by Claire McGovern, Strategic Initiatives Associate, Pipeline

Fate is a funny thing. It sneaks up on you, and it is only in hindsight that one realizes how certain moments in life change everything. I experienced one such moment on a cool spring morning in New York City when I met Natalia Oberti Noguera for an interview. Having just finished my junior year at Fordham University studying English and Women’s Studies, I was seeking a summer opportunity that would combine both of my passions. Natalia bounced through the door, a ball of energy and enthusiasm, and before I knew it, I signed on to work for her budding organization. Pipeline is a hub for women innovators. Pipeline invests in, incubates, accelerates, and mentors women in an effort to guide them through their own personal pipeline.

 Pipeline’s core programs include the TBL Accelerator (supports professionals), TBL Incubator (for entrepreneurs), TBL Mastermind (resonates with women in transition) , and TBL Fund (trains women to become investors).  The TBL stand for Pipeline’s criteria for innovation, triple-bottom line, which requires environmental responsibility, financial performance, and social impact. As a student of Gender and Women’s Issues, I immediately gravitated toward Pipeline’s mission. Pipeline equips women with the tools and expertise to break that age-old glass ceiling. Pipeline magnifies the impact of each woman innovator by bringing them together to collaborate with, learn from, and support each other wherever they are in their personal pipeline.

You may be asking yourself what we mean by a “woman innovator.” What does she look like? How old is she? Where does she work? What does she do? What is she passionate about? Pipeline has launched the #womaninnovator video series to answer all these questions and more.  I will be interviewing entrepreneurs, professionals, women in transition, investors, mentors, and students. These women live and work by Pipeline’s TBL criteria. And they are all women innovators. Check back as I uncover the many different examples of women innovators as I continue to navigate through my own personal pipeline!

Claire McGovern is Pipeline’s Strategic Initiatives Associate. Her responsibilities include managing Pipeline’s social media presence, content creation, and producing the #womaninnovator series. Claire’s posts will document her summer at Pipeline and her observations as she navigates through her own personal pipeline.