Meet the Women of Color Who Are Changing Corporate Culture

In 2020, a year of record-setting venture-capital investment, Black- and Latinx-women-founded start-ups got less than half of 1 percent of funding. So yes, it is exponentially harder for women of color to launch companies—and yet they do. There are thousands each year who choose not to be daunted or discouraged, and thanks to them, the face of American business is changing for the better. But it’s time for more. That’s why Cosmo has partnered with digital undivided (a nonprofit social start-up that leverages data, advocacy, programming, and more to catalyze growth for Black and Latinx women) on an annual initiative to shine a light on and support women of color entrepreneurs. Our first group of honorees—who, along with hundreds of others, submitted applications that were vetted over a months long process—have found success that, we hope, is inspiring to anyone who’s doubting their own. Meet the bosses you want to work for—and become.

Veena Somareddy

Come cheer on Top XR Founders when they pitch their startups to a panel of industry leaders and investors at the 2nd WXR Pitch Showcase at AWE. 

Her business: Neuro Rehab VR, which develops virtual reality therapy exercises for neurological rehab

Her bragging rights: “We’ve been approved by the FDA, which is a huge milestone,” says Veena.

Location: Fort Worth, TX

How it started: “I’m from Banga­lore, India, and I came to the U.S. in 2012 to work on my master’s degree in game design and development,” she says. After meeting her cofounder, who ran a neurological recovery center, Veena learned about how VR can help with physical and cognitive therapy. She started working with patients and saw VR’s very real benefits.

How it’s going: “We’ve raised about $2.8 million,” she says. “And we’ve been able to reach more than 350 patients with thousands of sessions.”

Why I do it: “I’ve been dismissed so many times because of the way I look. I want to show that CEOs don’t always have to be white men.”

My motto: “You can’t be perfect all the time.”

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/career/a37387973/the-new-c-suite/