Women Inenvtorz Network

MelindaAndDhanaThis Is One Dynamic Duo! Dhana Cohen and Melinda Knight have proven they are mothers of invention. Stonewalled by the invention process themselves, they formed an online community providing the vital support women inventors need to succeed!

Dhana Cohen and Melinda Knight founders of the Women Inventorz Network (WIN) have set out to help women inventors get their products off the ground. Both women had been through the inventor cycle and knew all too well the roadblocks inventors encounter along the way.

Cohen jokes that her number one resource in 1995, when she started working on her first invention, was the Yellow Pages.

“It was a struggle to get to market, prior to the advent of the internet,” said Cohen.

The Chicago mom has 25 years experience in marketing and product development. When she decided to stay home and raise her kids, she ran her own marketing firm for 10 years. It was during this time period that she worked on developing her own products. In the throes of figuring it all out, she became stonewalled by the process.

“I was working on a disposable bib but the process was daunting and then Pampers came out with their version,” shared Cohen.

Entrepreneurial by nature, Cohen couldn’t shake the invention bug and went on to create The Next Big Zing, the only independent award and contest program for innovative products. She also co-hosts an entrepreneur radio talk show.

Knight, based in Seattle, shares Cohen’s sensibilities regarding innovation and creativity. Her formal background is in business and marketing. While working out in the gym one day she thought how great it would be to exercise and work on her laptop at the same time.

She developed a laptop tray design and attended a casting call for a TLC show on women inventors in Chicago.  Amazed at the number of women with great ideas, but no way to promote them, Melinda returned home with a bigger idea and Womentorz was born.

The two women, met virtually, and decided to joined forces to create WIN to inspire and educate women inventors in the U.S. and Canada.

The network is based on the concept of group marketing; it’s an online community that women can tap into to help bring their product to market.

Membership is free and inventors have access to a virtual storefront. Benefits include promotion and social networking to generate sales. Members also have access to a menu of options, on a fee basis, such as inclusion in television appearances and celebrity gift giving.

According to Cohen the biggest obstacle women face is funding. This is one of the reasons why they supports the American Women Inventorz, NFP Award and Grant Program, whose mission is to support and build the brands of women inventors through outreach and education. The non-profit will host an award event next year in April.

“We want to help women get in front of investors and help them meet the right people,” explained Cohen. “Sometimes inventors have to back up 10 steps to move forward two steps but dreams can happen to everyday inventors.”

For further information regarding Women Inventorz Network visit www.womeninventorznetwork.com.

 

 

 

 

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