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\u2013 In the driver\u2019s seat.<\/strong> In the 117-year history of the mass-produced automobile, there\u2019s never been a car company both founded and led by a woman. Men\u2019s names\u2014Ford, Ferrari, Chrysler\u2014became the iconic brands that dominate the category.<\/p>\n Out on Long Island, Kristie D\u2019Ambrosio-Correll is building the first automotive business both founded and led by a female CEO. (Of course, it\u2019s not the first to be led<\/em> by a female CEO, with GM chief Mary Barra an icon of the auto industry.) D\u2019Ambrosio-Correll, 37, is the founder of Dacora, an ultra-luxury electric vehicle that will sell for between $500,000 and $650,000 starting in 2028. And it\u2019s named for her\u2014a shortened version of the last name she and her husband, Dacora\u2019s CTO Eric D\u2019Ambrosio-Correll, share.<\/p>\n In person, the car is striking. So far, there\u2019s one prototype which D\u2019Ambrosio-Correll recently had on display parked outside the Waverly Inn in Manhattan. It\u2019s 20 feet long<\/a>, and D\u2019Ambrosio-Correll describes the vision as \u201cAmerica\u2019s Rolls Royce.\u201d She grew up fascinated by cars and remembers asking her father what the American ultra-luxury automobile was\u2014and being disappointed there wasn\u2019t an equivalent. She pursued a path as a computer and electrical engineer\u2014and was the CTO of Mirror, the at-home fitness company that sold to Lululemon<\/a> for $500 million in 2020. The experience taught her about building a high-value product that\u2019s integrated into a customer\u2019s physical, everyday world.<\/p>\n Dacora is catering to an ultra-wealthy clientele, one that may not even be driving (or be driven in) an equivalent car today. The customer is often someone who has built or sold a company, whose work blends fully into their life, D\u2019Ambrosio-Correll says. The customer is eager for privacy and disconnection\u2014the car has no screens inside, beyond a disappearing navigation platform. The car is electric partly because that\u2019s the quietest engine. The buyer doesn\u2019t want voice control or other modern features. \u201cThey\u2019re not happy with what\u2019s on the market,\u201d she says. \u201cThey\u2019ve gone downmarket.\u201d<\/p>\n Dacora is not building its own power train, and is building the model on top of an existing EV platform. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of an old school model that used to be done back in the \u201920s and \u201930s,\u201d D\u2019Ambrosio-Correll explains. That helps this not to be a \u201cmoney pit\u201d of an endeavor, she says. The company also won\u2019t hold inventory, and will build vehicles commissioned for clients at a factory\/atelier in Hudson, New York. The CEO expects to turn a profit in Dacora\u2019s second year of production and expand to global markets\u2014especially the Middle East and Europe\u2014after that.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Dacora<\/p>\n<\/div>\n While the ultra-luxury automotive market may seem to be dominated by men, D\u2019Ambrosio-Correll is eager to build for a female clientele too. At 4-foot-9, she\u2019s well aware of the challenges that arise when cars are not designed for women. \u201cNot only are cars designed by companies that are led by men, they\u2019re marketed as if women only care about the safety of their families\u2014which, of course we do, but that\u2019s not the only thing we care about,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n D\u2019Ambrosio-Correll specifically sought out female investors to back her vision. Anu Duggal of Female Founders Fund invested when the idea was just a drawing on a sheet of paper, as one of her first forays into big-tech hardware. Jesse Draper\u2019s Halogen Ventures is a backer, too; many waitlisted clientele are angel investors.<\/p>\n D\u2019Ambrosio-Correll hopes that Dacora lasts as long as the world\u2019s most iconic auto brands. \u201cHopefully, this will be our family legacy for a long time,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n Emma Hinchliffe<\/em> The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is<\/em> Fortune\u2019s daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Today\u2019s edition was curated by Sara Braun. Subscribe here.<\/em><\/p>\n – Tragedy in Texas.<\/strong> Camp Mystic, the Texas girls\u2019 camp that lost at least 27 campers and counselors in devastating floods, has a storied history. Former campers say it\u2019s a special place rooted in tradition with notable alumni including former First Lady Laura Bush<\/a>.\u00a0NPR<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n – <\/strong>Epstein theory debunked. <\/b>The Department of Justice said on Monday that there is no evidence that Jeffrey Epstein had a \u201cclient list\u201d that referenced individuals he worked with to traffic and victimize young women and girls, or that he was murdered. The findings contradict Attorney General Pam Bondi\u2019s previous statements, in which she claimed that a client list was on her desk and would soon be revealed to the public. The Justice Department said it has no plans to share more documents on the matter. <\/span>CNN<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n – New gig. <\/b><\/strong>Carla Hayden, the former librarian of Congress abruptly fired by President Trump in his first days in office, was just appointed as a senior fellow to Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the largest philanthropic grant-maker in the United States. The organization has been working to fill gaps for communities that have lost arts programming as a result of federal cuts. Associated Press<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n – She dissents.<\/strong> In her third year on the bench, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has cemented herself as a voice of dissent on the court. Not only has she dissented from the court’s recent conservative majority rulings, she’s also disagreed with her fellow liberal justices and criticized the process of the court, citing reckless and rushed decisions.\u00a0Washington Post<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Amboy Street Ventures, a venture capital fund focused on sexual health and women’s health technology startups, appointed Janet Foutty<\/strong> as a strategic advisor to the firm. She formerly served as the CEO of Deloitte Consulting and executive chair of Deloitte U.S.<\/p>\n Dunmor, a residential loan direct lender, appointed <\/span>Zeenat Zonte <\/b>as the new executive vice president of their wholesale broker division. She most recently served as the VP correspondent channel manager at Newfi Wholesale.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Erin Grau <\/b>will stay on as managing director at Charter, the media and insights company she co-founded, after selling the company<\/a> to Michael Moritz and the San Francisco Standard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Geodis, a distribution and logistics company, appointed <\/span>Laura Ritchey<\/b> as president and CEO of the Americas region. She most recently was the CEO of Radial.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hamilton ETFs, an investment firm specializing in innovative exchange traded funds, announced the promotion of Jennifer Mersereau <\/b>to<\/span> co-CEO.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n New Relic, an AI-driven unified data platform, announced the appointment of <\/span>Lauren Nemeth <\/b>as chief revenue officer. She most recently served as the chief operating officer at Pinecone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Stonepeak, a private equity firm, appointed <\/span>Cindy Marrs<\/b> as a senior advisor. She most recently served as a partner and global head of wealth management at Wellington Management.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Global Finance & Technology Network, an organization specializing in leveraging technology to create inclusive financial systems, announced the appointment of <\/span>Queen M\u00e1xima of the Netherlands <\/b>as chair of the international advisory board.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Zartico, a visitor intelligence company for place-based industries, announced the appointment of <\/span>Sylvia Weiler<\/b> as chief revenue officer. She most recently was a consultant at A23 Advisors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With all eyes on them, a \u2018WAG\u2019 style emerges<\/b> New York Times<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n WNBA fandom is shifting to a more tribal, toxic atmosphere <\/b>Washington Post<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n What I learned from my mother and the U.S. Postal Service<\/b> The New Yorker<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n
emma<\/em>.hinchliffe<\/em>@fortune.com<\/em><\/p>\nALSO IN THE HEADLINES<\/h3>\n
MOVERS AND SHAKERS<\/h3>\n
ON MY RADAR<\/h3>\n
PARTING WORDS<\/h3>\n