Endeavor taps Miami social entrepreneur to join global network

 

Doral-based TISSINI helps low-income U.S. Hispanic women provide for their families

By Nancy Dahlberg
TISSINI is a for-profit social enterprise that offers low-income U.S. Hispanic immigrant women an opportunity to earn extra income and provide for their families. The company was founded by Sion Tesone, who is now South Florida’s 46th entrepreneur that will receive mentoring, support services and access capital from the global entrepreneurship network Endeavor.
Endeavor Miami announced today that Tesone, TISSINI’s CEO, was selected as an Endeavor Entrepreneur at the organizations 87th International Selection Panel, which was held this week in Madrid.
Tesone said that TISSINI is at a critical growth stage, and he believes Endeavor’s network can help with the speed and strategy of his company’s growth.
“This has been a humbling and exciting process. The talent that I have seen in the Endeavor network has been beyond my expectations. I am honored to belong to such a prestigious global organization and I look forward to pay it forward,” Tesone said.
TISSINI is based in Doral. Through a single-level direct sales model, TISSINI’s clients – called Emprendedoras – purchase wholesale a variety of fashion and home goods sourced from Latin American partners and sell them for a profit. TISSINI says it provides a simple, flexible channel for extra income that makes a true difference in these women’s lives.
“Endeavor seeks to support those entrepreneurs that will have a tangible impact in their ecosystem – TISSINI embodies this vision,” said Laura Maydon, managing director of Endeavor Miami. “We believe that Sion will have a great impact as we help him scale his network of Hispanic female entrepreneurs. We are really excited to welcome him into the network.” 
Tesone, a Colombian, moved to the U.S. to prep as an Olympic swimmer. He is a member of YPO and he won the “Making a Difference” Award by Harvard Business School for his social impact work with TISSINI. The award was a global competition amongst the tens of thousands of HBS executive education alumni, and it was given to just individuals who best exemplified leadership, commitment and philanthropy, said Andrea Torres, Endeavor Miami’s marketing and partnerships director.
With the support of the Knight Foundation, Endeavor Miami launched in September 2013 as the first U.S. affiliate of Endeavor Global, which supports some 1,800  high-impact founders around the world. Endeavor Miami entrepreneur generated nearly $200 million and over 2,000 jobs in South Florida in 2018, according to its impact report. The local affiliate now supports 26 companies and 46 entrepreneurs; TISSINI is its first social enterprise.  To nominate a Miami area entrepreneur for Endeavor, visit www.endeavormiami.org.
Follow @ndahlberg on Twitter and email her at [email protected]. Catch all the latest South Florida startup news on RefreshMiami.com.

Nancy Dahlberg