THE STARTUP VANGUARD

CELEBRATING ENTREPRENEURIALISM WITH A HEART-LED TWIST

- RACHEL SHARP

Brilliant businesswomen Lisa King, Joanne Howarth and Jenna Leo work in very different fields, but have two wildly impressive things in common: their young businesses help others without sacrificing profit, and each is the equal-first Australasian to be named among 21 global finalists for the Cartier Women’s Initiative. Created more than a decade ago to empower female social entrepreneurs, the prestigious annual fellowship provides top-tier mentoring to help finalists grow their business to its full potential. “Their curiosity, audacity and openness mirror the values deeply anchored in the culture of our maison,” says Cyrille Vigneron, president of Cartier International, of the alumni, whom he calls a “community of conquerors”. While the person awarded the Australasian region’s $100,000 US first prize won’t be announced until June 15, this trio are already winning: their companies possess the potential to change the way our society and world operate. Lisa KING EAT MY LUNCH, AUCKLAND AND WELLINGTON

Marketeer Lisa King, 43, spent 15 years promoting bigname snack foods before teaming up with a celebrity chef to create a business that sees corporate customers fund healthy school lunches for vulnerable children.

“There was a media frenzy five or six years ago around research that showed 27 per cent of kids in New Zealand, a country of 4.5 million, live in poverty. One of the minority government parties put forward a bill to feed kids in lower decile [socio-economic] schools, but it wasn’t passed. It felt like everyone was talking but no-one was doing anything.