Christine Byrne is a graduate of the UW Certificate in Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership, led by Project Ascendance’s Christy Johnson
“The program is a safe space to learn, try new things and connect with other amazing women.”
During the program, Christine founded Byrne Consulting, which provides people strategy and operations for startups.
Christine joined the program for a few different reasons. She was at a crossroads in her career and wanted to decide what was next. She also wanted to learn more about the entrepreneurial journey as a woman and had a business idea that she wanted to explore.
Her background was primarily in people and culture, and she wanted to expand her knowledge to learn other elements of starting and running a business. She loved learning about the entrepreneurial journey and ecosystem, and that there are so many ways to be an entrepreneur.
Christine came in with an idea and although that idea changed, she was excited to learn the framework for how to test that idea, iterate and actually pitch it. That process felt repeatable to her, and she now knows how to apply it to future concepts.
Since starting her own consulting business during the program, she has worked with about a dozen clients, mainly early- to mid-stage startups. “The program has been so pivotal to get me to this point,” Christine said.
The program had some other unexpected benefits, as well. Christine built a network of amazing female founders and was introduced to new clients. She also developed deeper empathy for her clients and how they’re navigating both the startup ecosystem and their own entrepreneurial journey.
“The program is a safe space to learn, try new things and connect with other amazing women,” Christine said. “The skills are really applicable in so many ways, and you really can get out of the program whatever you are looking for!”
