Denise Woodard is the Founder and CEO of Partake Foods, the allergy-friendly company that was inspired by her daughter’s experience with food allergies.Created in 2016, Denise started the business by self-distributing (selling cookies out of her car around NYC) and self-funding (depleting her 401K and selling her engagement ring). To date, the company has raised more than $20M from investors including HER, Rihanna, Circle Up Growth Partners, FF2032 and Marcy Venture Partners (Jay-Z’s venture capital firm).Partake was named #45 on the Inc 5000 list in 2022. Denise was the first Black woman to raise more than $1 Million publicly for a CPG food startup.As a Black woman, Denise is passionate about raising awareness of Black and female entrepreneurship and increasing opportunities for underrepresented people seeking careers in the food and beverage industry. In 2020, Denise founded Black Futures in Food & Beverage, an annual fellowship program that mentors HBCU students and helps them secure internships and jobs at the program’s end.Prior to launching Partake, Denise spent a decade in consumer-packaged goods at various Fortune 100 companies. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Jeremy, and daughter, Vivienne. She graduated with her BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from Arizona State University.In this episode of Takin’ Care of Lady Business®, Jennifer Justice interviews Denise Woodward, the founder and CEO of Partake Foods. They discuss her nonlinear career path that ultimately culminated in a supermarket shelf staple that provides fun, safe treats for people with allergies. Denise recounts the shift from her corporate position at Coca Cola to pitching the idea of a new product in a contest and ultimately creating her own product and company. Hear about the process she followed and the changes she made after customer feedback and interactions with manufacturers and vendors.Here is what to expect on this week’s show:- Overcoming funding obstacles and challenges to launch and grow ventures.- Impressive business growth through hard work and resilience.- Investing in diversity and staying true to mission and values.- The importance of focusing on strengths, understanding customer feedback, and unit economics.

Quotes:“It took a long time to build the relationship, and I think that's something that I've learned across my corporate career, but that's also served me well in this role… And so just having patience and remaining consistent has been such a constant theme.” – Denise Woodward“I try not to speak in the jargon, but I catch myself doing it and I think it's one of those mechanisms that makes people feel like they don't belong or that it's so complicated and none of it's like rocket science.” – Denise Woodward“We're really focused on doing good in the world, particularly around eradicating childhood food insecurity and increasing diversity in the food industry.” – Denise WoodwardThis episode is sponsored by Medjet. Medjet is the top-rated air medical transport and crisis response membership for travelers. If you’re hospitalized while traveling or your safety is threatened abroad, they get you home. Join Medjet before your next trip at Medjet.com.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices