In This Edition

Desserts & More Early Bird Registration Closes August 30th!

Vie by Cescaphe, 600 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia PA

Thursday, October 16th, 2025 | 5:30 PM-9:00 PM

Join us for THE social event of the year for women entrepreneurs — and

WBEC-East’s 30th anniversary! Desserts & More is a formal evening of networking, celebration, and sweet treats, bringing together entrepreneurs, corporate sponsors, and community partners. We'll honor our award winners, showcase successful business owners, and raise funds to support WBEC-East’s mission to expand opportunities for entrepreneurs. Enjoy a dessert buffet from local women-owned businesses — all while celebrating 30 years of impact and supporting the future of entrepreneurs.

Doing Business with Allegheny County

Tuesday, September 9th| 2:00 - 3:00 PM

Fee: $15, Virtual

Are you a Women Owned Business looking to grow and connect with new procurement opportunities? Allegheny County wants to do business with YOU.

Join us for this informative session to learn:

✔️How to become a registered supplier

✔️What procurement opportunities are available now and in the future

✔️How the County supports small and local businesses

Now they want to enhance that mission by working with businesses like yours. Register now and take the first step toward becoming a County supplier!

Delaware Supplier Conference + Meet & Greets

University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Wednesday, September 10th, 2025 | 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM

You're invited to a full day of insight, connection, and opportunity at the University of Delaware's

Kicking off with a Fireside Chat Panel and targeted breakout sessions, this event is designed to bring business owners and procurement professionals together in a dynamic and engaging environment. Enjoy a networking luncheon paired with a keynote speaker, and wrap up the day with four rounds of focused Meet & Greet sessions designed to spark valuable conversations and partnerships. Don’t miss this chance to showcase your business, learn from industry leaders, and build meaningful connections that drive growth.

Session 3: The 4 Pillars of Persistent Success

Wednesday, September 24th| 2:00 - 3:00 PM

Free, Virtual

Join EMSDC and WBEC-East for the third session of our masterclass in Corporate Engagement. In this session, The Four Pillars of Persistent Success, prepare to develop the unwavering resilience needed to navigate the path to partnership. 

The Women-Owned Directory features a list of actively certified Women Owned businesses offering consumer products as certified through WBENC and WEConnect International. Interested in joining the Women Owned Directory? Then apply to feature your business at the button below!

Use the Women-Owned Logo! This logo is for those who are based in the U.S. and who are certified through WBENC. The Women Owned Logo is available to be downloaded in WBENCLink2.0. Read more about the Women Owned Logo at the button below.

Share Your Economic Impact Story and get featured on WBENC.org. It is incredibly valuable to share stories from our WBENC network about the immense economic and community impact that our entrepreneurs and small businesses bring. If you would like to share your story and economic impacts, click the button to learn more.

Certified July 2025

Invention-Con 2025: Empowering American ingenuity and innovation

September 9-10 from 1:00 - 3:30 PM | Virtual



Do you want to grow your intellectual property (IP) knowledge and gain access to IP and business experts, accomplished innovators, and inspiring entrepreneurs? Join USPTO for the free flagship conference for inventors, makers, and entrepreneurs.

Become an Approved UPMC Supplier of Goods & Services!

September 16th from 6:00 - 7:30 PM | Virtual



UPMC Essentials for Success is a no-cost event designed to introduce businesses to the ways in which UPMC does business

and provide the tools necessary to do business with large organizations like UPMC.

Veteran Business Summit

September 19th from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Lincroft, NJ



This event will have procurement professionals from the public & private sectors looking forward to doing business with veterans. It will also have the NJ Department of Treasury on hand to help certify and classify businesses and will register you for the NJ Start Portal. There will be a Veterans Health Fair on site this year providing cardiovascular health checks, cancer

screenings and so much more. Don't miss this amazing event.

September WBENCPitch Academy Sessions | Get in the Hot Seat

Friday, Sept. 12th & 19th

12:00 - 2:00 PM

The 2025 WBENCPitch Accelerate competition is focused on storytelling and impact. In this ever-changing business landscape, it is critical now more than ever for business owners to effectively communicate beyond their capabilities or the problem they solve.

In these two sessions, participants will have the opportunity to “get in the hot seat” and practice their 60-second pitch in front of a live audience. Following their pitch, business owners will receive live feedback from WBENC pitch coaches and facilitators. This exercise will provide participants with hands on experience, training, and coaching to further hone and refine their business elevator pitch.