Overview
International Women’s Day is an annual event that is observed globally on March 8th. The day was first recognised in 1909, and since then, it has become a significant date in the calendar for women all over the world. It is a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, as well as to raise awareness of the ongoing struggle for gender equality.
One area where women have made significant strides in recent years is in entrepreneurship. Women-owned companies are now a significant contributor to the global economy, and women founders are launching successful brands and products across a range of industries. From fashion to tech, food to beauty, women entrepreneurs are at the forefront of innovation, challenging traditional norms and driving change in their respective industries.
These women have not only shattered the glass ceiling, but also paved the way for other women to follow in their footsteps and pursue their own entrepreneurial dreams. By creating successful businesses they are achieving financial success, while inspiring other women to believe in themselves and their abilities.
It is pure mythology that women cannot perform as well as men in science, engineering and mathematics. In my experience, the opposite is true: Women are often more adept and patient at untangling complex problems, multitasking, seeing the possibilities in new solutions and winning team support for collaborative action.
Weili Dai
Women entrepreneurs have made remarkable contributions to various industries over the years, creating successful brands and products that have become household names. Breaking down barriers and challenging gender norms, women entrepreneurs have showcased their ability to innovate and create products that fulfill the needs of a wide range of consumers.
As a female, you have to realize that you can do big things, and you have to believe you deserve it.
Ellen Latham for MSNBC
Celebrating Women’s Contributions to Digital Innovation and Technology
Throughout history, women have made remarkable contributions to various fields, including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). However, their accomplishments have often been overlooked and undervalued due to deeply ingrained biases and discrimination. Unfortunately, the digital world is no exception. Women have played a significant role in the development of technology, yet their contributions have been underrepresented and undervalued.
This International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8, 2023, UN Women and the United Nations are calling for the celebration of women’s contributions to the digital world and the need for gender equality in innovation and technology under the theme of DigitALL.
According to the data, women make up only 22 per cent of artificial intelligence workers globally, and a global analysis of 133 AI systems across industries found that 44.2 per cent demonstrate gender bias. Additionally, a survey of women journalists from 125 countries found that 73 per cent had suffered online violence in the course of their work.
Today, more than ever, women entrepreneurs are breaking down barriers and making their mark in various industries. Their creativity, resilience, and passion have led them to build successful businesses and create a lasting impact on their industries.
Let’s take a closer look at some of these successful female entrepreneurs, their brands, and naming strategies.
Namepicks
Adafruit
Adafruit is an open-source hardware company that was founded in 2005 by Limor Fried. Fried, who was a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, began selling electronic kits on her website based on her own designs. She later established Adafruit Industries in New York City, which has since become a leading manufacturer and supplier of electronics products, components, tools, and accessories.
Fried’s work has not gone unnoticed, as she has received numerous awards for her contributions to the industry. She was the first female engineer on the cover of WIRED magazine, awarded Entrepreneur Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2018, Fried was named in Forbes’ “America’s Top 50 Women in Tech,” a recognition of her impact and influence in the tech industry.
Fried’s hard work and dedication have paid off, as Adafruit has grown into a multi-million dollar company without any Venture Capital funding.
In addition to manufacturing and selling electronics products, Adafruit also produces a number of learning resources related to electronics, technology, and programming. These resources include live and recorded videos, tutorials, and guides, making it easier for individuals to learn and engage with technology.
The origin of the name Adafruit is rooted in the online moniker “Ladyada,” which was used by Limor, as a tribute to Ada Lovelace, a pioneer of computer science.
Adafruit’s investment in the exact brand match domain name Adafruit.com clearly demonstrates the company’s unwavering commitment to innovation, excellence, and market leadership.
Beautyblender
Beautyblender is famous for revolutionising the way makeup is applied and has become a staple tool in the beauty industry. Its innovative design helps blend makeup seamlessly, leaving a flawless finish.
The story behind Beautyblender begins with its creator, Rea Ann Silva, a veteran makeup artist for film and television. The egg-shaped sponge was a simple solution to a professional hurdle Silva faced in 2002 on the set of TV’s Girlfriends, the first show to be shot and broadcast in high-definition.
Silva realised that a wet, edgeless sponge could create a naturally smooth and even makeup finish, but nothing like it existed on the market. Most sponges were produced in a triangular wedge shape, so she improvised with a pair of scissors.
I started beveling and cutting the triangular sponges into rounded shapes similar to the sponge today. It was a godsend. It allowed me to press make up that’s been on all day long back into submission.
Rea Ann Silva for Racked.com
Silva created the Beautyblender sponge in 2003, and it quickly became a must-have item in the beauty industry. Today, the brand has expanded to include a range of makeup sponges and tools, as well as makeup products like foundation, concealer, and cleansers. Beautyblender is sold in more than 30 countries, and it has earned numerous awards and accolades, including the coveted Allure Best of Beauty Award.
Some people look at the whole market of what you would call knock-offs or fake Beautyblenders — even done by the most legitimate brands — as something that would be detrimental to the health of my business. Fortunately, we continue to thrive and grow, which gives me the ability to look at the whole concept of people copying me with a different lens than maybe another brand would.
Rea Ann Silva for Insider.com
If you’re on the hunt for the original Beautyblender, look no further than their exact brand match domain name – Beautyblender.com. This powerful domain name is an essential element of the Beautyblender brand’s digital identity, providing a simple and memorable way for customers to find and connect with the company online.
In today’s digital landscape, having a strong online presence is essential for any business looking to succeed. A brand’s domain name is a crucial part of this equation, serving as the digital equivalent of a physical storefront. An exact brand match domain name like beautblender.com not only helps customers find the company online but also reinforces brand recognition and trust.
Kindbody
Kindbody was founded with a mission to fix fertility healthcare in the U.S. and address the many challenges facing individuals seeking family-building services.
Kindbody is the sole family-building benefits provider that owns and operates fertility clinics, offering employers the opportunity to contract directly with them and save between 25% to 30% on comprehensive virtual and in-person care for their employees.
The visionary mind behind Kindbody’s groundbreaking model is Gina Bartasi, a seasoned healthtech and fertility entrepreneur who previously founded and served as CEO of Progyny.
In March 2023, Kindbody made a significant announcement – it had secured $100 million in capital from Perceptive Advisors, a leading investment firm in the life sciences industry. This latest financing has pushed Kindbody’s total equity and debt funding to over $290 million, and its valuation to $1.8 billion. As a result, the company has solidified its position as the largest women-owned fertility company that caters to both employers and consumers.
Infertility is widespread, more common than diseases like cancer or diabetes. Yet, for far too long, high-quality fertility care has been available to only a privileged few. With the support of Perceptive Advisors, and our other investors, Kindbody is positioned to deliver on our vision to help everyone realize their dream of becoming a parent by making high-quality fertility care affordable and accessible for all.
Gina Bartasi, Founder and Chairwoman of Kindbody
You can find Kindbody at their exact brand match domain name Kindbody.com. Domains with dictionary words are easy to remember, as they are typically straightforward and descriptive. They can convey credibility and professionalism, as they are often perceived as clearer and more reliable names. This can be especially important for businesses that want to build customer trust and credibility. They also give a strong competitive edge by increasing organic traffic and overall marketing effectiveness.
Spanx
Sara Blakely’s entrepreneurial spirit and creative problem-solving led to the birth of Spanx, a company that revolutionised the undergarment industry. Starting out as a door-to-door fax machine salesperson, Sara noticed a gap in the market for comfortable and functional undergarments that could solve wardrobe woes. Her solution? Cutting off the feet of her control top pantyhose, which led to the creation of Spanx.
When Sara Blakely was creating her company’s brand name, she found it challenging to settle on a title that satisfied her after a year and a half of ideation. However, she knew that a brand name was crucial for her product’s success. During her research, Blakely learned that Coca-Cola and Kodak were two of the most recognised brand names in the world, and that both contained a strong “k” sound. She was intrigued by this information and read that the founder of Kodak liked the sound so much that he used it as the beginning and end of his brand name.
Blakely was impressed by this strategy and continued her search for a brand name that had a strong sound. Eventually, she came up with the name “Spanks,” but decided to replace the “ks” with an “x” based on her research. Her research had shown that constructed names were more successful and easier to register as a trademark.
Today, Spanx has become a billion-dollar company, offering a range of products including undergarments, leggings, and swimwear. The company’s success can be attributed to its commitment to providing customers with comfortable and innovative solutions to their wardrobe problems. Spanx’s products are designed to provide a smooth and flattering look, no matter the outfit.
Sara’s innovative spirit has been recognised by numerous organisations, including Forbes Magazine, which named her the world’s youngest, self-made female billionaire in March of 2012. She was also recognised as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People. Her success story serves as an inspiration to aspiring entrepreneurs, showcasing the power of creative problem-solving and a relentless drive to succeed.
In addition to creating a successful business, Sara Blakely has also established the Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation. The foundation is on a mission to support women and help them soar through education, entrepreneurship, and the arts.
Since I was a little girl I have always known I would help women. In my wildest dreams I never thought I would have started with their butts. As it turns out, that was a great place to start! Before starting Spanx, I wrote in my journal that I wanted to invent a product that would make millions of women feel good. Spanx became my way to deliver comfort, support and confidence to women all over the world. At the same time, it became my platform to give back.
From the beginning, I set aside a portion of proceeds to give away. As the company grew, so did my opportunity to empower women.
Sara Blakely, Founder of Spanx
Spanx operates on the domain name Spanx.com, which perfectly encapsulates its global aspirations and vision for the future.
Bee’s Wrap
Bee’s Wrap is the brainchild of Sarah Kaeck, who wanted to create a simple and effective way to reduce plastic waste and promote sustainable food storage. As an environmentally conscious individual, Sarah knew that plastic waste was a growing problem that needed to be addressed urgently.
To solve this issue, Sarah turned to the natural world for inspiration and found bees, nature’s most productive and protective creatures, to be the perfect role models. Bees are known for their efficiency and hard work in collecting nectar and pollen, as well as their ability to store and protect their food. With this in mind, Sarah set out to create a product that could emulate the bees’ behaviour and help people positively impact the planet.
The result was the innovative food wrap made by infusing organic cotton with a blend of beeswax, plant oil, and tree resin. This combination of natural ingredients produced a durable and flexible wrap that could be used repeatedly, reducing the need for single-use plastic wrap and bags.
Just one pack of Bee’s Wrap can save 1,667 sq. feet of plastic wrap from entering our oceans and landfills each year. That’s enough plastic to cover a single-family home.
Bee’s Wrap
The choice of the brand name “Bee’s Wrap” is also a smart move because it clearly conveys what the product is and what it does.
The company operates on the BeesWrap.com domain name; it perfectly matches their brand name, and the .com extension is what visitors intuitively lean towards when typing a web address.
Canva
Canva is a graphic design platform that has revolutionised the world of design, making it accessible to everyone. The idea behind Canva began when Melanie Perkins, the company’s co-founder, was studying at the University of Western Australia. She realised that traditional design programs like InDesign and Photoshop were difficult for most people to learn and use. Perkins knew that design needed to be more online, collaborative, and straightforward, which led her to create an online school yearbook design business called Fusion Books with her partner Cliff Obrecht.
After a few years of growth, they decided to broaden their approach and launch Canva in 2013. Canva’s mission was to make graphic design easy and accessible to everyone, regardless of their level of expertise.
Perkins claims that she was rejected by over 100 local investors in Perth before finally securing funding for Canva, highlighting the challenges that many entrepreneurs, especially women, face in securing investment for their businesses. To date, Canva has raised a total of $572.6M in funding over 14 rounds.
Australian unicorn secured its EBM (Exact Brand Match) domain Canva.com in 2012, as soon as the name was changed from Canvas Chef to Canva, in order to get into every workplace across the globe. Liz Mckenzie, Head of PR and Communications at Canva, shared the story behind Canva.com for our Names With Stories series of interviews, so be sure not to miss it.
Honest
The Honest Company, established in 2012 by renowned actress Jessica Alba, has been at the forefront of providing a range of consumer products, including baby, personal care, and beauty items. Motivated by the birth of her first child, Jessica wanted to create a company that would offer an alternative to traditional baby products that contained harmful ingredients such as petrochemicals and synthetic fragrances.
With a vision to promote healthy and sustainable living, The Honest Company has become a leader in the industry, consistently developing new and innovative products that meet the needs of its customers. Their commitment to transparency and honesty in their ingredient sourcing and production methods has made them a trusted brand for individuals and families seeking high-quality and safe products.
The Honest Company’s success is reflected in its impressive fundraising efforts, having raised over $500 million through seven rounds of funding.
It has always been my dream to grow The Honest Company into a global brand. Our mission from day one has been to empower people to live happy and healthy lives, and we are always in search of new ways to bring that to life.
Jessica Alba, Founder
A key element of The Honest Company’s branding strategy is their premium domain name Honest.com, which has become synonymous with their brand. The company have secured other domain names such as TheHonestCompany.com, HonestBeauty.com, and TheHonestCo.com, protecting its brand online and making it easy for customers to access its products. A good domain strategy is imperative for any business serious about maintaining a consistent and strong presence.
Glossier
The story of Glossier begins with Emily Weiss, a former fashion assistant at Vogue. In September 2010, she founded Into the Gloss, a blog that showcased interviews with women in the beauty industry. Despite her full-time job at Vogue, Weiss woke up early each day to work on the blog and gradually amassed a devoted readership. When her site’s monthly page views reached a whopping 10 million, and she acquired corporate partnerships, Weiss decided to quit her job and focus on her business endeavours full-time.
When I started Into The Gloss, I wanted to make beauty as much of an element of personal style as fashion. As I interviewed hundreds of women, I became more and more aware of how flawed the traditional beauty paradigm is. It has historically been an industry based on experts telling you, the customer, what you should or shouldn’t be using on your face.
Emily Weiss, Founder
As Into the Gloss continued to soar in popularity, Weiss began pondering ways to expand her business. In 2014, she pitched ideas for an Into the Gloss-curated e-commerce platform to venture capitalists and obtained the necessary funding. Thus, Glossier was born. Glossier swiftly captured the public’s imagination with its millennial-friendly branding and intelligent social media campaigns. The company expanded its product lineup to include fragrances, body care items, and even a clothing line dubbed GlossiWEAR.
At present, Glossier has raised over 260 million in funding and is a significant force in the beauty industry.
The brand name finds its roots in Emily Weiss’ original beauty blog “Into the Gloss.” The name “Glossier” proves to be a savvy choice, effectively conveying the brand’s overarching vision and message in a memorable and compelling way.
It’s no surprise that Glossier owns the exact brand match domain name Glossier.com. Top beauty brands operate on premium domain names, giving a professional look and feel, which is particularly important for high-end or luxury brands that want to project an image of quality and sophistication.
Ruggable
The story behind the company began in 2009 when Jeneva Bell’s dog accidentally ruined her expensive rug. Frustrated with the odour and deep-seated stains, Jeneva set out to create a rug that could be easily washed like bedding or blankets.
With the help of industry experts and a dedicated team, Jeneva was able to secure a patent for a 2-piece rug system that included a detachable Rug Cover and Rug Pad. This innovation made it possible for the Rug Cover to be easily removed and washed in a washing machine, saving customers the hassle and expense of having to replace a rug every time it became dirty or stained.
After eight years of development and refinement, Ruggable was born. The company’s product line has also expanded to include a wide variety of sizes and designs, making it easy to find a Ruggable rug that suits any space or style. Today, Ruggable is a highly sought-after necessity for homeowners, pet owners, and anyone looking for a high-quality rug that is both practical and stylish.
Just like you, we here at Ruggable believe our homes should be beautiful—but also comfortable, functional, and, well, easy to clean. So let us help you find your perfect rug, so you can spend less time cleaning up a mess and more time creating memories with loved ones.
Jeneva Bell, Founder
Ruggable operates on an exact brand match domain name Ruggable.com. Obtaining a short and memorable .com domain name is a critical first step in the process of building a worldwide brand. For a startup, it clearly communicates a long-term vision and ambitions, which is a strong signal for investors and first-time customers.
Highlights
While the brands and products mentioned above are impressive, it’s important to note that this is just a small representation of the incredible impact women have had in the business world. If you’re interested in learning more about women founders and investors and their domain name choices, we invite you to check out our report on the topic.
In today’s fast-paced and highly competitive world, having an effective domain name is of utmost importance for the success of any business. A domain name acts as the virtual address of a company’s online presence and is often the first touchpoint that a potential customer has with the brand.
Securing a .com domain name is the preferred choice for businesses looking to establish their online presence, with 98 out of 100 companies on our list choosing this extension. The .com domain is widely regarded as the most credible and respected choice and can assist businesses in building trust and credibility with their target audience.
To establish their brand and attract customers, 84 women-owned companies in our list have taken the important step of securing an exact brand match domain name for their online presence.
Securing an exact brand match domain name is a great approach for companies looking to build trust and credibility, attract customers, and gain a competitive advantage. It demonstrates a commitment to the brand and makes it easier for customers to find and remember the company, which can lead to increased engagement and conversions.
One brand has a hyphen in its name. Adding hyphens is not advised since it adds complexity for consumers who frequently overlook it while typing in a domain name.
While we make every effort to ensure the data on our site is accurate, complete, and up-to-date, we cannot guarantee its reliability. Our data is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal, financial, or other advice. We strongly recommend that you independently verify any information before relying on it.
Other resources
- Women Founders & Investors and Their Domain Name Choices
- Discussing Thought Leadership, Innovation, Women in Business and More with Daria Vodopianova
- The Importance of Investing in a Strong Domain Name for Your Business
- Barbie and Mattel: A Tale of Brand Protection and Market Leadership
A premium domain name can make all the difference in building a successful brand. If you want to take your business to the next level, consider investing in a premium domain name. Contact us today for more information and assistance in finding the perfect domain for your brand.
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