Être Celebrates a Decade of Bringing Girls Face to Face with Female Leaders: Mentorship Platform Marks 10th Anniversary

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Être, the ground-breaking mentorship platform that brings motivated, world-changing girls directly into the boardrooms of the world’s most influential companies, is proud to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Since its launch in 2016, Être has transformed the landscape of youth leadership by connecting middle and high school girls with face-to-face mentorship from female leaders at the brands they most admire.

Founded by Illana Raia, a former Skadden Arps M&A attorney, Être has grown into a global movement. Over the past decade, Être has achieved significant milestones, including:

• Pioneered Boardroom Mentor Moments: Facilitating visits to companies like Spotify, Google, Pinterest, NASDAQ and the NYSE, where girls meet female leaders in the very rooms where decisions are made.
• Licensed TED-Ed Conference: Inviting 250+ girls from 7 countries to raise their voices and share big ideas on the Être TED-Ed stage.
• Published Book Series: Authoring 2 insider mentor advice books, Être: Girls, Who Do You Want To Be and The Epic Mentor Guide, spotlighting Q&As from pop-up mentors around the world.
• Empowered Girl-Led Leadership: Maintaining a board of advisors made up 100% of girls, ensuring Être’s resources and clubs remain truly girl-driven.
• Data-Driven Impact: Conducting national research in 2022, 2024 and 2025 in partnership with YPulse, and most recently Hello Sunshine’s Sunnie, to decode and reverse the confidence gap.
• Global Amplification: Partnering with the Golden Globe Foundation to connect girls interested in media and entertainment with high-profile international industry mentors.
• Gen Z Board Building: Collaborating with brands like Hello Sunshine’s Sunnie to launch their first-ever Gen Z Advisory Board, giving girls not only a seat at the table but a voice in the process.

"We started with a simple question for girls: Who do you want to be?" said Illana Raia, Founder & CEO of Être. "Ten years later, we’ve seen girls move from visiting boardrooms to holding actual advisory board seats at brands they already love. Our goal remains the same: to show the next generation early and in-person everything it is possible to be, ensuring girls continue to raise their hands instead of lowering their standards.”

The 10th-anniversary festivities will include a featured billboard celebration at The Wedge at 2 Times Square in the heart of New York City, highlighting the voices of Être girls and epic mentors around the world.

About Être
Être is a mentorship platform bringing girls directly into companies they choose and face to face with female leaders. Être has empowered tens of thousands of girls to sit in boardroom chairs, raise hands in UN council chambers, stand on Spotify stages, chat with astronauts and ring NASDAQ bells, and has been recognized by Forbes Next 1000, Inc.’s 500 Female Founders and twice by Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas. For more information visit www.etregirls.com.