Girls In Tech

A few weeks ago, Mashable put out an article on how to customize real life treats via the Internet. Among them: mix your own chocolate bar, smoke your own jerky, create your own pet-food, shoes, handbags, shirts. And the one that stuck out the most to me (other than the jerky): customize your own jewelry.

Say what?

Every girl likes diamonds right?

And boys (in many cases) are the ideal deliverers.

Thanks, pop culture. It’s because of you that I have this grossly generalized fantasy in my head:

Girl meets Boy.
Boy is smitten.
First date.
First kiss.
Move in.

“Dear Boyfriend,

When you propose, it will preferably be on a cruise to Costa Rica.

Think that’s too cliché? I’ll ask again when our mouths are full of lobster, and we’re riding a horse named Steve through the rainforest.

But most importantly, I would like you to present me with a 10 carat, princess-cut diamond in a platinum  setting . . . or was it a marquise in white gold with two emeralds on the side. Or maybe I . . .

On second thought. Don’t propose until I consult my jeweler to find out what the heck it is I want.

Love, your adoring, baby darling, shmoopie.” Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: bling, CAD cam, customize, designers, Developers, gemvara, jewelry, mashable
Posted in All Chapters, China | 1 Comment »

While Wall Street’s gambling has brought the world economy to its knees and venture capitalists continue to act like bankers, innovators need to muster more conviction than ever before. Strategy consultant, serial entrepreneur, and Forbes columnist Sramana Mitra bolsters innovators with courage, savvy, and a plethora of ways to transform innovation into market leading businesses in INNOVATION: NEED OF THE HOUR (Entrepreneur Journeys, Volume 4). In this fourth volume of the acclaimed Entrepreneur Journeys series, Mitra continues to give aspiring entrepreneurs the chance to learn from the world’s masters in the science and mechanics of entrepreneurship as they discuss such critical topics as idea validation, funding bottlenecks, and business model options.

From the increasing role universities should play in innovation to the barriers that entrepreneurs must continue to overcome, Mitra explains that creative problem solving is key in helping laboratory-centric, ivory tower innovation to reach the light of day—the marketplace. She continues her efforts to demystify entrepreneurship while gathering information through comprehensive case studies and benchmark anecdotes from some legendary innovators in fields ranging from cryptography to healthcare. Mitra  goes beyond technology to show how innovation eventually makes it to market  — how entrepreneurs can move continually forward.

The importance of innovation to the world’s economic sustainability cannot be underscored enough. Despite the current shortcomings and conflict in governments, banks, and venture capital, now is the time to take risks, champions Sramana Mitra.

About Sramana Mitra:

Sramana Mitra is a technology entrepreneur & strategy consultant in Silicon Valley. She has founded three companies, writes a business blog, Sramana Mitra on Strategy (www.sramanamitra.com), is a columnist for Forbes, and runs the 1M/1M initiative.  She is the author of the Entrepreneur Journeys books series, as well as Vision India 2020.

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As each birthday approaches one cannot help but reflect on the previous year’s triumphs and tragedies in search of understanding of this strange thing called the aging process.  For me that search began this week as I approached my 31^st birthday.  It has been a strange week.  I have had fitful sleep paired with the serenity of knowing that I have survived another year.  But what is in a birthday?  Why is this day unlike any other day and how can we do better next year? 

For me this has been an amazingly challenging year.  The survival of my father from Cancer, allowed me to once again forge out on my own and define what it was that I wanted out of my years or tortured education.  Have I figured it all out yet?  I’m working on it, but each year I get closer to acceptance of where I am and where I have come from.  Perhaps this post is a little self-indulgent, and not tech relevant, or perhaps it is merely a reflection of how many young (yes I know I’m pushing that one) people are feeling these days.  A strained economy and a changing socio-economic map have required a recalibration of wants and needs, and taken us, I hope to a more honest place.  A place where core values are revered, relationships are paramount, and balance is required for survival.  I don’t know if you ever get there, that is, after all the challenge: enjoying the journey and not the destination.  But wherever you are in your life or birthday cycle, know that sushi and retail therapy always help, there is nothing like the comfort and understanding of your family and friends, but most importantly, as they say in Sanskrit, Anicha: life is impermanent and ever changing.  I hope your journey is as terrifying and exciting as mine has been so far.

Laurel Kaufman, Esq.
www.ak-cg.com
laurelkaufman@girlsintech.net

Tags: attorney, Birthday, girls in tech, laurel kaufman, lawyer, older, wiser
Posted in All Chapters, All Chapters, Girls In Tech, Los Angeles | 1 Comment »

Are successful, high-growth women entrepreneurs any different from successful men entrepreneurs? Yes and no, says a new Kauffman Foundation study which shows findings that women are under-represented among business founders, especially in high-tech and other high-growth fields. The researchers say understanding gender differences and commonalities among successful entrepreneurs can assist in efforts to encourage female entrepreneurs and foster high-growth business creation towards the goal of economic growth.  Their study, “Are Women Entrepreneurs Different From Men?” “..provides insights into the few differences and many similarities between successful men and women entrepreneurs, including background, education, motivations for starting a business and beliefs about key success factors.”

Some of the key highlights of the report’s survey include:

• More than 50% of all respondents of both sexes cited these five reasons for becoming entrepreneurs: the desire to build wealth; the wish to capitalize on a business idea they had; the appeal of startup culture; a long-standing desire to own their own company; and lack of appeal of working for someone else.
• More than half of the women surveyed (56% but less than a third of the men (31%) were motivated to become entrepreneurs when a co-founder recruited them.
• In identifying challenges to entrepreneurial success, both sexes cited the time and effort required. Women were much more likely to view protecting intellectual property as a key challenge, while men were more than twice as likely as women to mention family or financial pressure to maintain a steady, traditional job.
• The life circumstances of the company founders surveyed were quite similar: At the time of starting their companies, entrepreneurs of both genders were, on average, in their early 40s; were married; and had one child living at home.

( (c) Kauffman Foundation)

Quite interesting findings!  (And, as we all know, the Silicon Valley may be slightly different than these nationally obtained averages.)  On inspiring women as high-growth entrepreneurs:  the study finds that professional networks, experience, and encouragement from like-minded successors and peers are all contributors to these women’s careers. 

To find out more, go to the Kauffman Foundation’s summary at: Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.org

Tags: entrepreneurs, Kauffman Foundation
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Getting a great deal feels good, but helping students in need feels even better. Online education charity DonorsChoose.org and Groupon, a nationwide daily deal site, are partnering Monday, May 24 to offer Groupon’s first-ever charity deal, allowing subscribers to double their donation dollars for individual classroom project requests submitted by public school teachers. This partnership will dedicate a total of $1 million to provide critical resources and supplies to public and charter school classrooms around the country, highlighting a new and unique method of engaging individuals in philanthropy.

Groupon, will be offering the DonorsChoose.org deal system-wide on Monday, and will then appear as a side deal for the rest of the week. The deal works like this: if you purchase $250 on Groupon, you’ll receive $500 credit to contribute to DonorsChoose.org, $100 for $200 and so on. Other levels listed will be:

• $100 credit sold for $50
• $50 credit sold for $25
• $20 credit sold for $10

 As with any DonorsChoose.org project, individuals will contribute the deal’s dollar amount to classroom projects of their choosing. Once a project is fully funded, DonorsChoose.org will purchase the requested materials and send them directly to the classroom.  All donors will receive photos of the project taking place, a thank-you letter from the teacher, and a cost report showing how each dollar was spent. Donors who fund more than $100 will also receive hand-written thank-you letters from the students.  What a great personal touch to make those donating feel the love! — We wish the program best of luck and encourage you to check them out ~

Posted in All Chapters, San Francisco | No Comments »

Ever wish you had enough money to consult the top experts – whether IT or otherwise – whenever you want, at the spur of the moment?  Today JustAnswer.com – a Q&A website connecting people to thousands of verified experts in several categories - is launching a new service that will give the internet savvy a chance to do just that!

The service will provide people with even more access to their own personal team of experts including thousands of verified Doctors, Lawyers, Mechanics, Veterinarians, Techs and more.  Some of their experts are very specialized, with knowledge of specialties such as Marine Mechanics or Injury Law.  JustAnswer believes that everyone should have access to Experts for a reasonable price; and has already helped millions of customers, in more than 145 countries around the globe!  Using their website is as easy as typing in your question, and getting an answer back within just a few minutes.  (When I logged on, there were a total of 297 experts online at that moment!)

The service saves money for those who need answers on more than a one-time basis, while providing peace of mind knowing that additional answers are available at no extra charge.  “We’re constantly listening to our customers for ways …we can improve and better their JustAnswer experience,” says Andy Kurtzig, CEO and Co-Founder.  Answers can be found at an “affordable, monthly cost.”  With the ways we are all being challenged to save and stretch the dollar in today’s economy, this can be a helpful boost.

For more information, or to join and start getting your answers, go to their website:  www.justanswer.com or Check them out on Twitter, here. Facebook, or their blog, here.

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If you think “Jane Found a Happy Brown Cow on Your Farm” is frustrating spam, think again. With over 6,000,000 members, the Facebook group, “I don’t care about your farm, or your fish, or your park, or your mafia!” Shows first-hand just how tired people are of a type social media spam. But maybe this isn’t the spam they should be worrying about! I was tipped off about the latest Facebook spam scam by a friend’s panicked e-mail:

“I thought I’d ask you because you’re quite tech-savvy and a social networking expert! I got a Facebook virus that showed up on my wall as though it were a wallpost by my friend. It read: “This is without a doubt the hottest video ever :p :p :p” and was followed by a link to a supposed video titled “Optical Illusion”. I thought my friend was playing a prank of some sort, so I clicked on the link. When it asked me to download something, I thought it seemed fishy and backed out without downloading. But the same message is being posted on some of my friends’ walls as though it’s from me. Unfortunately, I don’t even know which friends are receiving it, so I’ve been randomly checking people’s walls! I’m currently running a virus scan on my computer. I just wanted to give you a heads up so you don’t click on it too!”

My friend’s profile was one of 300,000 infected that day, but she has no plans of leaving Facebook anytime soon. As one of the leading social networking sites with over 400 million people worldwide and growing, it is almost impossible to leave Facebook. Trust me. I tried. I cancelled my Facebook on September 13, 2008 and ended up reactivating on January 5, 2010. Now with Facebook integrating its “like” buttons across thousands of websites, it is almost necessary to have an account. So how do we protect our computer from getting infected?

A new book, “How to Stop E-mail Spam, Spyware, Malware, Computer Viruses, and Hackers from Ruining Your Computer or Network: The Complete Guide for Your Home and Work,” by Bruce C. Brown teaches users how to combat the billion-dollar risk of incursive software infecting your home and work computers. It gives you a thorough understanding of what you are up against on the wild online frontier, as Brown teaches you why viruses and spam are prevalent on the Internet and delves into the mindset of the spammer, as well as the goals behind these attacks and ways to prevent them.

Protecting our computer from social media spam and computer viruses is one thing, but what about protecting our privacy? The new Facebook updates have many up in arms and threatening to leave Facebook. There is even a scheduled “Quit Facebook Day” on May 31, 2010. Though there is no full-proof answer yet, one thing I have done is checked my profile against www.reclaimprivacy.org.

How many of you were affected by the recent Facebook virus? And do any of you plan to participate in the great Facebook walkout on May 31? Why or why not? I am curious. Sound off below!

Posted in Silicon Valley | 1 Comment »

In an article by Roxanne Varza, Girls in Tech has been spotlighted in TechCrunch, Europe as we get ready to launch our Paris, France Chapter.  As Varza puts it,”In France, the spotlight perhaps doesn’t get any brighter than that of the Minister of Digital Economy, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet.   Kosciusko-Morizet is presently tasked with the responsibility for Forward Planning, Assessment of Public Policies and Development of the Digital Economy of the French government.  She is only one of the many female role models for women in technology in France.  So it’s hardly surprising that numerous groups are popping up to support and encourage women in entrepreneurship, innovation and technology – including Silicon Valley-based Girls in Tech…”

The article goes on to point out that what started as our founder, Adriana Gascoigne’s vision of encouraging the advancement and entrepreneurship of women and their innovative contributions to technology has grown to a current membership of 7,000 women. With several chapters abroad now, including in the UAE, India, and China, the Paris chapter becomes the second European chapter after Greece. Girls in Tech has now truly become a global movement.  (Not to mention, 3 local chapter celebrated with launch activities in as many weeks, including Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, and Minneapolis, Minnesota.)  Now that’s a steady pace of growth…

Proud to count Paris as a new European chapter, we are also humbled to know that France is no stranger to a women-in-technology initiative.  They formerly have launched chapters of Girl Geek Dinners and Girlz in Web, a community for women in the web space, among others.  Moreover, Girls in Tech Paris also wants to stress that they are not a “No boys allowed” organization (like its sister chapters, elsewhere).  They, in fact, encourage male participation; and as Roxanne states of their upcoming launch event:  “this is pretty much the opposite of a girls-only event to talk about fashion and babies; the idea is to unite the crème de la crème of local women in tech to highlight their achievements, experiences and thoughts on today’s trends.”

The Paris chapter launch is set to highlight three well-known women entrepreneurs:

• Amélie Faure, serial entrepreneur at: Bonitasoft, Augure and QuelleEnergie
• Eliane Fiolet, the San Francisco-based founder of Ubergizmo, and
• Céline Lazorthes, the founder of French start-up Leetchi
  

The event is currently already sold out.  (Pretty great for their first event!) However, with generous support from local sponsors like Microsoft Bizspark and Spotify, more tickets may become available soon.  The Paris chapter will be headed up by Varza and Mounia Rkha.   We look forward to hearing more about the evening; and will look forward to a post-launch write-up, as well.  Félicitations, dames!  et Bonne chance!

(credits to Roxanne Varza/TechCrunch EU)

Tags: Amélie Faure, Céline Lazorthes, Eliane Fiolet, entrepreneurs, girls in tech, TechCrunch
Posted in All Chapters, Paris, San Francisco | No Comments »

The 9-5 grind is gone. How we work, who we work for, and when we do it are more flexible, but also more complicated. That’s why two freelancers from Santa Cruz, Shane Pearlman and Margaret Rosas put together the first Freelance Camp back in 2008.

Their mission: help independent consulting professionals be in business for themselves, not by themselves.

Freelance Camp’s one-day un-conferences, organized independently and run from the barcamp.org playbook have taken place on three continents for three years and now San Francisco’s own Freelance Camp will take place on June 5th at the NextSpace Coworking San Francisco, 28 2nd Street, 3rd Floor.

Tickets are available on Eventbrite http://freelancecamppro2010sf.eventbrite.com/.

Run by a local team of volunteers, and always organized for the benefit of the local freelancing community and not for profit, all proceeds (net of expenses) are donated to the organizer’s nonprofit of choice. So far, all the events have included breakfast, a working lunch and an after party.

Freelance Camp takes a wide view on who exactly a freelancer is: if you’re a developer, designer, blogger or bookkeeper, great.  Same story if you work as a Realtor, lawyer, carpenter, engineer, or inventor.

Due to popular demand, the organizers of Freelance Camp San Francisco 2010 have created a new sub-brand, Freelance Camp PRO. This “unconference” will target attendees who have been running a freelance business full time for a year or more. The event will be smaller (+/- 100), topics more advanced, and participation is expected to be at a higher level than the past camps.

The morning will kick off with coffee and pastries (yum), and a brainstorm of desired topics. Participants with something to contribute or a specific topic idea generate the breakout sessions which are then scheduled throughout the rest of the day. Freelance Camp PRO will culminate with an after party to further the networking and knowledge exchange in a casual, social setting.

Throughout the event, Freelance Camp PRO will share live tweets (@freelancecampsf and #freelancecamp) and updates to the Wiki page, so the fun and learning can be followed outside of the space.

Tags: community, coworking, freelance, NextSpace, San Francisco, unconference
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Attensity360’s IdolStats.com monitored millions of conversations to choose Casey James as this week’s American Idol cast off and if the current social media buzz is correct, we may have a winner in the underdog this season as Lee currently has a HUGE percentage of the American Idol conversation happening now.

Idolstats uses the Attensity360 social media monitoring and analytics product to track the power of social media conversations to predict which contestant will be voted off each week. Millions of tweets, comments and social media conversations about American Idol are analyzed in order to gauge American sentiment toward contestants.

In addition to predicting a cast off each week, the team at IdolStats has also been reading the tea leaves on how heart-throb status , fan-dialing and the judges opinions contribute to who will actually come out on top.

Fans can view the real-time data at IdolStats.com throughout the week to find out America’s uncensored opinion and tweet their own predictions based on updates and new data. Fans can visit the Idol Stats blog, http://blog.idolstats.com and follow the Twitter hashtag #IdolStats to keep updated on IdolStats.com and the community.

Success in selecting the American Idol cast off comes on the heels of Attensity Group’s acquisition of Biz360 enabling them to now offer the industry’s most powerful and easy-to-use analysis, delivery and response capabilities, enabling businesses to effectively listen, analyze, relate, and act on information, both inside and outside of the firewall.

Tags: american idol, attensity, attensity group, biz360, casey james, idol, lee dewyze, social media, social web, twitter
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