There’s nothing cooler than a female founder. As part of our celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, we’re sharing this list of some of our favorite transfeminine and trans women entrepreneurs. From high tech to high fashion, these founders are examples of some of the many ways women can succeed in the business world. Maybe they’ll find a place on your next vision board!
Thea Bardot (they/she), founder of Lightning Travel Recruitment
After many years managing hosted buyer programs for luxury travel trade events, Thea Bardot dreamed of a better, more inclusive travel industry. In 2019, the English entrepreneur founded Lightning Travel Recruitment to disrupt recruiting in the travel industry and make it more human and welcoming to all. In 2022, they came out as nonbinary – today, in addition to running their business, they’re one of LinkedIn’s Top LGBTQIA+ voices and offer one-on-one career coaching and corporate trans inclusivity training.
Carmen Carrera (she/her), CEO and founder of CC3 Entertainment
Carmen Carrera has worn a lot of hats, from RuPaul’s Drag Race performer to fashion model, actress and activist. In 2020, she turned her experience in the entertainment industry into entrepreneurship. She founded a digital marketing agency, CC3 Entertainment, focused on promoting LGBTQ+ digital influencers in activism, beauty, entertainment, fashion, fitness, health, media and sports spaces. CC3 Entertainment now represents dozens of influencers in the U.S. and England.
Angelica Ross (she/her), founding executive director of TransTech Social, founder and president of Miss Ross Inc
Another polymath founder, American entrepreneur Angelica Ross’ career includes roles as an actress (you may know her from POSE or American Horror Story), producer, writer, human rights advocate and singer/songwriter. But it was web management that led to her entrepreneurial status. Ross taught herself coding, graphic design and photo editing to support herself in the 2000s. She wanted to empower other LGBTQ+ people to find jobs in tech, so in 2014, she founded Trans Tech Social, a co-learning and co-working community focused on just that. Ross also founded Miss Ross Inc, a production studio for film, television, music and audio.
Robyn Electra (she/her), founder and CEO of Gaff and Go and Robyn Cosmetics
Robyn Electra moved from Nigeria to England as a teen to study business and fulfill her dream of starting her own business. And so she did, launching a line of affordable, eye-catching luxury makeup, Robyn Cosmetics, in 2016. In the background, she was already developing products for a second company. Electra used to tuck (create a smooth crotch under clothes) using gaffer tape, a common but uncomfortable method. She wanted compressive underwear that would create the same effect without having to tear tape off her skin – so she designed her own. Those designs led to her founding Gaff and Go, a clothing brand focused on tucking underwear and swimsuits.
Carmen Liu (she/her), founder and designer of CARMEN LIU
While starting her transition in 2014, former ballet dancer Carmen Liu was surprised to find almost nothing when she searched for lingerie for trans women. So the English entrepreneur designed her own and founded a company to share it with everyone. Liu’s lingerie company, CARMEN LIU, sells luxurious, lacy, supportive lingerie to make trans women and nonbinary people at any stage of their transition feel beautiful. Liu appeared on the Forbes 30 Under 30 European Retail/E-Commerce list in 2020.
Hana Mohan (she/her), founder and CEO of MagicBell
During a boring period at her software job in 2007, Indian entrepreneur Hana Mohan started tinkering with the project that would become her first startup: Muziboo, an online music community that let musicians upload and discuss their music. In 2015, she launched a second startup, web-based email support tool SupportBee. While leading SupportBee, she realized she was transgender. Despite worries that it would take time and energy away from her business, she started her transition – and later wrote that stepping back from work to focus on transitioning was the right call. Learning more about her identity as a woman gave her the confidence and inspiration to launch her current startup, notification tool for progressive web apps MagicBell, in 2020, and pursue VC funding, something she had avoided in the past.
Vyra Scher (she/her), founder of LECHERY
Vyra Scher spent the first two decades of her life fighting to survive – escaping an abusive family, facing transphobia in Qatar as she came out and transitioned, seeking asylum in the United States and trying to make it in the fashion industry in New York City. After losing her job to pandemic lockdowns in 2020, she saw an opportunity to launch a business based on the first feminine garment she wore. Italian hosiery companies facing losses from COVID-19 were trying to shed inventory, so Scher bought 200 pairs of tights and rebranded her fashion blog as LECHERY. That investment – high-quality, durable hosiery, sold with no middlemen and minimal overhead – led to explosive growth and, after a few years, retail partnerships with Nordstrom, Macy’s, Target and Kohl’s.
Martine Rothblatt (she/her), founder and chairwoman of United Therapeutics
Martine Rothblatt has been innovating since before some of the other entrepreneurs on this list were born. A lawyer, author and activist as well as an entrepreneur, Rothblatt founded the WorldSpace and Sirius Satellite Radio networks in 1990. She came out to her family as trans soon after, and started her transition in the mid-1990s. At the same time, her young daughter Jenesis developed pulmonary arterial hypertension, a rare illness that can kill sufferers within a few years. In 1996, Rothblatt founded biotech company United Therapeutics to develop better treatments for the illness, from medications to organ transplantation techniques – and her daughter is still alive today. She later created the Terasem Movement, a transhumanist philosophy focused on creating immortality through technology. In 2013, she was the highest-paid female CEO in America.
Rain Valdez (she/her), founder of ActNOW LA
Rain Valdez is an actress, producer, speaker, and writer as well as an entrepreneur. Raised in Guam, she moved to the United States at 19 to transition and become an actress. She rose to prominence as an actress and screenwriter after her short film Ryans premiered at LGBTQ+ film festival Outfest and won Jury Award for Best North American Short. Her writing and performance in her romantic comedy web series Razor Tongue earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series” and a ‘Special Recognition’ GLAAD Award. She has appeared in Lopez, Sneaky Pete and Why Women Kill, and worked as an actress and producer in Amazon’s Transparent. As an out trans woman in Hollywood, Valdez saw a lack of resources for trans actors – so in 2018, she tried leading an acting workshop for trans people. That acting class turned into ActNOW LA, an acting sanctuary that offers classes and community for trans actors.
More trans- and LGBTQ+ owned businesses for Pride Month
Coming out as trans takes bravery, confidence, and the conviction to follow your dreams even when other people don’t get it – some of the same qualities it takes to launch a business. These trans entrepreneurs’ stories are so inspiring to us – we hope they are for you too.
If you have a hunger for LGBTQ+ founded businesses that can’t be slaked by just ten founders, we’ve got you! The phone app Everywhere is Queer has a huge map of queer-owned businesses across the world, from candle shops to therapy practices and boxing studios. The Trans Owned directory is just what it says on the package: a directory of trans- and nonbinary-owned businesses in categories from arts and automotive to retail and professional services.
Watch our panel discussion on how to be a better ally for your LGBTQ employees.
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