Official Statement: Transition of WBC’s Entrepreneurs of Purpose Program to the Enterprising Women Foundation

Women Business Collaborative (WBC) is proud to announce the transition of our Entrepreneurs of Purpose program to the Enterprising Women Foundation effective 1 January 2026.

Entrepreneurs of Purpose (EoP) will continue its important work as a part of Enterprising Women Foundation under the leadership of Edie Fraser, Founder of WBC, and former WBC Board Member Sharon Reynolds.

We are proud of what we accomplished together, particularly advancing women entrepreneurs and leaders, and look forward to cheering on EoP’s future success. This transition allows WBC to deepen its strategic focus on growing initiatives in women’s capital access, women in sports leadership, and women veterans career pathways. We remain committed to collaboration and supporting the broader ecosystem driving equal position, pay, and power for all women in business.

This strategic transition reflects our shared commitment to advancing women entrepreneurs and ensuring the long-term growth and impact of the Entrepreneurs of Purpose mission. Under the stewardship of the Enterprising Women Foundation—an organization with a deep legacy of empowering women business leaders—the program will continue to thrive, expand, and support purpose-driven women entrepreneurs across the country.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who helped build Entrepreneurs of Purpose into a platform for visibility, mentorship, and empowerment. We’re confident that, in the capable hands of the Enterprising Women Foundation, the program will continue to drive meaningful change in the women’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.

WBC remains fully committed to supporting women entrepreneurs through our ongoing initiatives, partnerships, and advocacy. WBC will continue to support women entrepreneurs with our community, including our Women’s Capital Summit and our work with our Partners who support women entrepreneurs.

We look forward to continued collaboration with the Enterprising Women Foundation and the inspiring women this program was created to serve.

Together, we move forward—amplifying purpose, expanding opportunity, and building a stronger future for all women in business.

For more information, please contact: Gwen Young, [email protected]

“As one of the founding partners of WBC, Enterprising Women is tremendously appreciative of the profound impact the work of the WBC has had on the women’s business community, and we are so proud to build on our strong partnership fostered over the past six years,” Monica Smiley, President and Founder of the Enterprising Women Foundation, said.   “The Entrepreneurs of Purpose (EOP) program aligns so closely with the mission of the Enterprising Women Foundation, and we are proud that EOP will now become an important part.   We are excited to have Edie Fraser and Sharon Reynolds as co-chairs of EOP as part of the Enterprising Women Foundation, as we work together to help women grow and scale their businesses, with purpose and impact,” Smiley said. 

Edie has been recognized as the Founder of WBC and has served on the Enterprising Women Advisory Board for 23 years. As the National Co-Chair of the Enterprising Women Foundation for the past 12 years, she has worked tirelessly to build the Young Enterprising Women (YEW) Mentoring Forum Program.  EOP Co-Chair Sharon Reynolds has served as the Nashville Chair of the Young Enterprising Women Program and has served in key roles with the WBC, WBENC, the Enterprising Women Advisory Board, and C200.  She is also a recognized leader in her hometown of Nashville.

Women Business Collaborative (WBC) is an unprecedented alliance of 85+ women’s business organizations and hundreds of business leaders building a movement to achieve equal position, pay, and power for all women in business. Through collaboration, advocacy, action, and accountability, WBC mobilizes thousands of diverse professional women and men, business organizations, public and private companies to accelerate change. WBC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit The Enterprising Women Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to educate and empower women entrepreneurs worldwide. 

Founded in 2012 and building on its early partnership with STEM Connector and the Million Women Mentors  initiative, the Enterprising Women Foundation launched its signature Young Enterprising Women Mentoring Forum Program to educate, inspire and empower high school young women from underserved communities to connect with leading women in business for mentorship and connections, with a STEM focus and a goal of planting the seeds of entrepreneurship by showcasing STEMpreneuers and other women business community leaders. 

The program now serves communities across the U.S. from Brooklyn, NY to San Diego, CA with 30 events hosted at high schools, community colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada in 2025-2026.  The Enterprising Women Foundation’s Peace Through Business Program educates, mentors and empowers women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan, Rwanda, and a number of other countries, empowering leaders and building communities across the globe.  Edie Fraser, founder of the WBC, serves as the National Co-Chair of the Enterprising Women Foundation. To learn more, visit http://www.enterprisingwomenfoundation.org.