Brazen Global, the St. Louis-based organization that supports women-led startup companies, said recently it is expanding into six new markets: Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Philadelphia and Fort Worth, Texas.
"Many women-owned businesses today are innovating in sectors and industries ripe for growth, but they simply don't personally identify as 'high-growth' or 'tech' yet," said Jennifer Ehlen, CEO and founder of Brazen, in a statement. "With Brazen's help, we hope women entrepreneurs will realize their growth aspirations, regardless of labels or definitions they choose to wear."
Brazen was founded in 2014 by Jennifer Ehlen and initially called the Prosper Institute. Ehlen launched the organization after noticing that St. Louis ranked near the bottom in an American Express study of cities' support for women entrepreneurs. The group also formed a for-profit business accelerator, which still has the Prosper name.
In St. Louis, Brazen is led by Executive Director Mindy Mazur. Each new market will have its own acting director.
Brazen sponsors support groups and networking events and provides other resources for business owners. It says it has assisted more than 1,000 women entrepreneurs in St. Louis.
