SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PayPal
Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) today announced the winners of its
inaugural Maggie Lena Walker Award.
Named in honor of the first Black woman to charter a bank and serve
as its president in the U.S., the award seeks to celebrate the
achievements of women from underrepresented groups in the U.S. who
are economically empowering those in their community and creating a
more inclusive world. The award was established and announced in
March of this year.
"Maggie Lena Walker was a
tireless advocate and pioneering entrepreneur who broke down
barriers and expanded access for the Black community at a time when
Black people were denied opportunity for wealth creation," said
Dan Schulman, president and CEO,
PayPal. "We are proud to honor her significant contributions and
recognize these four women who are carrying Walker's legacy forward
in their work to economically empower underserved communities."
The award winners were chosen by a Selection Committee whose
members included senior leaders from PayPal and president and CEO
Dan Schulman. External committee
members included Liza Mickens,
Walker's great-great-granddaughter and co-founder of Vote Equality,
Ellen McGirt, senior editor,
Fortune Magazine and Rodney Adkins, PayPal board member
and former IBM executive.
2021 PayPal Maggie Lena Walker Award Winners
Award winners will receive a cash award of up to
$50,000 and access to resources
and mentorship from the PayPal community to further their
impact and vision.
Achievement Award
- Kathryn Finney, founder and
CEO, Genius Guild; general partner, The
Greenhouse Fund: Finney has dedicated her career to
investing in Black women-owned startups and empowering
entrepreneurs who are breaking the glass ceiling and claiming their
spot in industries that have historically excluded them. Through
Genius Guild, a business creation platform that invests in Black
entrepreneurs, and Greenhouse Fund, a pre-seed venture fund that
invests in market-based innovations that end racism, she is
rethinking and rebuilding how capital flows and is accessed in
Black communities across the county.
Emerging Leader Award:
- Sheena Allen, founder and
CEO, CapWay: Allen is the youngest woman to own and
operate a digital bank in the U.S. Growing up in a town with only
one bank, she saw first-hand the financial hardships suffered by
the underbanked. In 2017, she founded CapWay, a digital bank and
financial technology company focused on creating economic access
and opportunities through inclusive financial products.
- Chloe B. McKenzie,
founder, BlackFem: As the founder of BlackFem,
McKenzie is working to close the racial and gender wealth gap by
mobilizing cities, political systems, cultural centers and
education systems to be the mechanism through which we maximize the
wealth-building capabilities of Black women and women of color,
their families and their communities.
- Vanessa Roanhorse, CEO,
Roanhorse Consulting; co-founder, Native Women
Lead: Roanhorse has spent her career building a better
future for marginalized communities. Through Roanhorse Consulting,
she informs how funders, investors and institutions in the
Southwest approach inclusive economic development initiatives that
impact Indigenous people and their communities. Through Native
Women Lead, she has helped to co-develop one of the only
organizations in the world that centers around Indigenous female
founders, providing them the resources and connections they need to
grow their businesses and livelihoods.
You can learn more about each of the winners and their
work on the PayPal Newsroom.
"Maggie Lena Walker was a
pioneer, a champion and an incredible Black founder," said
Finney, PayPal Maggie Lena Walker Achievement Award
Winner. "Her story is one that Black entrepreneurs and all of
society should know – one of perseverance, strength and unwavering
determination to challenge the status quo. Thank you to PayPal for
this honor, and thank you to all my fellow Black investors,
founders and women entrepreneurs for working to build your damn
thing, tear down obstacles and open doors for those who follow in
our footsteps."
2021 PayPal Maggie Lena Walker Award Finalists
The Selection Committee has also named ten
award finalists to recognize their extraordinary
work.
Achievement Award
- Shelly Omilâdè Bell, founder and CEO, Black Girl
Ventures
- Kelly Burton, PhD,
executive director, Black Innovation Alliance
- Connie Evans, president
and CEO, Association for Enterprise Opportunity
- Kim D. Saunders, founder, president and CEO, Eads
Group, Inc.
- Diane Sumpter, president
and CEO, DESA, Inc.
- Luz Urrutia, CEO, Accion
Opportunity Fund
Emerging Leader Award
- Mandy Bowman, founder and
CEO, Official Black Wall Street
- Bridget Jones, CEO,
FinRoth
- Alethia Mendez, division
president, Grameen America, Inc.
- Diamond Walton, founder,
Elpida Social Capital
This commitment builds on the previous actions PayPal has taken
to advance its mission of creating a more inclusive economy, in
which everyone has the opportunity to participate and thrive. Last
year, PayPal pledged $535
million to address economic inequality among Black and
underserved businesses and communities in the United States. In June
2021, PayPal committed $100
million to advance financial inclusion and economic
empowerment of women and girls.
About PayPal
PayPal has remained at the forefront of the digital payment
revolution for more than 20 years. By leveraging technology to make
financial services and commerce more convenient, affordable, and
secure, the PayPal platform is empowering more than 400 million
consumers and merchants in more than 200 markets to join and thrive
in the global economy. For more information, visit
paypal.com.
Media Contact
Janine Kamwene
jkamwene@paypal.com
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SOURCE PayPal Holdings, Inc.