Cambridge Women’s Entrepreneurship Network Re-Launches After 5-Year Hiatus

The Cambridge Women’s Commission and the Economic Opportunity and Development Division re-launched the Cambridge Women’s Entrepreneurship Network — a program aimed at connecting local female business owners — at a small gathering Thursday morning.

Nine women — most of whom were local business owners — attended the Entrepreneurship Network’s launch held at Althea, a restaurant in Central Square. The network previously operated from 2013 to 2019 but has been on hiatus for the last five years.

The network plans to host events to foster a supportive environment between female entrepreneurs and represents a combination of the goals of the CWC and EODD. The CWC advocates for women across the city’s departments and “works to promote equity for all women and girls,” according to the commission’s website. The EODD, per Cambridge’s website, works to develop programs and policies that “support and empower Cambridge’s residents, workforce, and businesses.”

According to Cristina DiLisio, development specialist at the EODD, female entrepreneurs contacted the CWC early last year asking for the network to be re-launched.

“We really take our cues from the public that reaches out to us, and it was women business owners who said, ‘We want a group of just women business owners,’” DiLisio said.

Emily Shield, manager of programs and special projects at the CWC, spearheaded the re-launch and said women benefit from additional support when starting their business. The group recognized this when they began meeting informally over a decade ago, even before the CWC and EODD began providing any formal assistance.

Local female entrepreneurs realized that they “needed more support,” Shield said. “They needed more connection. They needed more networking.”

The revived network aims to fill that gap and offer female entrepreneurs a space to discuss their shared experiences and benefit from the mentorship of more experienced entrepreneurs, according to DiLisio.

However, the CWC and EODD do not offer any monetary funding outside of “some small contribution towards food,” according to DiLisio. The city’s role involves organizing spaces where Cambridge women entrepreneurs can “share needs and connect in a casual but supportive environment,” per the re-launch event description.

DiLisio plans to continue a tradition from the earlier iteration of the network, where members are given the opportunity to ask each other what they need and what they can offer.

Althea Co-Owner Shauna Reyburn said DiLisio was “wicked helpful” in helping her business obtain critical financial support before the revival of the Network.

“When we opened this restaurant, we needed a lot of help financially. So, if it wasn’t for the woman Christina in the group, I wouldn’t have been able to pay for mirrors, the gold mirrors in this restaurant, or the sign outside,” she added.

The newly-revived network is still “evolving” and “growing,” according to Shield, who said a particularly “touching” moment was “to see the enthusiasm that everyone has for continuing a group that meets together just for the purposes of talking and sharing information with each other.”

“There is an interest that people have in supporting women entrepreneurs and business owners because they recognize how important that industry is,” DiLisio said.