Press Release:
Inc. Names Angelina Lawton to Its 2026 Female Founders 500 List
[Minneapolis, MN], March 10, 2026 – Sportsdigita is proud to announce that its founder and CEO, Angelina Lawton, has been named to Inc.’s 2026 Female Founders 500, an annual list honoring the most dynamic women business leaders in the United States. The honor recognizes founders whose bold ideas, resilience, and execution are shaping the future of their industries. Lawton’s entrepreneurial impact has been widely recognized across sports and technology industries, with her latest achievements directed at bringing AI to the business landscape.
The 2026 Female Founders honorees collectively generated approximately $12.3 billion in 2025 revenue and $12.2 billion in funding to date, underscoring the economic impact of women-led businesses across sectors. The list represents entrepreneurs who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and measurable progress over the past year. Previous honorees have included such game-changing leaders as Billie Jean King, Sallie Krawcheck, Serena Williams, and Emma Grede — all of whom have transformed their industries and broken barriers along the way.
Lawton has also been named to Inc.’s Female Founders list for two consecutive years, honored as one of Forbes’ Top 30 Women in Sports, and recognized as a Sports Business Journal Game Changer, an award celebrating influential women shaping the future of the sports business landscape.
Each year, Inc. editors evaluate applications through a rigorous, multi-round selection process. Founders are assessed on both quantitative performance metrics, including revenue growth, funding, sales, and audience size, as well as qualitative factors such as innovation, social impact, and brand momentum. The final list represents entrepreneurs who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and measurable progress over the past year. Previous honorees have included such game-changing leaders as Billie Jean King, Sallie Krawcheck, Serena Williams, and Emma Grede — all of whom have transformed their industries and broken barriers along the way.
“I’m incredibly honored to be named to Inc.’s Female Founders list for the second year in a row. This recognition reflects the dedication of our entire team and the partners who believe in our vision. Building a company is never a solo journey, and I’m grateful to be surrounded by people who push innovation forward every day. Here’s to continuing to break barriers and create opportunities for the next generation of founders.”
- Angelina Lawton
Honoree selection is also honed through the evaluation of the program’s advisory board, which includes Patty Arvielo, co-founder and CEO of New American Funding; Tiffany Dufu, president of the Tory Burch Foundation; Joy Mangano, co-founder and CEO of CleanBoss; Michelle Cordeiro Grant, founder and CEO of GORGIE; Sheila Lirio Marcelo, co-founder and CEO of Ohai.ai and founder of Care.com; and Melissa Mash, co-founder and CEO of Dagne Dover.
Under Lawton’s leadership, Sportsdigita’s DIGIDECK has grown into a leading presentation and revenue enablement platform used by major organizations across sports, hospitality, media, and other industries. The company helps enterprise revenue teams create, manage, control, and deliver high-impact presentations. As the enterprise platform evolves, Sportsdigita’s DIGIDECK platform is using AI to empower revenue teams to generate smarter content, personalize presentations at scale, and gain deeper insights into buyer engagement.
“Each year, we are increasingly amazed by the extraordinary leaders on our Inc. Female Founders 500 list,” says Bonny Ghosh, editorial director at Inc. “The honorees on this year’s list include innovators in AI, beauty and wellness trendsetters winning devoted fans, and nonprofit leaders making a real impact in their communities. Together, they’re showing all of us what trailblazing female leadership looks like.”
To see the complete list of honorees, please visit: https://www.inc.com/female-founders/2026.
