In this episode, Rebecca Grone, Director of Impact, 11:11 Media joins us following 11:11 Media’s appearance at the New York Stock Exchange to ring the closing bell. Grone highlights the historic significance of women in finance, noting that women first entered the trading floor in 1967, and emphasizes the importance of investing in and supporting women-owned small businesses. She explains that 11:11 Media, Paris Hilton’s media company, and its nonprofit arm, 11:11 Media Impact, transform Paris’s lived experiences into purpose-driven initiatives focused on philanthropy, advocacy, and storytelling. Grone shares the success of a $1 million grant program in partnership with GoFundMe that supported 50 women-owned small businesses affected by the Los Angeles wildfires, 90% of which are still thriving, with 80% owned by moms. She also introduces the new YouTube series Back in Business, which profiles six resilient small businesses to inspire recovery and demonstrate how entrepreneurs can turn challenges into opportunity. Viewers can watch the series on YouTube and learn more about the ongoing grant program on GoFundMe, highlighting 11:11 Media’s commitment to women’s empowerment, community impact, and storytelling that amplifies real change.
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Rebecca Grone joins us now.
She is the director of Impact at 11:11 Media.
She and her colleagues just got off the podium here, ringing the closing bell at the big board.
Great to have you here and congratulations.
Thank you.
It's great to be here.
Let's talk all about the strategic significance.
Two powerhouses, Paris Hilton, Gloria Steinem, joining forces right here at the New York Stock Exchange.
What stands out about this?
What do you most want people to know?
Well, I think to start, women only first entered this trade.
Room floor in 1967 and so not, you know, in Gloria Steinem's generation, women started this work here and so for us to be here today to be focused on how we are investing in capital, how we're supporting women owned small businesses is really monumental and we're so honored that Gloria joined Paris.
Are you willing to give us, give us a bit of an introduction to the genesis of 11:11?
What's it all about and talk to me about some of your top priorities here in 2026.
Yes.
So 11:11 Media is Paris Hilton's media company, and 11:11 Media Impact is the nonprofit that's associated with the media company.
And so we work to bring Paris's lived experience to light and turn pain into purpose for the causes that Paris cares about most.
Oh, I'm sorry, please go ahead.
No.
And so that's from everything from troubled teen industry to ADHD to supporting women-owned small business.
So it sounds like it's policy, it's philanthropy.
What more do you most want people to know about not just what the work is, but the spirit of it and the motive.
Why this is important both to Paris Hilton but everyone else who's a part of the 11:11 family as well.
Yes, from the origins of Paris, our mission is really to just leave a sparkle everywhere she goes.
And so we focus on strategic philanthropy, advocacy, and storytelling, and really the mix of all three of those is what leads to our success and the Los Angeles region wildfires, I know is something that you all have been facing head on.
Break down the back in business pilot results from those wildfires.
What should people know?
So we were in Los Angeles when the fires hit, and women-owned small businesses were uniquely facing big impacts with the disaster.
And so Paris did a $1 million grant program with GoFundMe.org, and the success really speaks for itself.
We provided $25,000 to 50 women-owned small businesses.
90% of those businesses today are thriving, and 80% of them are moms.
And so our money didn't just impact one female entrepreneur, it impacted businesses.
It impacted their employees and their families.
Yes, what is the latest kind of from those communities impacted, and I wonder the feedback that they are giving you because we all remember the national headlines, but perhaps for some people it's been far too long since they really heard updates from the ground and really the community and the individuals who are most impacted.
Yes, the headlines.
Fade, but the recovery is still there, um, and so we're really proud that we're still continuing to support these women owned businesses.
We're continuing to provide capital.
We're supporting them as a business ourselves in Paris personally, um, and we're also really telling their story, which I think is critically important so that we can continue to keep that headline and to keep them in the media.
We're coming out with a new show today called Back in Business, which is a YouTube.
Series that highlights 6 amazingly resilient small businesses and we hope that it inspires and shows them that you know recovery is possible and that you can turn your pain into purpose.
Rebecca, if people want to learn more about the YouTube series or the broader work of the impact in philanthropy, where can they go to find out more?
The YouTube series is on YouTube and our grant program that's launching today is hosted on GoFundMe.
All right, Rebecca Grone, director of Impact at 11:11 Media, it is great to have you.
Congratulations on all the incredible success and thanks for visiting us down here at the stock exchange.
We appreciate it.
Thank you.