Kendra Scott Launches Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute At UT

AUSTIN, TX — Austin fashion designer Kendra Scott unveiled a namesake Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute on Tuesday at the University of Texas at Austin campus.

The Sept. 24 launch of the WEL Institute ushers in a center that will open to all UT-Austin students in Spring 2020, she said. It will serve as "a community of diversity, inclusion, and entrepreneurship, empowering women to advocate for themselves and find the white space to make their impact," officials described.

The Institute will serve as a central hub for programming largely designed to empower young women, many of whom crammed the Bass Concert Hall on campus for a presentation hosted by Scott with welcoming remarks by UT-Austin President Gregory L. Fenves and a panel discussion moderated by Maurie McInnis, executive vice president and provost at the university.

The panel discussion took place on one end of the stage, where McInnis interviewed Scott and celebrity guests Freida Pinto, an actress, and Rachel Lindsay, an attorney and television best known for her role as a contestant on the 21st season of ABC's The Bachelor and as the lead of its spin-off, The Bachelorette.

Maurie McInnis (far left) interviews (left to right) Kendra Scott, Freida Pinto and Rachel Lindsay to gauge their personal insights on career success and personal empowerment. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

The guests spoke of their own success trajectories, dispensing advice to an audience primarily composed of young ladies enrolled at UT-Austin. Pinto — who serves as an ambassador for "Girl Rising," a global campaign for girls' education and empowerment — spoke on switching one's paradigm on what is known as failure: "If you fail, it's not your down and out but your learning."

She also shared the value of having role models, but with a caveat: "Be inspired by others but don't compare yourself to others," she said.

For her part, Lindsay spoke sheepishly of her turn on reality television ("I made my parents so proud," she said with self-deprecation, drawing chuckles from the audience). But she added that if she hadn't gone through those experiences, she would not have realized grasped the path she truly wanted to follow. "It opened my mind to so much more," she said. "I wasn't happy, and I felt my creativity was being stifled. I started to adopt an entirely different mindset and taking control of my own life."

Beyond reality television, 34-year-old Lindsay worked as a legislative intern for Texas Sen. Royce West before interning with the Milwaukee Bucks. She later worked at the law firm Cooper & Scully. Last summer, she was a guest host on ESPN's "First Take" before starting as host of "Football Frenzey," another ESPN program, alongside Dallas Cowboys linebacker Bobby Carpenter.

Scott shared parts of her own narrative, starting what is now a billion-dollar fashion brand when she was at home with her newborn child. Along the way to her ultimate entrepreneurial success, Scott shared how she was turned down for financing time and again as few could see the potential of a Texas-based design firm. "Boy, did we prove them wrong!" she said to spontaneous applause from the audience.

In a short video prefacing the presentation, Scott expounded on the aim of the center: "Together with the University of Texas, we've created a program focused on re-defining leadership and entrepreneurship through a gender-enlightened lens. With this institute, we wanted to create a pipeline of courageous, creative female leaders — leaders that will shatter stereotypes on what an entrepreneur should look like, leaders that will challenge the rule books that have governed the business world for generations."

But even now, Scott sometimes marvels at her remarkable success. "This moment is surreal," she said. "Never in my wildest dreams would I have dreamed this big 18 years ago with a newborn baby and being told no." But gradually, the rejections fueled her inner desire to succeed: "The question isn't who's going to let me," she said of her paradigm shift. "The question is who's going to stop me."

A monument to her success can be seen in the Kendra Scott headquarters building, an impressive structure at Lamar Central, a mixed-use development at North Lamar Boulevard and West 38th Street.

Yet as Pinto referenced, Scott's early roadblocks that could be perceived as failure only served to strengthen her resolve: "If I hadn't gone through those tough times, I wouldn't have been able to build the business we have today," the designer/entrepreneur told the audience.

That personal narrative is what inspired her to launch the Kendra Scott Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute as a way of offering support and resources to other young women intent on their own career success. Before the panel discussion, Scott noted that only 17 percent of venture capital-backed businesses were female-founded as of 2018, which further illustrates the need for the campus-based entrepreneurial hub.

Members of the media were given a tour of the ample space, with areas designed for the exchange of ideas and others portions available for events and further panel discussions. "We're going to change the world, and we're going to change it here," Scott told the gathering to cheers and applause.

Some renderings of the new space were provided to Patch after the presentation:

Courtesy image.

Courtesy image.

To that end, the WEL Institute will offer myriad resources, including:

● A women’s leadership workshop series that will enable students to learn from and network with entrepreneurs and leaders across various industries, powered by Blackstone LaunchPad at UT Austin.

● A host center for the "Change the World Women’s Leadership Summit."
● The offering of a Kendra Scott Consumer Products Entrepreneurship Practicum by the McCombs School of Business at UT-Austin.
● An experiential accessories design and merchandising course offered by the university's College of Natural Sciences.
● The Kendra Scott Studio Partnership offered by the university's College of Fine Arts that will feature a three-hour seminar course hosted at the Kendra Scott headquarters and centered around the Kendra Scott Design process.
● The WEL Institute also will offer an internship program, leadership and mentoring.
● The fledgling center will host speakers' series featuring industry leaders.
● Campus-wide venture funding opportunities also will be part of the mix at the WEL Institute.

On stage at the presentation's conclusion (left to right): Kendra Scott; country music singer Cam; UT-Austin President Gregory L. Fenves; Maurie McInnis, the university's executive vice president and provost; television personality Rachel Lindsay; and actress Freida Pinto. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

The presentation was capped off with a surprise concert with country music star Cam, who sang a half-dozen songs with guitar accompaniment by a pair of musicians. The crowd was then invited to another portion of the building for food and refreshments. Guests were offered free Kendra Scott handkerchiefs and yellow beverage koozies emblazoned with the inspiring message: "Empowering women to lead. Encouraging the world to follow."

About Kendra Scott

"Kendra Scott offers beautifully made statement and fine jewelry, all at an accessible price point," officials wrote in a press advisory. "Every Kendra Scott piece is intricately and artfully designed at the brand’s state-of-the-art studio in Austin, Texas, and utilizes a variety of distinct stones every season — from Mother-of-Pearl to Abalone, Drusy and Dichroic Glass.

Product Offering

● Mainline collection: $30 - $200.
● Fine Jewelry collection: $200 - $4,000.
● Bridal collection: $45 - $2,000.
● Charms: $5 - $25.
● Home collection: $25 - $275 .

The Kendra Scott Color Bar is an in-store and online customization experience available only at Kendra Scott that allows customers to choose from 50+ silhouettes and 30+ stones in-store or online to create a unique piece of jewelry within minutes.

Where to Find Kendra Scott

● KendraScott.com
● Kendra Scott stores nationwide, including Kendra Scott SoHo at 126 Spring St. in New York City.
● Retailers offering Kendra Scott merchandise include Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and more.

The Core Pillars of Kendra Scott

● Fashion: Known for her dynamic use of color and genuine materials, Kendra’s commitment to innovation, quality and detail has brought her from a small start-up to a billion-dollar business.
● Family: Kendra began her business just three months after her first son was born. Today, 96% of the Kendra Scott team is made up of women. The brand’s state of the art corporate office continues to cater to employees’ career goals and family-life balance, even as it has scaled to become a billion-dollar business.
● Philanthropy: As of 2018, the company has donated over $30M to charitable causes. Among the many causes close to Kendra’s heart, she has been a long-time champion of breast cancer research, partnering with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation for many years, including funding a $250,000 research grant.

About Kendra Scott Designer, CEO & Philanthropist

Loving mom, driven entrepreneur and passionate designer who believes the truest form of success is giving back in a meaningful way, her bio reads. She started her company in 2002, just three months after her first son was born, with only $500. Known for her dynamic use of color and genuine materials, Scott's commitment to innovation, quality and detail has brought her from a small start-up to a billion-dollar brand that has won over loyal fans, media and celebrities alike. With over 2,000 employees, Kendra Scott boasts a thriving web business and over 100 standalone stores, and has expanded beyond fashion jewelry into the categories of fine jewelry, home décor, and Beauty.

Since she began her company, Scott has lived by three core values: Family, Fashion and Philanthropy. She created a brand and culture that authentically values giving back and making a positive difference in the community. The Kendra Scott company maintains a focus on its customers and the causes close to their hearts, having donated over $30 million to local, national and international causes since 2010.

Scott is a member of the board of directors for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. She has been awarded with the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 National Award; the Breakthrough Award from the Accessories Council Excellence Awards; named Outstanding Mother of the Year by the Mother’s Day Council; awarded Texas Businesswoman of the Year by the Women’s Chamber of Commerce; listed by Forbes as one of America's Richest Self-Made Women; Top 100 Entrepreneurs of the Year by Upstart Business Journal; and Best CEO by Austin Business Journal. She is a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and maintains her position as Chairman of the Board of Kendra Scott, LLC.