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Aug 10, 2026

First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Senate President pro Tem Monique Limón celebrate women founders leading innovation in California

What you need to know: First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Senate President pro Tem Monique Limón honored 11 California women founders on the Senate floor to celebrate their leadership in business. Their work in numerous sectors is helping drive the fourth-largest economy in the world and inspire the next generation.

SACRAMENTO – First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón, in partnership with F5 Collective, today honored 11 extraordinary California women founders whose leadership and innovation are strengthening California's economy. The future of wealth and innovation will be shaped by who has a seat at the table, and California is committed to ensuring more women are part of building that future.

California's greatest strength has always been our people, and today's honorees represent the bold, innovative spirit of women entrepreneurs across our state. By investing in more women-led businesses and entrepreneurs — and through the leadership of our California Women's Wealth Advisory Council — we can unlock opportunities for more innovative ideas, close the women's wealth gap, and strengthen California's innovation economy for generations to come.

First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom

"I am proud to recognize these eleven women for the incredible work they do in their respective fields and for their immense contributions to California," said Senate President pro Tem Monique Limón. "They highlight the importance of supporting women in the workforce and are a proof point that when you invest in women, they will invest in our state. We must continue to have women at the table to ensure our experiences, knowledge, and expertise are heard and valued."

Today's recognition honors 11 women entrepreneurs whose leadership and innovation have made significant contributions to the Golden State across a range of industries, from agriculture to STEM to women's health. As California continues its long legacy as the country's innovation center, these leaders have expanded economic opportunities for women across all industries, setting an example for what it means to be an entrepreneur in this state.

The following entrepreneurs received California State Senate resolutions for their work:

• Dr. Iman Abuzeid: CEO and co-founder of Incredible Health, the nation's largest AI-powered healthcare hiring platform, serving more than 1.5 million healthcare professionals and 1,500 employers.
• Beatriz Acevedo: CEO and co-founder of SUMA Wealth, a fintech company using culturally intelligent technology to help the next generation build financial confidence and long-term wealth.
• Andrea Brimmer: Founder and CEO of Rivida, an agricultural technology company developing NASA-licensed technology that converts agricultural wastewater into clean irrigation water while recovering usable nitrogen.
• Anna Cheniuntai: Co-founder and CEO of Apis Cor, a construction technology company using proprietary 3D-printing robotics to build homes faster, more affordably, and with less waste.
• Lisa Curtis: Founder and CEO of Kuli Kuli Foods, the company that introduced moringa to the U.S. market while creating sustainable income opportunities for farming communities in West Africa.
• Dr. Lisa Dyson: Founder and CEO of Air Protein, a California company developing breakthrough technologies that transform carbon into sustainable protein.
• Sharon Healy: CEO of Sightglass Coffee, where she leads strategy, operations, and growth for one of California's premier specialty coffee companies.
• Jade Marcus: CEO and co-founder of Mafix, a climate technology company developing next-generation fertilizers that improve soil health, increase crop yields, and remove carbon from the atmosphere.
• Robin McIntosh: Co-founder and CEO of Avela Health, a neurodiversity-focused healthcare company delivering evidence-based, family-centered care for autism and ADHD.
• Michelle Ruiz: Founder and CEO of Hyfé, a California company converting agricultural waste into high-value ingredients and chemicals that improve human health and reduce reliance on petroleum.
• Joanna Strober: CEO and co-founder of Midi Health, a virtual care platform transforming menopause and perimenopause care through insurance-covered specialty healthcare.

The F5 Collective shares a similar mission of closing the gap by operating as an investment firm for small to mid-sized women-owned businesses. They connect those brands with customers to help boost sales. 10% of those sales are then put into grants for women around the world.

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"Today, we don't just honor eleven remarkable women. We honor a truth about California. The future is built here by people who choose to stay, who choose to build," said Kelly Kimball, Chairman and Founding Partner, F5 Collective and member of the California Women's Wealth Advisory Council. "While some headlines talk about departure, these women remind us why the world still arrives here. Creativity, audacity, resilience, and a belief that change starts now, and starts here."

Expanding economic pathways for women

Supporting businesswomen in California means supporting the health of the economy. According to the California Chamber of Commerce, women currently own nearly 40% of all businesses in California, adding about $580 billion in revenue between 2019 and 2023.

Despite these positive numbers, there is still work to be done. Women continue to face barriers to wealth creation. They receive a fraction of venture funding, remain underrepresented in asset management, and hold a smaller share of total business and household wealth. By designing financial systems that are inclusive from the start, California aims to model a more resilient and equitable economy.

As the United States is entering the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in modern history, with an estimated $84 trillion to $124 trillion expected to change hands over the next two decades. California is home to a dynamic venture ecosystem and a global innovation economy, which will play a central role in how that capital moves.

Building on California's leadership

In 2025, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom launched the California Women's Wealth Advisory Council to expand the Golden State's commitment to equity and access at every stage of economic life. Building on her work to advance pay equity and financial literacy, while uplifting women's voices, the Council expands that commitment toward broader inclusion and wealth creation for women across the state.

In March 2026, in partnership with the Council, Governor Newsom issued an executive order to expand opportunities for women and their families to build wealth and fully participate in California's world-leading economy.

Since the launch of the California Equal Pay Pledge in 2019, hundreds of companies, organizations, and municipalities have committed to conducting annual gender pay analyses, reducing bias in hiring, and advancing equitable promotion practices. The First Partner strengthened that work through the release of The Equal Pay Playbook, a data-driven guide that helps employers implement fair pay strategies that attract talent, foster innovation, and strengthen performance.

First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, in partnership with California Partners Project and Stanford University, released the Board Culture Playbook in 2024, designed to help companies increase and retain the number of women, particularly women of color, on their boards of directors. The free resource is the second in a series of Playbooks that started with the Board Diversity Playbook. These resources were co-created with Stanford's VMware Women's Leadership Innovation Lab, with additional support from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Additionally, California has taken significant steps to expand access to financial literacy. In June 2024, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2927, requiring California public high schools, including charter schools, to offer a one-semester personal finance course beginning in the 2027–28 school year. Starting with the class of 2030–31, completion of this course will be a graduation requirement. Schools may allow the new course to fulfill the existing semester-long economics requirement.

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This landmark step ensures every California student leaves high school with a foundation in budgeting, banking, credit, loans, and investing, skills essential to building and sustaining wealth. As the First Partner has noted, financial literacy is fundamental to equity, empowering young women and men alike to become confident investors, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers.

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