Meet 11 Female Founders Shaping the Midwest Startup Scene

We love entrepreneurs of all backgrounds and walks of life, but there's a special place in our hearts for women entrepreneurs. After all, women own 4 out of every 10 businesses in the U.S. and when they're on a mission to make a meaningful impact, you either get on board or get out of their way.

In honor of International Women's Day, and in partnership with the Oklahoma City Thunder, we're celebrating Female Founders across the Midwest who's hustle and determination continue to inspire us.

Allison Conti, Watkins-Conti Products

After giving birth to an 11 pound baby, Allison Conti developed an issue with incontinence, an issue that affects over 498 million women worldwide. Determine to create a better solution, she founded Watkins-Conti Products. She raised $1.8 million in seed funding, and went on to design, patent, engineer and manufacture a product for urine leakage that is now undergoing FDA approval. By tackling a deeply personal and widespread health issue head-on, Allison is breaking the stigma and improving the quality of life for millions of women.

Ally Myers, Suma

Ally Myers is on a mission to support moms caring for children with serious illness, trauma, or special needs. Women who often need flexible income but are overlooked by traditional employment models. Through Suma, she’s connecting nonprofits and businesses with an on-demand workforce she calls The Forgotten Workforce. By creating new pathways to income and flexibility, Ally is helping moms regain agency over their time and financial future.

Amy Siegfried, Last Night's Game

Amy Siegfried and her brother Scott created Last Night's Game after searching for a sports publication that explained the basics in a way that was easy to follow, and coming up empty. Through their short, funny and stats-free podcast and email newsletter, they're helping the sports-curious confidently join conversations and connect with clients, coworkers, and family. By making sports more approachable, Amy is opening doors for connection in places people often feel left out.

Ashley Fogle, Ride OKC

After going on several guided bike tours while traveling on vacation, Ashley Fogle and her husband Ryan realized it was the perfect way to explore a city. When they returned home to Oklahoma City, a place rich with history and character, they were surprised to find no bike tours existed. offered. Ryan, an architect, sketched out the plans, and Ashley, a CPA, crunched the numbers, and Ride OKC was born. By turning curiosity into action, Ashley is helping locals and visitors experience Oklahoma City in a whole new way.

Carrie Spoonemore, From Seed to Spoon

Carrie Spoonemore knows that eating healthy can be expensive. In many areas, fresh, affordable produce is hard to come by. After she and her husband Dale transformed their backyard from a typical lawn into a thriving urban farm, they created From Seed to Spoon, an app that teaches others how to grow their own food. By helping families grow their own food, Carrie is making healthy eating more accessible and empowering people to take control of what’s on their plate.

Genevieve Quick, Rabble On

As an event planner herself, Genevieve Quick knows the frustration of coordinating vendors for parties and corporate events. To simplify the process, she and her co-founders launched RabbleOn, a platform that makes it easy to search, review, book, and manage event services all in one place. And in keeping with her mission to spread joy, a portion of every booking supports The Birthday Party Project, which throws birthday celebrations for children experiencing homelessness. By streamlining event planning and giving back in the process, Genevieve is making it easier to celebrate with purpose.

Harmony Tamaalevea, Literacy Lounge

Through her ongoing fight against lupus, Harmony Tamaalevea discovered reading as a path to healing and more conscious living. But she quickly realized how limited the selection of books by Black authors was in traditional marketplaces. Together with her fiancé Dorion, she launched Literacy Lounge, a subscription box that celebrates Black authors and offers a curated, accessible way to deepen the reading experience. By centering Black voices and stories, Harmony is making reading more inclusive, intentional, and empowering.

Laura Fleet, SendaRide

Laura Fleet founded SendaRide to ensure that no patient misses critical medical care— from therapy and dialysis to cancer treatments and preventive checkups — simply because they lack transportation.

Her platform offers customized, concierge-style non-emergency medical transportation, and her proprietary technology allows hospitals, providers, health plans, and family members to easily schedule and manage rides on demand.

By removing transportation as a barrier to care, Laura is helping more patients get the treatment they need, when they need it.

Sam Walker, Green Tree Project

Sam Walker a foster and adoptive mom to five beautiful children. One holiday season, her toddler pointed out how wasteful it felt to cut down a tree only to throw it away, comparing it to his own experience of moving from home to home before adoption. That moment sparked a realization, many traditions don’t always reflect the values of love, care, and sustainability. Through Green Tree Project, Sam is leading a cultural shift toward mindful, minimalist traditions and intentional living, from holiday celebrations to everyday home and office decor. By aligning family traditions with deeper values, Sam is helping others celebrate in ways that nurture both people and the planet.

Stephanie Conduff, Leche Lounge

Stephanie Conduff experienced firsthand the challenges of finding private, dignified spaces to pump breast milk while working and attending law school. Pumping in bathroom stalls and closets, she realized, often discouraged mothers from continuing to breastfeed after returning to work. To change that, she founded Leche Lounge, a practical, cost-effective solution that helps employers and institutions comply with lactation space laws without sacrificing space or budget. By advocating for better workplace support, Stephanie is helping more mothers continue breastfeeding while pursuing their careers.

Tiffany Clark, Juice Power

After more than a decade serving the geophysical industry with customizable solutions, Tiffany Clark and her brother Shawn recognized a growing need for cleaner, more efficient battery technology, not just for the industry, but for every day consumers. Together they launched Juice Power, a renewable energy company specializing in portable power and energy storage. While they offer a standard line of battery generators and solar panels, their real strength lies in building custom solutions tailored to diverse lifestyles and power needs. By making renewable energy more accessible and adaptable, Tiffany is helping people power their lives, without compromising the planet.

These founders are building more than just companies, they’re challenging norms, filling gaps, and creating solutions that reflect the real needs of their communities. From healthcare and clean energy to family traditions and inclusive storytelling, each of these women is showing us what it means to lead with purpose and build with impact. Here’s to the founders redefining what’s possible and to the communities rallying behind them.