Girls In Tech

Men and women can be great allies.
80% of dads want more time with the kids.
Moms with jobs are healthier and less likely to have depression.
Children turn out equally well whether their mothers work or not.
Research shows that more sharing (housework+breadwinning) equals less divorce.

These well-hidden facts were brought into the spotlight at this week’s Girls in Tech AuthorChat featuring Sharon Meers, co-author of GETTING TO 50/50: How Working Couples Can Have It All by Sharing It All.

Getting to 50 50 highlights the findings that came out of hundreds of interviews with parents and employers, thousands of surveys of working moms, and the latest government and social science research.  That Sharon Meers, a former managing director at Goldman Sachs, and Joanna Strober, a managing director at a private equity firm are the co-authors of a book on work/life balance makes this book even more striking.  But perhaps that’s what gives the book its authenticity.  If an MD at Goldman can do it, and is willing to share what the keys to success are, certainly we can too??  Below are a mix of interesting facts and strategies that I took away from the event.

1. Men and women both want change.
2. Traditional gender roles are not what’s best for kids, parents or marriages.
3. What moms think drives much of what dads do.  (Women who can “let go” and enable their partners will have partners that are more willing to share the house/child-rearing work)
4. Helping men be active fathers significantly improves outcomes for kids.
5. Bartering beats nagging (Parents should make a master plan to split up the work)
6. Know it’s not 50 50 everyday.
7. Negotiate and build a business case with employers if you require flexibility.
8. Companies get to retain top female talent and moms can keep good jobs they worked hard to get.
9. Working moms find time for kids – it needs to be possible for working dads as well.
10. Marriage is stronger when men are full parents and moms can keep good jobs.

A big thanks to Adaptive Path for co-hosting the event with Girls in Tech.  And thanks to Sharon Meers and Joanna Strober for giving us the tools and insights to bring balance and harmony back into our busy-hurry world.  To learn more about the book and see media clips from The Today Show, go to www.gettingto5050.com.

Tags: Adaptive Path, Getting to 50 50, Joanna Strober, Sharon Meers, Tina Tran
Posted in All Chapters, San Francisco | No Comments »

While the advantages of networking are obvious, it always seems to be a difficult task for me. I envy those who are naturally great at it. As outgoing as I am, I still get scared going to networking events alone. The awkwardness of going up to a stranger, trying to start a conversation and then keep the conversation naturally flowing and interesting is a lot of pressure. The worst part is ending the conversation and figuring out how to make your exit.

I know I’m not the only one who feels this way and that’s why Girls In Tech has decided to put a new twist on traditional networking with “speed networking.” We’ve come up with a unique format to not only make meeting people easier but also increase the number of people you meet.

So what’s different? I won’t give away all the secrets, but here’s the gist. We’re going to pair people up. You’ll have three minutes to get acquainted. During this time you can swap business cards and jot down notes about each other. You can speak about anything you want, but after three minutes, it’s on to the next. If three minutes isn’t enough, there will be plenty of time afterwards for more networking.

Sound like fun? Join Girls In Tech on Tuesday, June 9 for their first speed networking event at the YouNoodle office in San Francisco. You must pre-register for this event, so we can have an accurate count. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the event will start promptly at 6:45 p.m. Be sure to bring lots of business cards!

Tags: "Lucia Giacomantonio", networking, speed networking, YouNoodle
Posted in Events, San Francisco | No Comments »

Hello everyone,

It’s great to have come on board here in Athens. I am excited to join the GIT blogging community as well. Just a heads up: I come to you with a background in International Relations and Education; so, I tend to look at the social impacts of technology on societies. Nonetheless, that is quite appropriate here in Athens as technology and computer usage in schools is about ten years behind the US. Additionally, I have an interesting spin on improving the learning process in education. Ultimately, I believe that learning could be advanced through the incorporation of advertising and marketing techniques as pointed out in my first blog entry below.

Balancing Social Marketing Techniques and Education
School leaders often espouse their desires to become 21st Century learning centers; however, given the rigid infrastructures that have existed in education for more than a century, overcoming the past is often more difficult to achieve than they imagined. One way to circumvent this engrained tradition is to use the rapidly morphing avenues of social networking that are at hand—primarily meeting places like Facebook, MySpace and Hi5. However, the key to successfully marketing education in those forums is balance, balance, balance—particularly of content.

Unfortunately, the field of education is chock-full of content, content, content. Therein lies much of the problem with creating “educational” scaffolding tools that are designed for modernity and not tradition. In developing learning content, educators often maintain the same sterile “keep-safe” mindset, resulting in traditional education simply being repackaged instead of redesigned.
As a middle and high school educator, I decided to use some of the same techniques for teaching that are employed when designing an effective social marketing initiative. I have shared them below.
21st Century Teaching Initiative:

1. Meet your clients (students) where they socialize—here in Greece, it’s Facebook. Facebook allows for postings to be presented in a laid-back setting. It is a place where the clients are comfortable and connected.

2. Be interpersonal, humorous, entertaining and fun—relate to your clients, but avoid judging their posts too harshly. Let them know that you have a life too. Students can learn from normal and positive adult interaction, show them that you have friends too. The goal is to build a learning community without them having to trade their lifestyles to learn.

3. That said, combine business and classroom ethics. In essence, be professional and use common sense etiquette. You would not invite your students or business clients to your most personal aspects of life…so keep your profile just above the line and clean, but not so prudish that you fail to achieve your goal of successfully marketing educational content.

4. Provide quality content. There are very good content-driven videos from sites like TED, BNET, Howstuffworks, and of course YouTube. But, Balance, balance, balance! After almost 20 years in education, I can truly say that part of the problem with many of our schools’ teaching practices is that we educators are in content-overdrive!

5. And finally, take from the marketing principles of the recent past. Remember that marketing is often about the experience. So make sure your students can have a great and memorable experience around the content that you provide…it will make the technological shift in branding education much easier.

Thus, in moving towards the creation of 21st Century classrooms and schools, think of social marketing, balancing content, the experience and learning; because, to effectively move the next generation forward in education, our focus as women, mothers, and educators should be on the end receiver—the student—not the institutions.

Tags: Athens, balance, content, education, GIT, Greece, learning, social marketing
Posted in Athens Greece | 1 Comment »

Internet today brings all corners of the world to your fingertips. Learn what Susie Q is doing in New York City via her Twitter account – or what Barack Obama’s travel agenda is the first week in May. How are we able to parse through such a labyrinth and volume of information to get to the heart of good and solid information we seek? This is how I do so in three easy steps:

1. Outsource.
a. Register for daily updates via Google using Google Alerts on any topic you’re seeking to become more knowledgeable.
b. Follow the Leader: Identify industry or topic experts and connect with them: on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and their blogs.  Ask them questions – they are responsive – trust me. If they’re not, you have nothing to lose.

2. Network.
a. Use the internet via social and professional websites to seek out industry conferences and events. Attend them!
b. Seek out academics in the area – go to university websites and search by department.  Academics are a good resource for interesting insight and know of great resources, groups and materials you can reference.  In summary: Look up academic leaders on university websites, email them and ask them your questions.

3. Have Conviction.
a. Take on a do-it-yourself attitude. The more interest and passion you exhibit, the more successful you will become at (1) and (2) above.
b. Learn it, Act upon it. Use the information and share it with your friends, colleagues and connections via your personal and professional blog, website, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. The more you let your interest be known, the more interesting and/or important information will come back to you.

While conducting a google search is always a good fallback plan, the more I’ve employed the above three steps to work for me, the better off I find my information and position to become an authority on those topics. The internet today isn’t just a sea of information – it’s a wealth of it. Make it work for you!

Tags: be informed, Dallas, good use for twitter, Google, google alerts, informed, mass of information, networking, organizing information, social media, social networking, stay informed, using social networking, well informed
Posted in Dallas | No Comments »

Tina Seelig, executive director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, kicked off this weekend’s inspirational  “I don’t know to CEO” event by declaring that innovation is all about turning problems into opportunities, and that entrepreneurship is an extreme sport that’s all about getting out there and doing it.  Tina teaches the popular “Innovation and Creation” class at Stanford and she encouraged conference attendees to adopt the following principles to drive innovation:

1. Use your gut instead of your head
2. Be willing to experiment
3. Leverage limited resources to fuel your creativity (i.e. necessity is the mother of invention)

Sue Gardner, executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, gave the keynote address and her message was about finding success by being true to who you are, i.e. “being the best possible version of yourself,  and making decisions everyday that will lead you to where you want to be.”

The Inspiration workshop following the keynote featured founders of four early stage start-ups, in addition to the CMO of Mint.com – Donna Wells, and the founder of Meebo – Elaine Wherry.  The panelists were in resounding agreement about the path to forging a start-up – Start something, do something, and go from there.  Specifically, they emphasized the importance of meeting with partners on a weekly basis to brainstorm and build upon innovative ideas from which a start-up could be created.  The panelists gave the following advice to aspiring entrepreneurs:

1. Observe pain and solve it
2. Have the resolve to follow what you know to be true
3. Build a strong business that will endure and adapt (challenges can be a blessing)
4. Brick walls are for other people (the resilient entrepreneur will blast through the walls)
5. Focus on simplicity — try not to be all things to all people

Next up, the Instruction workshop gave broad advice about how to build a successful and rewarding career.  Mara Brazer, founder of Brazer Communications, gained everyone’s attention when she announced “Everything I ever fantasized about in life came true.”  Inspiring words indeed.  The panelists gave the following guidance for achieving your dreams:

1. Do what you enjoy, do a great job, and the money will follow
2. Have a long-range perspective when it comes to your career
3. Be resourceful, have an open mind, and know that it takes a lot of hard work to get to your dream job/life

Finally, the power panel of the day, titled “View From the Top: Changing the Face of Technology” emphasized the importance of persistence and adaptability — key elements that require resolve and the ability to tune into the feedback loop of how users and the market react to a product.  Jawed Karim, co-founder of YouTube, encouraged entrepreneurs to watch trends to identify opportunities in the market, while Ellen Siminoff – part of the founding executive team at Yahoo and currently the CEO of Shmoop, noted that “New companies are formed from the mistakes of existing companies.”  Jessica Steel – VP of Business Development at Pandora confirmed Ellen’s point by stating that the opportunity for Pandora came out of the mistakes (too many radio commercials) of media giant Clear Channel.  As a singer-songwriter with one released album and another on the way, Jessica Steel (aka Jessica Stone) also seemed to embody the advice that I heard repeatedly at the event, “Do what you love and the money will follow.”

A big fat thanks to the Stanford Women in Business group for putting on such an inspirational and educational event!  And thanks to the AMAZING speakers and panelists for sharing your experiences with us!

If you attended the event or have more to add, I’d love to hear from you — please post a comment.

Tags: Donna Wells, Elaine Wherry, Ellen Siminoff, friendfeed, I Don't Know to CEO, Jawed Karim, Jessica Steel, Jessica Stone, Mara Brazer, Meebo, Mint.com, Pandora, Shmoop, Stanford, Stanford Technology Ventures Program, Stanford Women In Business, Sue Gardner, SWIB, Tina Seelig, Tina Tran, Wikimedia, Youniversity Ventures, youtube
Posted in All Chapters, San Francisco | No Comments »

This month’s TechCrunch UK event sparked a fierce debate about women in technology that has continued to spread through online and offline channels as men and women alike discuss the past, present and future of women in technology, and address certain barriers or perceived problems with what is undeniably a dearth of women in the field.

As we launched the Boston chapter of Girls in Tech, we had just this debate within our own team. Do we discuss the lack of and decline of women in technology and address gender biases and perceived skill-set issues? Do we argue that there are limitations placed on women in technology that should be broken down? Or do we stand as proof that there ARE wonderfully talented women in technology, that the barriers are simply ours to break down or dispel, and that women are just as armed for success in this industry as anyone else?

This is a tough call, tougher I think than many imagine. By continuing a line of argument that is founded in calling out reasons that women are not as plentiful in the technology field, what are we saying? That male dominated offices intimidate or discourage women from getting involved? That, as Cate Sevilla of BitchBuzz argues, women are sick of male-dominated networking events, scantily clad girls on tech magazine covers and equally as scantily clad women working booths on trade show floors, so they simply choose not to get involved in the field?? That women are discriminated against, underpaid, held back from promotions or even not hired when a comparable man is available for the job?

Are these reasons, or excuses?

Alternatively, do we argue that women who want to be in technology and enjoy that kind of work ARE in the field? Do we showcase their talents, applaud their achievements and call out their expertise as proof that if so desired, women can be just as successful as men in technology? Do we use positive reinforcement to set examples for other women that technology can be a rewarding field with many advantages, get involved in community events to encourage young women to study math and science, foster the inner geek in our daughters when they want a lego set rather than a barbie, and recognize that barriers exist in many professions, it is more productive to address affecting change on a personal level and within our own organizations than to bitch about skimpy outfits at trade shows and offices with a predominance of male peers?

There have been excellent arguments made on both sides, and I do believe somewhere in the middle we’ll find the answer, and that a certain recognition and acknowledgment of existing problems is necessary. But I also think that this should be a quick initial first step in a larger program to promote the great work of many women in technology. Education about exciting careers in technology and great examples from women who are leaders in this field is the best way to grow our numbers, not continued complaining about why our numbers are low. Many women feel that they have suffered in a male-dominated workplace, so it is not with an aim toward dismissing those sentiments that I make this call, but rather to acknowledge that the key to a solution lies not in continuing to harp on those experiences, but to look toward constructive steps we can take to affect change.

It’s time we take responsibility for the growth of women in technology, and not continue to look for someone to blame instead.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Why shouldn’t there be more women in technology? (guardian.co.uk)

Tags: Boston, TechCrunch, technology, women, women in technology
Posted in Boston | No Comments »

I wasn’t expecting to craft this blog entry until after my first official day at my new job, however, I felt so compelled to highlight an immensely positive experience in how I was approached and recruited for the job that I had just had to put fingers to keyboard and type away.

About three months ago a lady by the name of Natasha Avery contacted me via LinkedIn and as a friend or colleague would do, diplomatically presented a job opening for a VP of digital marketing position. She went into detail about what the position entailed without wasting my time while being very sensitive toward my current job situation (which at the time, I was working for hi5, a social networking company), she underscored that she was in search of the perfect candidate, whether it was me or someone I could recommend from my network. She did her due diligence – she knew all about my background, work experience, my personal blog and even Girls in Tech. I was very impressed. 

After our initial “meet and greet” conversation, Natasha followed up with a very gracious email and that was followed by our second phone call. During the second call, she provided more detailed insights to the VP digital marketing position available – the responsibilities, day-to-day tasks, the clientele that I’d be working with and most importantly, more color into the company culture and overall brand. Again, very impressed by Natasha’s comprehensive knowledge about the position and information about each and every client that I would potentially represent, along with certain campaigns and milestones that the team had produced for their clients to-date. 

Later the next week Natasha sent me another follow-up email to see if the position still piqued my interest (even though, at this point, I was still really happy with my position at hi5, I said yes). After hearing this, she set out to make sure that she scheduled in a meeting between myself and the President of the Digital division during a trip to Austin for SxSW. Not only did we end up meeting, they invited me to an exclusive “Digerati” dinner with some top-notch tech players, brand marketers and entrepreneurs. I had a total blast, and that event showed me that this company definitely has “personality,” likes to have fun and thrives on a work-life balance.

After a week or two of silence, i.e. mulling things over (because I was still happy at my job at hi5), Natasha contacted me again and asked me if I wanted to meet with two representatives of the Digital group that were in town from Seattle and Los Angeles and the GM, who had just recently relocated to San Francisco. I agreed to a meeting. Even though she is located in Seattle, Natasha, made sure that there was a folder waiting for me at the front desk with all of the necessary information about the company and the position in a very welcoming and friendly format. The meeting that was initially going to last about one hour, ended up lasting over three hours (because the conversations were so enjoyable). You guessed it – I was once again, totally impressed.

As I started weighing my options, Natasha mentioned that she was going to be flying into San Francisco that week and asked if we could meet up in person. Wondering who this mysterious, yet amazing recruiter was, I of course, agreed to a meeting. When I arrived at the restaurant, we greeted as if we were long lost friends. She had an extremely friendly demeanor (as most people from Seattle do). We sat down, grabbed a drink and actually began chatting mostly about our personal lives, laughing, telling jokes – up until the end of our second hour, in which she handed me an offer letter.

In my 10 years as a marketing professional, I have never been approached, recruited or contacted in such a diplomatic manner. Natasha is one of the reasons why I decided to accept the position at this company and one reason that we will continue to be personal friends. 

Things that recruiters should learn from Natasha are:

1. Don’t waste people’s time, do your DUE DILIGENCE
2. Build RELATIONSHIPS
3. Use SOCIAL NETWORKING tools (i.e. LinkedIn, Facebook) to find the perfect candidate to fill your position
4. Be PATIENT. You’re not going to find the perfect candidate over night
5. It’s all in the DETAILS. Investing time in your candidates (communication, email, collateral materials) provides a very welcoming environment and will most likely lead to success for a recruiter
6. Go ABOVE and BEYOND. Finding the perfect candidate is not easy. If you make an effort, like flying in from another city to meet your candidate and hand them an offer letter, that is impressive and will leave a lasting impact on your candidate
7. NEGOTIATE. Allow room for negotiation. The candidate you’re looking for, will negotiate
8. NEVER GET A SECOND CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION. Recruiters are essentially an extension of a company’s brand. Impressing future candidates is important
9. No BS. Recruiters are infamous for holding tons of meetings with candidates that result in little or no traction from the employers that they are representing. Be forthright, honest and upfront with candidates  
10. GET WHAT YOU WANT. If you find the perfect candidate, do what it takes to get them in the door!

Tags: Adriana Gascoigne, Digital Marketing, Edelman, Employee, girls in tech, Natasha Avery, Recruitment, San Francisco, technology, women in tech
Posted in San Francisco | No Comments »

Over a month after the blur that is SXSW, the Austin chapter is ready to kick things back into gear.

I’m proud to report that in just three short months, the chapter has grown to 101 members. Clearly, there is a want for this type of organization. Surprisingly, one of the largest asks by members is the need for more technical related content. From design work in Photoshop to coding in php, members are eager to learn more.

Interesting to note, I stumbled upon these stats from the National Center for Women and Information Technology.

• The latest Taulbee Survey showed that the number of women pursuing computer science degrees, is under 12% compared to 88% of males pursuing computer science degrees. 
• In U.S. high schools, only 15 percent of students who took the advanced placement (AP) tests in computer science in 2006 were girls. This is far lower than in physics, biology, and calculus. In fact, it is the lowest representation of girls taking any AP exam.
• In 1984, women earned 37 percent of computer science bachelor’s degrees in the U.S. By 2006, this share had dropped to only 19 percent. At major research universities, this proportion is even smaller, only 14 percent. These numbers stand in stark contrast to the overall field of science and engineering, where women earn nearly half of all degrees.
• In the U.S. workplace, women hold more than half of all professional jobs, but fewer than 22 percent of software engineers are women. 
• Fewer than 5 percent of chief technical officers at the Fortune 500 technology companies are women. Only 13 percent of these companies have women corporate officers at all.
  

Source: National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT); Scorecard 2007.

Educating other GiT members as well as other women in the community is a major focus we will have for the upcoming year. Our proximity to the University of Texas makes this a natural fit.

We’re hoping to solidify additional meet-ups, speakers and events for the next couple of months. But, need the community’s help. If you’re interested, please let us know!

We will be hosting another happy hour event on May 13 at 6:30 pm CT at VinoVino.

Posted in Austin, Girls In Tech | No Comments »

The sleek,  spacious offices of Mohr Davidow Ventures in leafy Menlo Park was the site of this week’s Girls in Tech event, “Meet the Thought Leaders of the Venture Capital Community”.   The ladies of MDV, Rowan Chapman (Life Sciences),  Katherine Barr (IT) and Marianne Wu (CleanTech) shared their personal experiences and insights as they gave us a peak into the world of venture capital.  I’ve captured their advice for entrepreneurs below.

The panelists analyze four main categories when looking at new companies to add to their portfolio:
1.  Market Risk (Is it a big market? Is the right timing?)
2.  Financial Risk (How much money is required to get the company to the next stage? How much total capital is required?)
3.  Technology Risk (How difficult is it to develop?)
4.  People Risk (Why this entrepreneur? What makes them special?)

The panelists advised entrepreneurs against making these common mistakes:
1.  Don’t come across as arrogant (arrogance works for some but not for most)
2.  Don’t duck questions or come ill-prepared to answer questions.
3.  Don’t assume the VC knows your space as well as you do. Raise the level of understanding so that your value prop is easily understood by non-subject matter experts.
4.  Don’t include an exit slide. Concentrate on how you are going to build a great company, not on how you plan to cash out.
5.  Don’t exaggerate.  VCs normally spend 1-3 months doing due diligence before investing. They’ll know if you exaggerate, and you’ll lose credibility.

Our panelists emphasized following these tips for success:
1. Think big or go home. VCs are looking for visionary entrepreneurs who will change the market landscape.
2. Get a warm introduction to the VC  — It’s all about relationships!
3. A 20-page slide deck is much preferred to a 50-page business plan.
4. Capture interest in the first 5-10 minutes. You may have an hour to present, but the first 5-10 minutes are the most important.

A big thank you to the phenomenal ladies of MDV for generously sharing their time, experiences, and advice with us!

If there’s anything I’ve left out of this post that you think is important to add, I welcome your comments.

Tags: entrepreneur, Katherine Barr, Marianne Wu, MDV, Mohr Davidow Ventures, Rowan Chapman, thought leaders, Tina Tran, VC, venture capital
Posted in All Chapters, San Francisco | No Comments »

Andrea Calvaruso leading the IP panel

While most of Manhattan was holed up at home Monday evening (April 20th), hiding from the rain, 50 or so brave, entrepreneurially-minded souls risked the elements (and their shoes!) and made the trek to the Roger Smith Hotel.

There, they joined Girls in Tech NYC and NextWeb for a joint panels and cocktails event to help kick off NYC Entrepreneur Week (aka NYCENT). After allowing for some networking time, Oz Sultan (NextWeb) got the panel discussions started, moderating a panel on general Entrepreneurship topics. The panel consisted of Calvin Chu (Columbia University), Rachel Sklar (Charitini.com), Lindsey Pollak (author and speaker) and Ameeda Chowdhury (Snazl.com).

Highlights of the panel–which spanned everything from personal motivations, to user trends, to presenting oneself to potential investors–included:

• There is no single way to take the leap. Some jump in with both feet, others gradually edge away from their ‘day jobs.’
• Not having a plan B can be crazy and scary, but also a powerful motivator to succeed.
• If you sincerely want to follow your passion, do it now.
• Sites and tools are no longer the hubs; users are.
• Nobody wants to read long business plans, and they won’t believe your numbers any more than you do.
• Network, network, network…and make sure the giving flows both ways.

After a brief networking break, the Intellectual Property panel began. Moderated by Andrea Calvaruso (Donovan Calvaruso & Yee LLP), the panel included Jonathan Vanasco (FindMeOn.com and ArtWeLove.com), Jonathan Lutzky (MasurLaw), Brenda Pomerance (Law Office of Brenda Pomerance, Esq.), and Peter Fields (Roberts Ritholz Levy Sanders Chidekel & Fields LLP).

Discussion included IP fundamentals, personal experiences, case examples, and critical best practices. The panel also offered insight into the differing perspectives of entrepreneurs and attorneys when confronting IP issues and associated costs. Among the highlights:

• Patents are very expensive to enforce. If you aren’t making $50 million a year, you probably aren’t worth suing. When you cross that threshold, however, the game changes.
• How will your idea be used in 10 years? What are the possible applications of it? Think about this before you file.
• Balance cost with safety…there is some legwork you can do on your own, but get proper legal counsel before making final IP decisions or attempting to file applications and registrations yourself.
• Know your rights and obligations from the start.
• Never sign a contract under your own name. Form an entity.
• If you can’t afford an attorney to formalize a new partnership, at least write and sign a letter of intent.
• You always want a non-disclosure agreement, and will rarely get one. Know who you are talking to and how they are known to handle the ideas and knowledge brought to them.
• Be good to your attorneys. They will be good to you.

Audience questions and discussion were enthusiastic, and ran right up to the end!

Girls in Tech NYC thanks everyone who ventured out to join us, Oz and Brett Petersel of NextWeb, Gary Whitehall and Richie Hecker of NYCENT, the Roger Smith Hotel, and most of all, our panelists who made this an engaging and thought-provoking event!

Tags: Amy Cham, entrepreneurship, Events, intellectual property, panels
Posted in New York | 2 Comments »