The Inaugural Tory Burch Foundation Founders Breakfast Honored Martha Stewart

There was laughter, a few tears, and many strong cups of coffee on the Upper East Side Thursday morning. “The amount of emails I got saying ‘7:45 a.m.—are you kidding me?’” Tory Burch joked from the stage, acknowledging the early hour of her Foundation’s inaugural awards breakfast at The Pierre. Still, hundreds of women rose before dawn and headed uptown to celebrate the founders who’ve raised millions—and transformed industries—with their startup visions.

The event spotlighted standout recipients like Christa Cotton, founder of the booze-free bitters brand El Guapo; Beau Wangtrakuldee, whose lab accident led her to create the inclusive PPE company AmorSui; and Denise Woodard, the mind behind Partake Foods, a snack line designed for the one in 13 Americans living with food allergies.

But the moment of the morning belonged to Martha Stewart. As the first self-made female billionaire in American history, Stewart was on hand to receive the first-ever Iconic Founder Award. She joined Burch on stage in towering wooden platform shoes (a gift from the brand), ready for a candid conversation about her entrepreneurial journey, including hard-won lessons, bold risks, and a few beauty secrets—chief among them, her not-yet-released CBD-infused skincare line.

When asked what’s next, Stewart mused about creating a garden on an uninhabited planet (as one does), but more seriously, spoke about her commitment to personal reinvention and philanthropy. “Believe in the expansiveness of your ideas,” she told the room. “I was 41 when I started my business.”

Guests—including Pamela Anderson, Sara Blakely, Aerin Lauder, Natalie Massenet, Misty Copeland, and more—nibbled on berries, smoked salmon, and avocado toast served on vintage-style lettuceware plates from Tory Burch’s collaboration with Palm Beach pottery icon Dodie Thayer. Ever the detail-oriented hostess, Stewart was quick to compliment the china.

The morning’s most ambitious goal, however, came from the Foundation itself: to unlock $1 billion in economic value for women entrepreneurs by 2030. “Women entrepreneurs are solving real problems, creating jobs, and helping their communities prosper,” Burch said. “Supporting women is simply good for the bottom line.”

Before closing, Burch and Stewart playfully imagined a Shark Tank-style TV show focused exclusively on women-led businesses—and gestured to Spanx founder Sara Blakely in the front row as a potential co-host.

Your move, producers.