Ingrid is a lifelong entrepreneur and the first ever Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Dell Inc. She is the Chairman and CEO of Empowering a Billion Women by 2020 (EBW2020). Her vision is to empower a billion women by 2020. That effort includes giving them tools; she envisions a world where every woman has a mobile device. It also includes giving them knowledge. Ingrid works to facilitate opportunities for girls and women for learning, growth and entrepreneurship.
Ingrid says, “I’ve always been very involved and very interested in global sustainability. If we’re going to create real change in this world, we need a new set of eyes – and those are the eyes of women. Women need to believe that they can operate as leaders of themselves, their families, and this world.”
She believes that women do things differently than men. “The biggest difference I see is that men do a fantastic job of looking at things from a linear perspective. Women, on the other hand, tend to approach everything simultaneously and look at things from a holistic perspective. On the surface it may seem like we’re juggling too much and not as focused – when really we’re just looking at the bigger picture and putting ALL the pieces together.”
She shares her suggestions for women wanting to become successful entrepreneurs: “How do women get the confidence to take the risk and make the leap in to entrepreneurship? Get to the bottom of what it is you are authentically called to do and take action. You need to authentically own your calling. You stop worrying about, ‘Oh my God, this is ridiculous, no one is going to believe me,’ and start worrying about, ‘Okay how would I do that?’”
Visit Ingrid at: http://ingridvanderveldt.com/ and http://ebw2020.com/
