The Plant Based World is honored to support Vegan Women Summit’s (VWS) Pathfinder event, taking place December 5th, 2020. The virtual event will feature prominent speakers and offer funding to winners of the pitch competition, available to female entrepreneurs across the globe looking to make an impact in the plant and cell-based marketplace. This showcase is Sonalie Figueiras, founder of Green Queen Media.
What is the name of your project, its core concept, and mission?
Founded by serial social entrepreneur and eco activist Sonalie Figueiras in 2011, Green Queen is an award-winning impact media platform advocating for social & environmental change and the leading source of alternative protein & plant-based news in Asia. Our mission is to shift consumer behaviour through inspiring & empowering original content across the region and beyond.
What inspired you to participate in the Pathfinder Founder Summit and Pitch Competition?
Mostly, we are inspired by Jennifer Stokkovic, VWS’s founder, and the results of her seminal survey about the discrimination and difficulties faced by vegan women founders across the globe. The results made us want to get involved and help change things.
What is a unique challenge you have faced as a female founder and how did you overcome that challenge?
I spent years being condescended to about my “blog” when I run a major news publication reporting on breaking stories every day. Also, as a female founder, I do not have adequate access to funding. Men invest in men, or that’s how it feels anyway.
What advice can you offer to aspiring female entrepreneurs who are seeking to transform our food system?
Start now, doesn’t matter how small, or how niche, the global food system is broken and we need all the help we can get to create a healthy, nutritious, equitable and slaughter-free future. Another thing I want to stress: across the world women shoulder the burden of cooking and grocery shopping for themselves and their families and as such, they are best positioned to create the foods of the future.
