Liberty Media Founds Women’s eCommerce Network
Veterans Guide, Mentor eCommerce Entrepreneurs through Business-Enhancing Project
Inaugural Class of 2012 Convenes at Silicon Valley Summit
ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Liberty Media Corporation ("Liberty") (Nasdaq: LCAPA, LCAPB, LINTA, LINTB, LSTZA, LSTZB) today announced the founding of the Women’s eCommerce Network (WeCN), a unique program that pairs ten established business leaders (the Council) with five early stage eCommerce companies (the Class) for a six month mentorship period. The program commences with a Summit in Silicon Valley, where each Class member is paired with two Council members who will support and mentor her on a targeted, business-enhancing project. The six month mentorship period will culminate in a graduation ceremony, hosted by QVC, in April. Additional executives from Liberty Media and QVC, including Andrea Wong, Liberty Board Member and former CEO, Lifetime Networks, and Claire Watts, CEO, QVC US will participate in the program.
The WeCN provides exposure to best practices and emerging trends, as well as networking opportunities with the broader Council through the Summit and the creation of an Alumni network. Liberty Media’s intent is to institutionalize the program moving forward.
Representing the WeCN 2012 Council are distinguished entrepreneurs and business leaders from brands in all phases of growth:
Fiona Dias, Chief Strategy Officer, ShopRunner
Susan Feldman, Co-Founder, Chief Merchandising Officer, One Kings Lane
Jill Layfield, CEO, Backcountry.com
Aileen Lee, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
Dawn Lepore, former Chairman, CEO, drugstore.com
Barbara Messing, Chief Marketing Officer, TripAdvisor
Alison Pincus, Co-Founder, Chief Strategy Officer, One Kings Lane
Kathy Savitt, Founder, CEO, Lockerz
Jennifer Schulz, Head of Product Strategy, Innovation and eCommerce, Visa
Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Founder, Chief Merchandising Officer, Gilt
The inaugural Class, as selected through a nomination and application process, includes entrepreneurs and founders of early-stage eCommerce companies:
Jen Bekman, Founder, CEO, 20x200
Kate Duff, Co-Founder, 3floz.com
Alexi Mintz, Co-Founder, 3floz.com
Vivian Weng, Co-Founder, President, FashionStake, Inc.
Emily Olson, Co-Founder, Foodzie
Cindy McLaughlin, Co-Founder, CEO, Style for Hire
Andrea Wong commented, “We at Liberty came to recognize through prior events that there was significant interest among women entrepreneurs for a structured forum that would afford them access to feedback, critiques, motivation, and mentorship from women entrepreneurs who have been there, done that and learned along the way. Through WeCN we are opening an uncensored dialogue with the mission of helping to build promising, young eCommerce companies into vibrant established eCommerce companies. I happen to believe in the power that comes in connecting women in meaningful ways and speak for Liberty when I say the company is pleased and proud to have founded this group.”
The first-ever WeCN Summit will take place on September 21, 2011 in Silicon Valley. The agenda for the day includes discussions on building a quality leadership team, taking companies to scale and social strategies for engaging customers.
About Liberty Media Corporation
Liberty Media owns interests in a broad range of electronic retailing, media, communications and entertainment businesses. Those interests are attributed to three tracking stock groups: (1) the Liberty Interactive group (Nasdaq: LINTA, LINTB), which includes Liberty Media's interests in QVC, Provide Commerce, Backcountry.com, Celebrate Interactive, Bodybuilding.com and Expedia, (2) the Liberty Starz group (Nasdaq: LSTZA, LSTZB), which includes Liberty Media's interest in Starz, LLC, and (3) the Liberty Capital group (Nasdaq: LCAPA, LCAPB), which includes all businesses, assets and liabilities not attributed to the Interactive group or the Starz group including its subsidiaries the Atlanta National League Baseball Club, Inc., and TruePosition, Inc., Liberty’s interests in SiriusXM, Live Nation and Barnes & Noble, and minority equity investments in Time Warner Inc. and Viacom.
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Source: Liberty Media Corporation
Released September 14, 2011