As a Black female entrepreneur in America, Denise Woodard knows about taking risks. While still working a day job in 2016, Woodard launched Partake Foods, a maker of allergen-free cookies based in Jersey City, New Jersey, with her life savings, which was around $50,000. The company struggled for a couple of years before she finally landed a break–achieving regional placement for Partake Foods at Whole Foods and Wegmans Food Market in 2018–but she needed cash to boost production. She sold her engagement ring for half of what it was worth. By the following year, she had exhausted her 401(k), and despite successfully launching in two major chains, she had been rejected by 86 investors.
