Inc. Names Her Campus Media Co-Founders to Its 2025 Female Founders 500 List
Inc.’s eighth annual Female Founders list highlights the nation’s top business leaders who challenge the status quo to tackle some of the world’s biggest problems
BOSTON, MA — March 11, 2025 – Inc., the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future, today announced its eighth annual Female Founders list, honoring a bold group of 500 women whose innovations and ideas are leading their industries forward, including Her Campus Media co-founders Stephanie Kaplan Lewis, Windsor Western, and Annie Wang. These resilient entrepreneurs expressed grit and drive to collectively attract approximately $9 billion in 2024 revenue and $10.6 billion in funding.
Each year, Inc. editors review thousands of applications highlighting female founders who are challenging the status quo and tackling some of the world’s biggest problems, and cull applicants through three rounds of judging, looking specifically at an entrepreneur’s bona fides in the past year. Criteria include quantifiable metrics such as revenue, sales, revenue growth, funding, and audience size. Inc. also looks for qualitative metrics including social media momentum and stories of impact.
Honoree selection is also honed through the evaluation of the program’s advisory board: Cate Luzio, founder and CEO of Luminary; Dany Garcia, founder, CEO, and chairperson of the Garcia Companies; Pinky Cole Hayes, founder and CEO of Slutty Vegan; Anu Duggal, founding partner at Female Founders Fund; Katherine Power, serial entrepreneur and partner at Greycroft; Tiffany Dufu, president of the Tory Burch Foundation and founder of the Cru; and Kay Koplovitz, co-founder and chair at Springboard Enterprises, founder of USA Network.
"We are immensely grateful to be a part of this incredible group of female leaders and to stand alongside women we admire — whose leadership is paving the way for a more inclusive, innovative future," said Kaplan Lewis, Western, and Wang. "When we founded Her Campus Media in 2009, we did so with a dream to elevate young women’s voices and create opportunities for the next generation of women leaders. Fifteen years later, we are more committed than ever to that mission, and we are humbled by the incredible growth, impact, and community we've built together. This milestone is not just ours — it belongs to every person who has been part of our journey."
The founders cross all industries and bring with them unique stories of success from each stage of the entrepreneurial journey — from startup to going public, being acquired by big buyers, or spending decades at the helm of an organization.
This honor follows a monumental year for Her Campus Media — celebrating 15 years in business — a testament to the company’s strength, the loyalty of its community, and the dedication of its team.
Over the past year, the organization expanded its influence by acquiring Gen Z influencer marketing platform Zfluence, launching Certified Influence, the creator industry's first-ever virtual training and certification program, and unveiling Our Bodies, Our Votes — the third installment of Her Campus Media’s award-winning editorial project which featured an exclusive foreword by Vice President Kamala Harris.
"Female founders know what struggle is, but they’re also experts of improvisation, adaptability, and creativity. The women featured on this year’s list exemplify these qualities. Through times of uncertainty, their unwavering dedication and steadfast leadership are not only inspiring but vital to driving progress," said Inc. executive editor Diana Ransom.
Several honorees will be featured in Inc. magazine’s Female Founders issue, on newsstands March 18, 2025. To see the complete list of honorees, please visit: https://www.inc.com/female-founders
About Inc.
Inc. is the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of its community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating the future of business. Inc. is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow leading business publication Fast Company. For more information, visit www.inc.com.
About Her Campus Media
Her Campus Media is the #1 Gen Z media and marketing ecosystem, reaching this generation better than anyone else across its family of media brands and communities, including Her Campus, College Fashionista, InfluenceHer Collective, Spoon University, and Generation Hired, with a highly curated community of 70,000+ creators, influencers, ambassadors, and student journalists across 2,000+ colleges. Her Campus Media provides award-winning integrated marketing programs that drive consumer engagement and loyalty for the world's leading brands. Her Campus has been named to Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies, Adweek's Campaign of the Year, and Entrepreneur Magazine's Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America among other accolades.