Latina Business Summit brings visibility and voice to Latina entrepreneurs across Delaware

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As Latino-owned businesses see steady growth — increasing from 5% of Delaware’s businesses in 2022 to 6% in 2023 — women remain largely underrepresented in the state’s economic landscape. But inside the Delaware Alliance of Latino Entrepreneurs, which includes nearly 440 Latino members, almost half the members are women — a sign of shifting dynamics.

Across the nation, Latinos have also become one of the fastest-growing entrepreneurial groups. A 2023 report found that 36% of all new businesses launched that year were Latino-owned.

That growth is part of what inspired the creation of Delaware’s first-ever Latina Business Summit, which will be hosted by La Plaza Delaware at Avenue United Methodist Church in Milford on June 14.

“We wanted to do something specifically with women,” said Mary Dupont, executive director of La Plaza Delaware. “And also we were thinking about different events that La Plaza likes to have, sort of community-wide events … but we never really focused specifically on women and we thought that the time was right this year to do something like this.”

La Plaza already offers business expos, summits, eight-week entrepreneurial courses and one-on-one coaching sessions. But this is the organization’s first event solely dedicated to Latina women — a gathering designed not only to inform, but to inspire. Organizers hope it will be a space where women can share stories, build confidence and speak freely about the challenges they face, especially ones they may not feel comfortable discussing in mixed-gender rooms.

“This is going to be a place and a time when we can talk about, you know, kind of living in a macho society,” Dupont said. “A lot of Latin American countries, women are more of the support person. She’s the mother, the sister, the wife, and those things come first, and it’s not a ‘me me me’ kind of society for women.”

Dupont said supporting the family business matters, but that it’s just as important for women to see themselves not only as wives or daughters, but as the driving force behind its success.

“They just sort of step into those roles and they don’t even ask the question, they just keep the business going … And behind the scenes are the very, very strong, powerful women, the mothers, the daughters, that are basically making things happen,” she added.

‘Quien te apoya a ti como mujer’

Saturday’s gathering will break from the mold of a traditional business conference. Alongside panel conversations and peer-led discussions, the day will offer moments of celebration, a reminder that success in business includes joy, identity and culture.

“Just like we’d hope that women take their ‘me days’ and go to the spa, go on a walk, go to the gym … we kind of want that to be one of those days, too,” said Katy Castillo, La Plaza’s marketing consultant.

The summit’s schedule reflects the many roles Latina women hold — not just as entrepreneurs, but as caregivers, creatives and silent partners in family-run businesses. From branding strategies to personal storytelling, the event is designed to validate every type of contribution, seen or unseen.

“Quién te apoya a ti como mujer?”, ella dijo. “Y por eso estamos aquí para divertirnos, para iluminarte, para darte una palmadita en la espalda y celebrarlo. Es hermoso. Creo que aspiramos a algo hermoso durante el evento.”

“Who supports you as a woman?” she said. “And so that’s why it’s like, we’re here to have fun, we’re here to shine the light of you, you know, give yourself a pat on the back and let’s celebrate that. You know, it’s beautiful. I think we’re aiming at something beautiful during the event.”

The lineup includes prominent figures like Dr. Guillermina Gonzalez, chair of Wilmington University’s business administration program, and Margie López-Waite, CEO of Las Américas ASPIRA Academy, alongside local entrepreneurs who have built their businesses from the ground up — adding grassroots perspective to institutional experience.

“This is for everybody,” Dupont said. “New arrivals, first-generation, second-generation … what they all have in common is the experience of being a woman, and of having the struggle and having to really fight to get ahead and to be somebody and to be recognized and acknowledged.”

“Instead of having some of the long-term Latina leaders in the state be keynote speakers, have the floor to themselves, we decided to integrate them with a panel of women from the community,” she added. “So that it’s about women sharing knowledge and experience and airtime with each other.”

That mix of perspectives — young and experienced, fluent and learning, visible and behind-the-scenes — is what makes the summit unique. It’s a rare chance for Latina women from different paths to listen to one another, exchange knowledge and build a sense of collective purpose.

“There’s so much room for growth and I promise, like, in those spaces you learn so much … It’s nothing you learn in the books. It’s motivating. It’s empowering,” Castillo said. “We’ve seen even in the business classes where the older generation that started their businesses and don’t know English in our classes has shared advice to those young first-gen students, classmates that are thinking about starting a business.”

Topics will span branding, setting goals and family business dynamics, but deeper themes running throughout the day are visibility, empowerment, confidence and mutual support.

A space to celebrate — and envision what’s next

So far, more than 100 women have registered for the event. The day will also include opportunities to network in a relaxed setting over mocktails and conversation, with organizers creating space for connection beyond the panels.

To close out the summit, attendees will participate in a vision board activity, a hands-on way to bring their business goals to life.

The goal isn’t just to teach new strategies. It’s to help Latina women see themselves more clearly, and to walk away feeling bold enough to lead.

“I just hope everyone walks out of there inspired and confident more than anything,” she said.