Smita: Alaya Tea is an Indian, women-owned loose leaf tea company that sources teas directly from people and planet-friendly farms in India. Having grown up in tea drinking households, my co-founder Esha Chhabra and I wanted to build a different kind of tea company. Alaya’s mission is to invest in Indian farmers who are pioneering the organic and regenerative movement, celebrate women that are the backbone of the tea industry, and elevate tea-drinking culture in the United States.
Sonika: It’s nice to meet you too, Spiffy. Aeloi works with women micro-entrepreneurs, especially ones in the informal sectors with less access to formal finances because they lack collateral, credit history, and proof of income. Did you know that 163 million informal women entrepreneurs have an estimated US $1.7 trillion financing gap? We help solve this credit gap problem with our fund insight software. We do this by directly connecting funders with micro-entrepreneurs. Our main innovation is our digital token technology and our business model, which has a gender-intentional approach, that builds more trust between lenders and borrowers.
Nemanja: Kale My Name promotes a cruelty-free, plant-based lifestyle. With every meal served we transform the way all people—both vegans and non-vegans—see the vegan movement. We present this lifestyle in a positive, welcoming, and judgment-free way every day.
