Women of all ages and aspirations crowded the second floor of the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on Tuesday January 26 at the inaugural “Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference.” Some drove in the pouring rain while others had flown in from across the nation as evidenced by their small carry ons dragging behind them. The sold-out conference started promptly at 8:45 with founder and CEO Adriana Gascoigne’s opening remarks, here is a small clip from her speech:
“ THIS CONFERENCE IS ABOUT INFLUENCING AND MOTIVATING, AND I AM TRULY INSPIRED BY EACH ONE OF YOU – WOMEN WHO HAVE SUCH VARIED ROLES IN THE INDUSTRY BUT ARE ALL PASSIONATE ABOUT TECHNOLOGY, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND BRINGING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF WOMEN IN THE FIELD TO THE FOREFRONT.”
The conference truly brought together a diverse group of very influential and inspiring women like keynote speaker, Heather Harde, CEO of Tech Crunch. Harde shared what she had learned during her years in the industry and working for startups. She made the audience laugh and think with unique questions like, “is the juice worth the squeeze?” Referring to weighing the rewards when taking risks. Some other advice she shared: always have options and authenticity matters.
Attendees had the chance to participate in a total of eight panels and one workshop with topics such as: “Branding and Marketing”, “VC Deals”, “The Art of Negotiation”, “Social and New Media”, “Coding and Developing”, “Social Gaming” and “Innovation in Business.” This being a tech conference, the room was equipped in style with free Girls in Tech wifi giving those who attended the conference to tweet live, spread the word, and join in on the live conversation going on in the twittersphere with the tag #gitcc.
After a lot of tweeting, blogging, talking, and sharing, each girl made their way down the street to the official Girls in Tech after party at Roe Lounge where they had the chance to catch up and network some more.
Overall the conference exceeded our expectations. A big thank you to everyone who helped put it together! To all the attendees-thanks for making it a SOLD-OUT event! We look forward to next year’s conference and continuing to inspire, motivate, and bring a voice to all girls in the tech industry around the world!
Want to know more about the conference? Want to know how you can get involved with Girls in Tech and our conference next year? Email us at info@girlsintech.net for more information!
January 28th, 2010 at 11:29 am
Thanks for the write-up, Natasha!
It was a very inspiring day, and I’m already looking forward to the next one.
January 28th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
Congrats Adriana, Cass and GIT for throwing such a great conference!…And I’m sure next year’s will be even bigger & better!
January 29th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
I had such a wonderful time at the conference! I left feeling inspired and excited about the launch of GIT Denver / Boulder. Our first meeting on Jan 27 was a huge success, and I was still buzzing with enthusiasm from my trip to SF. Thanks to all of you who gave me valuable insight on the launch!
January 29th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
Adriana and everyone who helped, thanks a bunch!!! We couldn’t make it, but it energized us all the way here in Athens! Hugzzzzz to all and a feat well-done!!
February 1st, 2010 at 10:27 pm
Thanks so much for all of your positive vibes and comments. It was really a wonderful day filled with amazing content, powerful women and great take-aways. Thanks to everyone for their phenomenal support. We’re changing the world one GIT at a time.
Hats off!