Women Wednesday with Milan Ball
Meet Milan Ball, a female founder who’s passionate about fashion, philanthropy, and tech.
In 2019, after receiving her degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology NYC, Milan launched her career in fashion design. This endeavor led to prestigious opportunities which included interning with icon Victoria Beckham, trend forecasting for Material ConneXion, and buying for fashion tech startup, Corporate Catwalk.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, Milan began consulting with the companies she had built rapport with. While many of them were driven by social impact, it became clear to Milan that most didn’t realize how their spending could powerfully contribute to these causes.
With the belief that “changing the world begins with transforming the marketplace,” Milan used this realization to leap into entrepreneurship. In March of 2021, she founded Philan which helps consumers measure the impact of their spending while also discovering charitable companies that align with their values.
Several months later, Milan joined Bubble’s Immerse program which supports Black founders to launch web apps through a fully-funded pre-accelerator. Since starting her Master’s degree, Milan has shifted her focus from consulting to research. This year, she has joined the Be Nimble Foundation as the Director of Development and Marketing where she works with social enterprises that help businesses transform into high-growth, high-scale companies.
Do you have a personal quote or life's motto you live by?
I believe in "treating people better than they deserve." I prefer to live in the peace of my own consistency than the disappointment that accompanies pointing out inconsistencies in how others treat me. My life has been so much more stress-free because of this mindset shift.
What inspires you?
I am inspired by my parents who overcame difficult circumstances to give my siblings and I the childhood of their dreams. I aspire to make them proud because they eliminated as many barriers as possible for me. Because of them, I have every reason to succeed in life.
A fun fact about yourself:
I was named after the city of Milan and lived there for about two years. My sister's name is London and I took her to visit "her city" for the first time this past Christmas!