Vegan Women Summit

The Vegan Women Summit (VWS) is the leading global gathering for women building the future of plant-based food, fashion, beauty and sustainability. Founded as "a global events and media organization created to empower women to build a kinder, more sustainable world," VWS now reaches a community of over 50,000 members across six continents, with programming spanning the flagship summit, the VWS Pathfinder pitch competition for female plant-based founders, and the VWS Connect virtual networking series for employers and job-seekers.

The 2026 summit runs 3-6 May 2026 in Palm Springs, California, a deliberate move from previous NYC and Hollywood editions into the desert-resort atmosphere of the Coachella Valley, which lends the four-day event a retreat-like feel quite different from traditional industry conferences. Palm Springs in early May means mid-80s°F weather, poolside networking, and the kind of intentional slower pace that distinguishes VWS from the frenetic trade-show energy of bigger expos.

This is not a general-public vegan festival, it's a professional summit aimed at women (and allies) working in or launching plant-based businesses, media, advocacy and investment. Expect keynote talks, panel discussions, founder showcases, VWS Pathfinder pitch finals, hands-on workshops, curated networking sessions, tasting experiences, and evening events across the four days. Previous speaker rosters have included Fortune 500 executives, plant-based startup founders, investors, Hollywood creatives, journalists, activists and policy makers, with a deliberate emphasis on underrepresented voices in the traditionally male-dominated food and sustainability sectors.

What makes VWS distinctive is its emphasis on commerce and scale rather than ideology. Where many vegan events focus on personal conversion or activism, VWS is explicitly about building billion-dollar plant-based companies, getting women-led brands into mainstream retail, and shifting the industrial food system. The VWS Pathfinder pitch competition, "the world's first female founder summit and pitch competition dedicated exclusively to plant-based innovation", is a genuine career-changer, with past finalists going on to raise significant venture capital.

The organisation has also announced THE 2100 SUMMIT, described as "the world's first global gathering dedicated to transforming how we approach innovation, sustainability, and human connection for a brighter future," though dates and format remain to be confirmed.