Women entrepreneurs from across Connecticut joined elected officials and business leaders in Hartford to recognize the impact and achievements of the state’s thriving women-owned business community.

HARTFORD — On May 6, 2025, nearly 250 women entrepreneurs, state leaders, and business champions came together at the Legislative Office Building for the Women’s Business Development Council’s 11th Women‑Owned Business Day. The annual event was emceed by Gilda Bonanno and featured a keynote address from WBDC Founder and CEO Fran Pastore, along with remarks from event co‑chairs Deputy Senate President Pro Tempore Patricia Billie Miller and Senior Deputy Republican Leader Heather Somers. New this year, Women–Owned Business Day featured a live pitch competition from seven women-owned businesses, in which four WBDC Accelerate grants totaling $100,000 were awarded. 

Other notable attendees included Governor Ned Lamont, Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Senator Bob Duff, and Senator Martin Looney, as well as several elected officials and civic leaders. 

“For more than a decade, Women-Owned Business Day has been a wonderful opportunity for us to bring our state leadership together with the incredible community of Connecticut women entrepreneurs. The strength of that community and the support we receive from the state has never been more important than it is today, as we face challenges to federal funding for WBDC and other resources for small businesses,” said Pastore. “This year’s live pitch competition, featuring seven extraordinary entrepreneurs vying for Accelerate Grants, truly exemplified the passion, vision, and resilience of the strong and innovative women we are so proud to serve. These women are proof that the future is bright and we at WBDC are proud to help light the way.”

Accelerate Grant Pitch Competition
Seven statewide finalists delivered two‑minute pitches for WBDC’s Accelerate Grant program. The judges awarded $25,000 each to:

• Artlighten (Watertown) | Owner: Genna Riggi
• Kiara Matos Studio (New Haven) | Owner: Kiara Matos
• Rhodes Collar (Stonington) | Owner: Gleanna Doyle
• Serenity I Care (Hartford) | Owner: Barbara Dune

Additional speakers at Women‑Owned Business Day included Christine Cooney, representing Champion event sponsor Cigna, and John Paradisi, President of Libertas Funding, LLC, the founding funder of the Accelerate Grant program. The event also featured a panel discussion titled “Funding Success: WBDC Clients Share Winning Strategies for Accessing Capital,” moderated by WBDC Business Advisor Patricia Klapper, with panelists Tanya Kelley (WBDC Business Advisor), Beth Iovinelli (Owner, Milk Street Lactation Support Center and past WBDC grant recipient), and Dr. Natacha Louis‑Charles, O.D. (Owner, Family Eyecare of Orange and past WBDC grant recipient).

Photo & Video Assets

Photos and highlights from Women‑Owned Business Day are available here.

A video of the event can be found here.

About the Women’s Business Development Council

The Women’s Business Development Council’s (WBDC) mission is to support economic prosperity for women and strengthen communities through entrepreneurial and financial education services that create and grow sustainable jobs and businesses across Connecticut. WBDC educates, motivates, and empowers women to achieve economic independence and self-sufficiency. Since 1997, WBDC has educated and trained nearly 21,000 clients in all of Connecticut’s 169 towns—helping women to launch, sustain, and scale over 15,730 businesses, create and maintain more than 39,300 jobs in Connecticut, and access almost $80 million in capital. Since 2020, WBDC has provided more than $18 million in grants to help fuel growth in small businesses throughout Connecticut. Visit ctwbdc.org for more information