She is passionate about accelerating the success timelines of womxn and BIPOC entrepreneurs so that they can build sales engines for their businesses faster and catch up in a male-dominated startup scene.  

Making an impact is important to her, and she is actively looking for opportunities to give back to the community whether it’s through speaking or collaborating on events and projects (so can reach out to her- her contacts below!). 

She has been building startups since she was 19, an experience she likes to think has been informed by my immigrant entrepreneur parents. I have a diverse background in business, design thinking, and social impact that has helped me challenge norms and push boundaries.  She co-created my first company (a clothing company) when she was 19 and sold it before her 23rd birthday. The brand’s clothing was seen on Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, and Gym Class Heroes during the heyday of Warped Tour in the mid-2000s. Before her co-founder and her exit, our clothing was in 250 major retailers worldwide, including Hot Topic and Zumiez.  

In 2011, she co-founded a non-profit that fixed and prevented broken water systems in Cameroon and India by building community ecosystems of water maintenance care (this is different than many other Water NGOs because Water Collective co-creates [(pulls versus push- a theory mentioned in the Book: The Prosperity Paradox by Professor Christensen, Efosa Ojomo, Karen Dillon) with locals from decision making to implementation]. She led an international team to secure clean water for over 80,000 people. The organization has been recognized by Forbes, DevEx, African Business Review, and ELLE Magazine.  

Through her current work at Ascent Strategy, She has helped numerous women founders go from side-hustle to full-time business owners by helping them step into their sovereignty and accelerate their sales.  

She is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, a Fred Alger Finance Award winner, and named one of the world’s 100 most inspiring women by Salt Magazine and Diageo.  

Sophia Sunwoo's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophia-sunwoo/

Ascent Strategy: https://www.ascent-strategy.com/

You can work with her by signing up here: https://www.ascent-strategy.com/workwithme4 

Hard Lessons from 14 years of entrepreneurship: https://www.ascent-strategy.com/insights/2021/2/5/4-hard-lessons-from-14-years-of-entrepreneurship

Water Collective: http://www.thewatercollective.org/