PLANO, TX — In tandem with the opening of applications for the 2024 Stacy’s Rise Project, Stacy’s Pita Chips, a PepsiCo brand, teamed up with Janie’s Life Changing Baked Goods to highlight the inequality in venture capital funding for women-owned businesses.
While women own nearly 50% of all businesses in the US, only 2% receive venture capital funding. The Stacy’s Rise Project supports women entrepreneurs to get a larger share of said funding. Open to founders across the US and Canada, the fund awards 15 founders — 10 in the US and five in Canada — with a $25,000 grant, mentorship from leaders at Frito-Lay and PepsiCo, and community resources.
The bakery won the Stacy’s Rise grant in 2017, which allowed it to support its mission of providing second-chance employment, mentorship and more.
“Receiving a grant from Stacy’s in 2017 allowed me to quit my day job, fully pursue my passions and focus on making positive changes in my community,” said Janie Deegan, founder and CEO of Janie’s Life Changing Baked Goods. “Every year, Stacy’s Rise helps more women make their entrepreneurial dreams a reality and those women give right back to the community. I was thrilled to team up with Stacy’s again to encourage other founders to apply to the Stacy’s Rise Project and help draw attention to how much more funding should be going to support women entrepreneurs.”
Stacy’s Rise Pies put a spin on the bakery’s signature Pie Crust Cookie. The limited-time product includes flaky pie crust, a layer of apple pie filling and a caramelized streusel topping with Stacy’s Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips. To highlight the discrepancy in funding for women entrepreneurs, the packaging of the pie cookies displays what that 2% of funding looks like.
Stacy’s Rise Pies will be available for $25 plus shipping through Thanksgiving Day, while supplies last. Each purchase also includes products from previous Stacy’s Rise Project winners from the past five years. All proceeds will go to Janie’s bakery.
