Amy Nelson
Amy Nelson (5’4”) is the founder of The Riveter, a coworking and community space, built by women for all. They currently have five locations in Seattle and Los Angeles.
Amy’s vision to start a co-working space for professional women was borne out of the challenges she faced as a woman working in the corporate world. Working as a corporate litigator, Amy reached the height of her frustrations when she was pregnant with her second child and didn’t receive an advancement opportunity simply because the company would be inconvenienced by her maternity leave. Disillusioned by a broken system, Amy was determined to work toward a better solution not just for herself, but for all women who faced the inequality of a flawed business structure.
As if to sarcastically avoid “inconveniencing” her employer for a third time, she decided to quit her job while pregnant with her third child to start something of her own. When she started taking business classes she quickly realized that they were all held in very male-centric, shared corporate work spaces. Video games, ping-pong, and foosball were common features in these spaces; there was no consideration for the professional woman, and certainly none for the pregnant and professional woman. But why? With more and more women venturing into business, why were all of these spaces so mindful of the businessman and not the businesswoman? These kinds of questions would shape the the framework for Amy’s business — a framework that has made The Riveter a unique and successful fixture in the business world.
Put simply, The Riveter is a shared workspace that keeps women in mind first. They strive to create a community and provide resources that fosters wellness and success for women in business.