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"Giving up is not an option." - Darnisha Grant Harrison, Ennaid Therapeutics

Darnisha Grant Harrison is the founder and CEO of Ennaid Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing cures for mosquito-borne infectious diseases for nearly one billion people worldwide. The diseases targeted include West Nile Virus, yellow fever, and all four strains of dengue virus, which is one of the world’s fastest-growing pandemics. Darnisha worked for over two decades in the field of Life Sciences as a microbiologist and chemist, and has over sixteen years of experience in pharmaceutical industry. Ennaid Therapeutics is developing a technology that inhibits these viruses by 99% and is expected to be on the market around 2020.

Darnisha’s entrepreneurial journey began by seeking funding from family and friends, then by selling her personal assets, including her home and car. To her this bootstrapping was a testament to her dedication and the conviction in her mission - and it completed her round of seed funding. “Selling my home was acid proof that I wholeheartedly believed in Ennaid Therapeutics.” Darnisha was then able to move on to the next round of funding through seeking grants and venture capital funds.Being female and African American while embarking on the entrepreneurial road has not been without its challenges. However, Darnisha believes that the biggest obstacle of all is not fully believing in oneself. “For females and minorities, it’s often the fact that we don’t represent the majority of founders [and] CEOs out there, [as] most are white males. That in itself can sometimes be immensely intimidating. My advice [is] to continue giving 100% into your venture while maintaining a laser focus on your desired end result, no matter what things look like around you and no matter how many ‘No’s’ you may hear. And always continue moving forward with a settled knowing in the very seat of your soul that giving up is not an option.”

You can learn more about Darnisha and the work of Ennaid at ennaidtherapeutics.com.

"Figure out what's Inspirational to you, own it, and share it with the world." - Bri Seeley

Bri Seeley, fashion designer and founder of the Inspirational Woman Project, is an entrepreneur dedicated to helping women discover their best selves and live a life of purpose. She’s motivated by seeing women inspired within their womanhood, their professional passions, and their personal lives. After being unfulfilled in a nine-to-five job for many years, Bri decided to launch a 31-day blog series with three questions around what it means to be a woman and why it’s so great to be a woman. Her writing was met with so much interest and response that she was soon invited to blog for the Huffington Post. Within months, Bri left her day job, continued blogging, and launched The Inspirational Woman Project, a coffee table book consisting of 99 interviews with women from around the world. The project took off rapidly and surpassed its crowdfunding goal on Kickstarter. Bri’s diverse collection of personal interviews has led to speaking engagements and book signings around the country, as well as Inspirational Woman Workshops, which are to begin this year.

Bri is an example of the power generated by women believing in themselves, collaborating, and supporting each other. She told me that what emerged from the 99 interviews was the realization that “most women don’t believe in their own power. They don’t think that their contributions to the world are inspirational.” Her advice to women? "Figure out what’s inspirational about you, own it, and share it with the world.” She encourages women to move past cultural pressure and the media’s negative messages to “tap into the expansion that women can create together. One woman is powerful in and of herself but the power of combining several women together is unstoppable.”

To read more about Bri and her work go to: http://inspirationalwomanproject.squarespace.com/

I had the opportunity to interview Anna Zornosa, the founder and CEO of Ruby Ribbon, a social commerce apparel company whose clothes are designed to provide women with a unique, customized and shapely fit. The company trains women to become stylists and provides opportunities for women to host trunk shows selling these customized designs.

Wingpact co-authors with special guest, Geri Stengel