monrovian burger joint, The Market Grill, which placed 75th in Yelp’s Top 100 Places To Eat In The U.S. in 2014. In 2021, The Market Grill relocated to Old Town Monrovia, now located inside of Gem City Bar & Grill, a well-loved Monrovian dive bar. Ramirez is loved by the local Monrovia community, her restaurant remains one of the best places to grab a gourmet burger & sandwich in the entire city of Monrovia.
Jessica Michaels | Hott Kiss Cases
Jessica Michaels, a Los Angeles-based eCommerce entrepreneur, Instagram sensation, creative director & stylist, and influencer, is making waves in the local fashion scene with her creative looks inspired by 90s fashion, punk, and pop-culture icons. Her eCommerce brand, Hott Kiss Cases, has gained popularity with the local Gen Z crowd, and Michaels is an up & coming sensation in the local fashion niche.
