JUST Fest 2019 received more than 600 guests at Springdale Station Sunday, November 3rd. The theme of the event was Somos Poderosas or We Are Powerful, a title fitting for the women who make up the 650+ female entrepreneur network. The festival celebrated these powerful mujeres and gave the Austin community an opportunity to get to know their work.
“We are amazed with the turnout and are so thankful to Dell, Bumble Bizz, Univision, HEB and all of our supporting sponsors for making JUST Fest a day to remember,” said Jewel Crosswell, Director of Partnerships for JUST.
Going into the venue, attendees were greeted with a powerful photo gallery showcasing images of more than 50 JUST entrepreneurs, taken by photographer Lakhpreet Kaur. To the right of the gallery, a space featuring 20 local artisans and vendors.
Anjanette Gautier, a local blogger, walked out with shoes and jewelry she purchased during the festival. “I loved meeting so many women entrepreneurs. I also took some beautiful handmade products,” she posted on social media.
Walking towards the patio, guests were greeted with JUST’s famous tamale competition. More than 50 people participated as judges, including KVUE’s anchor and reporter, Jenni Lee, who transmitted her experience via Facebook live.
The excitement only continued when Jewel Crosswell and Bumble’s Marlene Ramírez announced the 750 Fund, a 750-hour crowdfunding campaign powered by Bumble Bizz. The goal of this fund is to raise $75,000 that will provide 100 female entrepreneurs with their first loans.
“We’re always looking for ways to support local founders, so we jumped on the opportunity to work with JUST,” said Bumble Bizz. The professional networking vertical within the Bumble app committed to matching donations up to $20,000, an announcement that was followed by mariachis and more celebration.
Closing the event, was local TV reporter Cesar Flores from Univision and DELL’s own James Alejandro. Together they took the stage to announce the tamale competition winner. It was a close race, which included some of the top finalists from last year, but the woman who took home the tamale crown was Leonor Peralta, whose tamales are known for being spicy. The mariachis dedicated some boleros to Peralta and closed the night with Las Mañanitas, giving a warm farewell to all of the attendees who stayed until the last minute.