“Today, we’ll change tomorrow.” This was the tenet put forth at Tuesday’s inaugural #StateofWomen summit, hosted by the White House and sponsored by the Tory Burch Foundation, among others. The summit brought together individuals from disciplines such as design, technology, law, international policy, philanthropy, academia and more to discuss pillars ranging from health and wellness, leadership and civic engagement, to entrepreneurship and innovation. These pillars were particularly of interest to CFDA given the organization’s focus on helping designers sustain their businesses through resources, mentorship, and various grant programs, as well as the CFDA’s focus on charitable initiatives that promote health and wellness such as the CFDA Health Initiative and Fashion Targets Breast Cancer.

The Tory Burch Foundation kicked off the entrepreneurial session with a video from CFDA board member Tory Burch professing the importance of ambitious women. Burch noted that although women in business are an economic staple generating more than $3 trillion, women entrepreneurs still face obstacles when accessing capital. The work of the Tory Burch Foundation is to support and embolden female entrepreneurs through programs, capital, education, and initiatives that provide women tangible tools to sustain their businesses.

Five successful entrepreneurs who overcame adversity and found support from the Foundation took the summit stage and generated an effusive reaction from the crowd when they shared their stories. Other notable speakers at the summit included President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden, Oprah Winfrey, and Amy Poehler.