SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Avaya Holdings Corp. (NYSE: AVYA) today launched its pioneering Avaya
for Communities program to provide Economically Disadvantaged
Women-Owned Small Businesses (EDWOSB) in the U.S. with Avaya Intelligent
Xperiences (IX) communications and collaboration solutions to support
their growth and success.
The Avaya for Communities program offers Avaya IX solutions for unified
communications and contact center at significantly reduced pricing,
sometimes even at zero cost, to qualifying EDWOSBs for a twelve-month
period. The U.S. Small Business Administration has established criteria
that define EDWOSBs, including that the business is at least 51%
owned and controlled by women managing day-to-day operations and making
long-term decisions for the business. There are also income, net worth
and asset criteria.
“Our commitment to corporate responsibility can create a positive change
in the world through transforming the modern workplace. Improving access
for disadvantaged businesses to leading communications and collaboration
technology can help make a difference,” said Jim Chirico, Avaya
President & CEO. “Recognizing that March 8 is International
Women’s Day, we chose this month to launch an innovative and
important program to support up-and-coming entrepreneurs. This is the
latest in a series of diversity and inclusion initiatives that Avaya has
introduced, and one that I am particularly enthusiastic about.”
Twelve years ago, there were roughly 5 million women-owned businesses in
the U.S.,1 and today there are nearly 12 million. While
significant progress has been made, 88% of women-owned businesses are
considered small, with revenues less than $100,000, and women still find
it difficult to secure funding particularly in the start-up stage. In
fact, only 4 percent of the total dollar value of all small business
loans goes to women entrepreneurs2. Recognizing the obstacles
that EDWOSB can face, Avaya is helping to level the playing field.
Details for the Avaya for Communities program, including information on
the tiered pricing offers for select Avaya IX solutions, can be found
here.
One such example of a company pushing these obstacles aside is Yoconut Dairy
Free, a coconut yogurt company based in San Francisco, California,
and a small plant-based food innovation startup founded by a female
entrepreneur. “We created Yoconut based on our passion for good food,
and as a female-founded and operated business, I am pleased to see a
major technology company like Avaya propelling women forward by taking
an interest in helping businesses like ours grow and prosper,” said
Bonnie Lau, CEO of Yoconut Dairy Free.
In addition to the Avaya for Communities program, Avaya supports
education, humanitarian, and environmental projects around the world
through their Month of Giving program and other corporate responsibility
programs. See how Avaya is creating
positive change in the world year round.
Additional Resources:
About Avaya
Businesses are built on the experiences they provide, and every day
millions of those experiences are built by Avaya (NYSE: AVYA). For over
one hundred years, we’ve enabled organizations around the globe to win –
by creating intelligent communications experiences for customers and
employees. Avaya builds open, converged and innovative solutions to
enhance and simplify communications and collaboration – in the cloud,
on-premise or a hybrid of both. To grow your business, we’re committed
to innovation, partnership, and a relentless focus on what’s next. We’re
the technology company you trust to help you deliver Experiences that
Matter. Visit us at www.avaya.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This document contains certain “forward-looking statements.” All
statements other than statements of historical fact are
“forward-looking” statements for purposes of the U.S. federal and state
securities laws. These statements may be identified by the use of
forward looking terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue,"
"could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," “our vision,”
"plan," "potential," "preliminary," "predict," "should," "will," or
“would” or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or
comparable terminology and include, but are not limited to, expected
cash savings and statements about growth, exchange listing and improved
operational metrics. The Company has based these forward-looking
statements on its current expectations, assumptions, estimates and
projections. While the Company believes these expectations, assumptions,
estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking
statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and
uncertainties, many of which are beyond its control. The factors are
discussed in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 10 filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, may cause its actual results,
performance or achievements to differ materially from any future
results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these
forward-looking statements. For a further list and description of such
risks and uncertainties, please refer to the Company’s filings with the
SEC that are available at www.sec.gov.
The Company cautions you that the list of important factors included in
the Company’s SEC filings may not contain all of the material factors
that are important to you. In addition, considering these risks and
uncertainties, the matters referred to in the forward-looking statements
contained in this report may not in fact occur. The Company undertakes
no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as
otherwise required by law.
Source: Avaya Newsroom
1 U.S. Small Business Administration, https://www.sba.gov/offices/headquarters/oed/resources/3690
2
https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/business/trends-and-insights/articles/where-are-the-resources-for-women-owned-businesses;
American Express, https://about.americanexpress.com/files/doc_library/file/2018-state-of-women-owned-businesses-report.pdf
View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190304005516/en/
For media inquiries:
Alex Alias, Avaya
alalias@avaya.com
Source: Avaya Holdings Corp.