Maggie Lord of Fairfield, CT Named to Inc. Magazine's 2026 Female Founder 500 List - First Woman in Fairfield History to Earn the Honor

Maggie Lord of Fairfield, CT 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. Maggie is the first female in Fairfield to earn this honor.

FAIRFIELD, Conn., March 11, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Maggie Lord of Fairfield, CT Named to Inc. Magazine's 2026 Female Founder 500 List

First Woman in Fairfield History to Earn the Honor

Maggie Lord, co-founder of The Whisper Group 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.

In a historic milestone for the region, Maggie Lord becomes the first woman in Fairfield, Connecticut, history to be included on the list, which celebrates women founders who are shaping the future of business through innovation, leadership, and economic impact.

"I'm deeply honored to be recognized on this remarkable list," said Maggie Lord. "This achievement reflects not only the success of The Whisper Group but the strength of women founders here in Connecticut and beyond."

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.

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.

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.

"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."

Several honorees will be featured in Inc. magazine's Spring print issue, on newsstands March 17, 2026. To see the complete list of honorees, please visit: https://www.inc.com/female-founders/2026.

About The Whisper Group

The Whisper Group is an exit advisory firm dedicated exclusively to helping female founders build and exit valuable businesses. With less than 1% of acquisition-generated wealth going to women, Maggie and her co-founder, Carrie Kerpen are on a mission to close the exit gap and ensure women don't just build companies, they realize life-changing exits from them. Maggie brings firsthand experience to that mission. She previously founded and scaled Rustic Wedding Chic, ultimately leading a successful exit to David's Bridal in 2020. In addition, Maggie lends her expertise as an advisory board member to several innovative companies, including Something Borrowed Blooms, Dressit.ai, Style Girlfriend, Rock Paper Coin, Spennie, and Plannerd.

About Inc.

Inc. is the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of its community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating the future of business. Inc. is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow leading business publication Fast Company. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

Contacts

For media inquiries, please contact:

Maggie Lord

Phone: (203) 491-0331

Email: [email protected]

Media Contact

Maggie Lord, The Whisper Group, 1 (203) 491-0331, [email protected], http://www.wearethewhispergroup.com

SOURCE The Whisper Group