She overcame funding obstacles to create the company that was inspired by her daughter who was diagnosed with severe food allergies.
Partake Foods founder Denise Woodard is an example for other women of color who want to start and grow a business.
The Black Korean-American entrepreneur created a snack for people with food allergies after overcoming obstacles in venture capitalism. The snack company Partake Foods is a leading brand in the highly sought-after consumer packaged goods (CPG), according to Forbes.
“I was anxious, scared, and frustrated with the existing options. I felt there were some gaps from a taste and nutritional perspective.” Woodard said of her struggles to find options to suit her daughter’s dietary restrictions.
Woodard said she overcame several challenges when raising money to grow the company.
“I’ve been told ‘no’ a lot along the way. So funding has been a big challenge,” she said.
“I’ve been very deliberate in how I’ve raised capital and who I’ve raised capital from, as well as in the composition of our board of directors.” The business owner added, “Our investor base is predominantly people of color.”
Partake Foods maintains a healthy culture for its customers and employees. The company has 17 remote employees and continues to uphold its values for elite customer and employee experiences by offering 15-minute weekly meetings for employees to discuss personal and professional matters and 15-minute weekly coffee chats.
The company is also focused on mentorship and combating food insecurity.
The owner of Partake Foods says the company aims to create an inclusive and equitable future. Partake Foods launched a fellowship program to help increase diversity in the food industry while “working to eradicate childhood food insecurity.” The Black Futures Fellowship nonprofit provides HBCU students with paid internships at CPG food and beverage companies.
Source: Black Enterprise
