étre Venture Capital is delighted to announce that our portfolio company Hexas Biomass won the North America Regional Award from the Cartier Women's Initiative 2023.
Cartier is known for stunning jewelry and watches, but behind the scenes they have been working since 2007 to drive change by empowering women impact entrepreneurs. Once fellows are selected, they join Cartier’s community. They receive human, financial and social capital support to accelerate their startups.
Jenny and Hillary attended the awards ceremony in May to cheer Wendy on. The event featured some amazing change agents, including Amal Clooney, who spoke about her work on human rights. Wendy and other fellows gave lightning talks — without a teleprompter! Watch Wendy’s talk at 1-hour, 23-minute.
Later in the evening guests were entertained with artistry from innovative choreographer and dancer Sadeck Berrabah that featured dozens of performers using their hands. Awards were announced, followed by a reception where the world's best Champagne flowed and appetizers-as-works-of-art were feasts for the senses.
On the following evening an investors dinner was held on a restaurant deck with views from the Eiffel Tower. An investor panel included an overview of Cartier's deep due diligence process (led by Sagana), the jury selection process and funding success stories. Then the fellows arrived to mix and mingle under the famous silhouette, its sparkling lights twinkling against the night sky.
Beyond the awards ceremony and investor dinner, the fellows were kept very busy during awards week, including a press round table and plenary session and breakfast.
Apply to be Cartier Fellow:
Click here to apply. Once the application window closes at the end of June, a committee narrows down the field to five startups per continental region (six regions worldwide). They narrow the field again to three per region and invite them to the awards week that includes education, networking events and a ceremony.
As part of the jury’s due diligence, étre was interviewed with questions such as why we invested in Hexas and what has our experience working with Wendy been. To sum that up: She plans, seeks feedback from stakeholders, executes, and returns with data. Jenny and Hillary are delighted to be the first to invest in Hexas and be part of Hexas's journey.
