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Watch the 2026 Female Force Summit
CEOs, founders, editors, and supporters gathered to celebrate Women's History Month and International Women's Day.
Published on Mar. 11, 2026
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The Female Force Summit, an impactful event celebrating Women's History Month and International Women's Day, featured conversations about growth and innovation, career longevity, and rewriting the rules. Founders, investors, leaders, Hearst editors, and supporters gathered to discuss topics ranging from the future of shopping and AI to the long game of sports mastery and sustainable impact.
Why it matters
The Female Force Summit highlighted the achievements and challenges faced by women leaders across various industries, providing a platform to celebrate their successes and inspire others to follow in their footsteps. The event showcased the power of women supporting one another's business endeavors through networking, advice, funding, and community.
The details
The summit featured seven sessions covering a range of topics, including the future of shopping and AI, the long game of sports mastery and sustainable impact, the missed opportunity that inspired Beam Impact, the strides women have made in tech and the barriers that still exist, the importance of community-driven solutions for girls' education, and the habits that help build a lasting legacy for women leaders.
- The Female Force Summit took place on March 11, 2026.
The players
Phoebe Gates
Co-founder of Phia, an AI shopping agent designed to better match consumers with brands in real time.
Sophia Kianni
Co-founder of Phia, an AI shopping agent designed to better match consumers with brands in real time.
Eve Burton
Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of Hearst Corporation and co-founder and Chairwoman of HearstLab.
Misty Copeland
The first Black principal ballerina at American Ballet Theatre.
Allyson Felix
An Olympic champion track-and-field athlete and co-founder of Saysh and Always Alpha.
What they’re saying
“In one click users can find out: Is this the right price? Is it gonna hold value? And is there a better alternative?”
— Phoebe Gates, Co-founder of Phia (Cosmopolitan)
“It still feels surreal to say. We're definitely still in a moment of gratitude and appreciation—even just saying that out loud.”
— Sophia Kianni, Co-founder of Phia (Cosmopolitan)
“Getting in the door happened easily for me, but it was staying there that was difficult.”
— Misty Copeland (Women's Health)
“In a lot of cases, brands are already giving tons of money away [to nonprofit causes] behind the scenes and consumers have absolutely no idea.”
— Viveka Hulyalkar, CEO and co-founder of Beam Impact (Oprah Daily)
“When girls are out of school, it's not the girls who suffer, it's their families, it's their communities, it's their countries.”
— Parampreet Singh, Chief external affairs officer for the Malala Fund (ELLE)
What’s next
The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.
The takeaway
The Female Force Summit showcased the resilience, innovation, and impact of women leaders across various industries, inspiring others to follow in their footsteps and highlighting the importance of women supporting one another's business endeavors.
