Girls In Tech

Booz & Company has put out its annual report on Technology Industry trends that they see for the upcoming year.  We wanted to share these with you; and direct you to this very insightful article.

The letter begins:

“We offer you this look back at 2011, a glimpse into what we believe will be the major trends in the technology industry in 2012 and beyond, and an overview of the capabilities needed to succeed as those trends gather speed in the years ahead.

Past Is Prologue

The technology industry has long been characterized by change, but 2011 stands out as a year of shocks and surprises-and we expect more in 2012. Former industry leaders have been stumbling in the face of missed trends, while others have made enormous gains in creating new value. Asian players like Samsung, Huawei, and HTC are rising fast, even as service disasters humble several established providers. And many of the largest global companies have faced unprecedented leadership challenges.”

They go on to discuss, digitization, renewed large-scale M & A, and the urgency to build capabilities within corporations now — including deep customer insights and the effects of digitization on the ICT ecosystem, in general.   Further, they also touch on a topic which is very key today, as Congress, Secretary Clinton and others are mulling over and deciding on the future of our freedoms on the web.  Here is an excerpt:

“Effective governmental interaction: Finally, given how quickly digitization is taking place — not just in technology but in every industry — it is no surprise that governmental efforts to affect the process are gaining momentum. The Internet is a case in point: The possibility of stronger regulation of both privacy and copyright protection has the potential to affect how personal data is collected and content is created and distributed. And this in turn could have a serious impact on the Internet’s primary economic engine — paid advertising. Similarly, issues involving content, patents, and other forms of intellectual property are affecting not just how companies earn revenues but the M&A landscape as well; Google’s recent purchase of Motorola Mobility, as noted, is widely viewed as a move primarily to control the company’s many valuable mobile telephony patents. In light of such impacts, a final, crucial capability every technology company will need involves ensuring a clear understanding of the policy and legal environment in which it operates, and developing an effective voice for influencing the future course of that environment.”

The letter is a combined effort, posted by principal and partners: Alex Koster (Principal), Toshiya Imai, Dr. Pierre Peladeau, Matthew Le Merle, and Kenny Kurtzman.

To read the full letter by the partners, you may view it on their website, here.

(Quotes and photo courtesy of:  Booz & Company)

Tags: Booz & Company, Christine Oneto, digitization, innovation, technology, Trends
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It’s that favorite time of year when you get to vote for your favorite startups, entrepreneurs, apps and devices for the ever popular Crunchies!   But, did you ever stop to think where they got that cool, fine-crafted logo? Answer:  DESIGN about TOWN, the local design firm designing several other edgy logos seen on both tech and non-tech companies , as well as conferences such as FailCon and TC Disrupt.  The woman behind the company, Solana Crawford, is the powerhouse who started the firm which takes a unique approach to all design projects, big and small, that they undertake.

I caught up with Solana in her San Francisco office, recently, and I was quite interested to find out about her path that led her to such a place as her now award-winning company – a place far-removed from her native Argentina.  With over 17 years of experience in the print design and advertising fields, over 12 years in the web design and interactive world, she also has a strong background and focus in terms of Design Practice and Consulting.

Read all about her Start in the Field of Graphic/Web Design, all About DESIGN about TOWN, and On Giving Back in her Community.  All of this, as well as some more of those award-winning logos in this month’s Spotlight …

(And don’t forget to put in your Crunchies nomination by December 13th. :: Event takes place Tuesday, the 31st of January.)

Tags: Christine Oneto, Crunchies, design, DESIGN about TOWN, Disrupt, FailCon, Solana Crawford
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Which high-tech company do Americans feel has the brightest future: Apple, Facebook or Google?  According to Poll Position,  new polling data  finds that Apple tops Google and Facebook at 44 percent.

In a scientific national opinion poll, Apple won more votes than Google and Facebook, combined. Forty-four percent said Apple, 26% Google, 10% Facebook and 21% expressed no opinion.  More than half the young people, in the 18-29 year old category selected Apple as the high-tech company with the brightest future with 55.2% compared to Google’s 16.8% and Facebook’s 15.2%.

If you are interested in seeing a breakdown of survey participants by age, race, gender, and political affiliation, you may look in crosstabs for this poll at: http://media.pollposition.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/Poll-Position-crosstabs-hi-tech-companies.pdf.

Poll Position’s scientific survey of 1,066 registered voters, nationwide, was conducted October 30 of this year.  It  would be interesting to see how this poll would skew if given strictly the Bay Area/Silicon Valley population?  Or Austin, LA, New York, Boston or the UK, for that matter — Would we see Google, perhaps, pulling closer to the lead?
What do you think?  Which high-tech company do you feel has the brightest future?  You can vote in Poll Position’s online companion poll and comment at: http://pollposition.com/2011/11/01/apple-tops-google-facebook/.  [The online companion poll in which you can vote provides unscientific results, meaning it’s a tally of participating Poll Position users, not a nationally representative sampling.]

Learn more about Poll Position’s polling methodology at: http://pollposition.com/2011/09/26/our-polling-methodology/

Tags: apple, facebook, Google, high-tech, poll
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On Monday, the annual entrepreneur-focused conference, FailCon, took place in San Francisco, to a near sold-out crowd.  I was fortunate enough to attend a couple of panels, and two workshops, one of which left me with a spark of an idea (check out a design firm) the other which shed light on a much-opined and passionate interest of mine (customer satisfaction and how to achieve it).  All  in all, it was one of the best spent afternoons I have had in my conference-going days – on both sides of the table.  (Trade show table, that is!)

Here are some key take aways for me, from the sessions I attended:

In Workshop with Solana Crawford of Design About Town:  “Expand Your Brand (Without Fail)” – Solana and her team are behind such familiar brands as TechCrunch Disrupt, VSP and yes, the FailCon logo!

* She leads with: There are 3 things that matter in choosing or determining what your design should be:   1) audience, 2) context,  and 3) content

* Branding is ultimately about communication … And, “the person on the other end!”

* Success in good brand design = a good user experience.  Including:

- Good execution (of your business plan)  – engagement  – image  – recognition (making a good impression)

* She kept coming back to something that is reminiscent of Dieter Rams’ work:  Keep it simple! –  Also, be clear about what makes you different from your competitors.

* She emphasized creating a “system” — using color, this could be a common thread that goes throughout all your assets: your website, twitter presence, your blog, and all print collateral.

* She listed 3 main steps to always include in your brand design planning:

1) Engagement:  Tell a story; create a personality; build trust; and inspire to take action

2) Consistency: Use a consistent voice and message; and again, be consistent with color schemes

3) Recognition: Show good design; have a good promotional strategy.

In his workshop: “Show Your Customers You Care” – Evan Hamilton of UserVoice  had these points to make:

* There are 3 options for gaining & sustaining users for your app/site:  1) Make it cheap to acquire; 2) Make more money off initial transaction; and 3) Make customers stick around longer to pay more in the long run. — Of these #3, he suggests, is the easiest.

* Always tell (broadcast, really) your customers what you’re doing to improve your site — while you’re doing it — this will increase their likelihood of sticking around, rather than leaving for a competitor.

* Some solutions to retaining customers and making sure they are happy?

1.  Transparency:  Tell people about how you’re needing to improve, even if they don’t notice it.  “Uncovered issues can be ten times worse.”

2.  Show you Care:  Always post when, how, and where you are open to supporting them.  Make it really, really easy to find your contact info.

3.  Empathy:  Take time to understand.  (Especially for those who email in to complain/comment.)  Realize that: “People who demand things, love your product.”

4. Scaling Contact:  Set up automation, set up a forum, set up a ticket system.  Anything you can to get your customer contact streamlined and avoid potentially ignoring customers.

Joe Gebbia - airbnb

From Joe Gebbia, Airbnb co-founder in his case study keynote: “How We Survived the Trough of Sorrow”:

* One notable point he led off with was:  “A spectacular failure is always better than a mediocre success!” also:

* “Fail faster, so you can succeed sooner.” — (He borrowed this quote, but believes it to be true.)

*  After telling the story of their very popular ‘Obama O’s’ & ‘Cap’n McCain’ cereals:  Joe’s point was that – You have to be willing to do whatever you need to in order to stick to your idea.  And that even if you’re not doing your business plan exactly the way you set out to, this did, for example, attract the attention of investors, (in their case Y Combinator).  (after their ‘trough of sorrow’ lasting 18 months)

* Lastly, he emphasized:  Solve your own problem and that way you will stick with it, because you believe in it.

Then, there was the panel:  “The Failure of Business Models” moderated by Adriana Gardella of the New York Times. — But, that is a subject for another day’s post!  Thanks to Cass Phillipps for putting on such a wonderful,  information-rich event, that I am sure everyone who attended will likely return to next year if given the chance.  And, if you were an attendee, yourself, and wish to share your best take away(s), please leave us a comment, below.

 Demos were by several, varied-product start ups, for example: from Let’sListen (social music sharing) to Bizee Bee (yoga studio schedule streamlining and enhancing)

(Photos credit: FailCon)

Tags: entrepreneurs, FailCon
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Good news:  Several of our very own Bay Area executives and women-owned businesses have been named as finalists for the 8th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business.  The nominees come from all categories, such as:

Best Entrepreneur – Service Businesses – Up to 100 Employees – Business Services
Betts Recruiting, San Francisco, CA USA: Carolyn Betts, founder and CEO
DRT Strategies, Inc., Arlington, VA USA: Susan M. Kidd, Founder and CEO
Dynamic Office & Accounting Solutions, Danville, CA USA: Tiffany Stuart, President
Gagen MacDonald, Chicago, IL USA: Maril MacDonald, thought leader and industry pioneer
Going Global, Mobile, AL USA: Mary Anne Thompson, Founder & President
Human Resource Essential, LLC, Tempe, AZ USA: Stephanie Angelo, Founder and CEO
Staging Diva/Six Elements Inc., Toronto, Canada: Debra Gould, The Staging Diva, President, Six Elements Inc.
Suzanne Evans Coaching, LLC, Murrells Inlet, SC USA: Suzanne Evans, Owner & Founder
Vaco Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA USA: France Moreno, Partner
VerticalResponse, San Francisco, CA USA: Janine Popick, CEO and Founder

Best Entrepreneur – Service Businesses – Up to 100 Employees – Financial Services & Insurance 
iFinance Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada: Ann Kaplan, President & CEO
Mercury West Associates, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom: Katie Small, Owner & Managing Director
Your Equity Source, LLC, Cour DAlenem ID USA: Sandra J. Wach, Vice President

VerticalResponse, San Francisco, CA USA

Best Overall Company of the Year – Service Businesses – Up to 100 Employees – Business Services 
DRT Strategies, Inc., Arlington, VA USA
MyCorporation, Calabasas, CA USA
Sage Consulting Associates, San Francisco, CA USA
The Omnia Group, Tampa, FL USA
Integrated Archive Systems, Palo Alto, CA USA

Best Overall Company of the Year – Non-Profit or Government 
Athena International, Chicago, IL USA
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA USA
Women Presidents’ Organization, New York, NY USA

Winners will be announced at an awards dinner at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on November 11.  The complete list is available at the link below.  We wish all the local nominees good luck; and congratulate all those who are nominated!

http://www.stevieawards.com/pubs/women/awards/414_2252_21305.cfm

Tags: entrepreneurs, Stevie Awards, Women-Owned Business
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We wanted to highlight this great video, a panel put on by Glamour/Conde Naste and moderated by All Things D’s own Kara Swisher.

You might ask: “What is a magazine like Glamour doing moderating such a panel?” To answer this, Editor Cindi Leive answers this way:  “Nothing is more glamorous than a woman with skills to make our world run more smoothly.”  Further, she adds: “We’ve always gone where the women are!”  I see this as a good sign!

With Hilary Mason of Bitly (their chief scientist), Stacy Brown-Philpot, director of Google-owned and operated properties; Julie Larson-Green, corporate VP of program management for Windows at Microsoft; Kati London, director of product for Zynga –  please enjoy as they talk the gamut of topics, including:  Why is it that girls, disproportionately, start to lose interest in science and math by the fourth grade? -to- How do we get women and girls interested in going into computer science and engineering degrees?, as well as how to foster role models for these skills in a career.

click to launch video

(photo & video credit: All Things D & Glamour)

Tags: All Things Digital, Bitly, Christine Oneto, glamour, Google, Hilary Mason, Julie Larson-Green, Kati London, microsoft, Stacy Brown-Philpot, women in tech, Zynga
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Editor’s Note:  We here at  Girls in Tech talk a lot about entrepreneurship.  What isn’t often discussed, though, is how sometimes it is not one, grand, long shot idea that made it big right off the bat, (though, some do); rather, those small successes–a trial of different smaller ideas which string together and end up making the big time.  So, enjoy this post by Peter Sims,  entrepreneur and author of the book ‘LITTLE BETS:  How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries.’  Please feel free to leave us a comment with your own questions, below.  We look forward to hearing from our entrepreneur community — you!

 
From “Little Bets,” by Peter Sims:

What is a “little bet”?

Little bets are a low-risk way to explore and develop new ideas.  Chris Rock develops new comedy routines by making little bets with small audiences; Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos makes small bets to identify opportunities in new markets like cloud computing.  Little bets are at the center of an approach to get to the right idea without getting stymied by perfectionism, risk-aversion, or excessive planning.

How is this approach different from and better than the typical way most people do something new?

We’re taught from an early age to use certain procedures and rules to analyze and solve problems, such as for math or chemistry.  There’s an emphasis on minimizing errors and avoiding failure.  These skills serve us extremely well when we have enough information to put into a formula or plan.  But what happens when we don’t even know what problems we’re trying to solve? In those kinds of situations, engaging in a process of discovery and making little bets complements more linear, procedural thinking.

What research did you do for this book and what did you set out to discover?

I wanted to find out what went on behind the scenes with some of the great achievements and innovations.  Most of them weren’t the epiphanies of geniuses, but instead the result a specific type of experimentation.  To find the common elements of their approach, I reviewed empirical and neuroscience research about creativity and innovation, interviewed or observed dozens of people about their approach from Army counterinsurgency strategists to agile software development teams, architect Frank Gehry and comedian Chris Rock. I also talked to entrepreneurs who had self-financed billion dollar businesses, experts in the rapidly growing field of design thinking, as well as musicians like John Legend.  Last, I interviewed executives inside a range of organizations such as Amazon, Pixar, Procter & Gamble, Google, 3M, General Motors, and Hewlett Packard.

What about big bets?  Why do you focus on little bets?

We all want to make big bets.  That’s a Silicon Valley mantra.  Be bold.  Go big.  But I think ingenious ideas are over-rated and that people routinely bet big on ideas that aren’t solving the right problems.  Just as Pixar storytellers must make thousands of little bets to develop a movie script, Hewlett Packard cofounder Bill Hewlett said HP needed to make 100 small bets on products to identify six that could be breakthroughs.  So, little bets are for learning about problems and opportunities while big bets are for capitalizing upon them once they’ve been identified.

What situations are well suited for little bets?

Little bets can be used in any situation when the path to the right answer isn’t known.  So, if you’re starting a new project, instead of trying to come up with a perfect initial plan, you can scribble some ideas down on paper and bounce those little bets off colleagues to make sure you’re going down the right path.  Or, if you’re leading a new team, you can make little bets with small assignments to better understand your people’s strengths and weaknesses.  Or, if you want to improve your prospects for getting a new job, you can make little bets on people and events to build out your network and identify interesting opportunities.   Each little bet takes you closer to the answer.

What surprised you most in what you found?

How successful people in vastly different fields had arrived at very similar approaches.  Story developers at Pixar, Army General H.R. McMaster, and Frank Gehry use the same basic methods and make lots of little bets.  They even use similar language and vocabulary – like “using constraints” or “reframing problems”– but they all learned their approaches through their experiences, not in school.  As General McMaster said the parallels were almost “eerie.”

Why is it more important than ever to master a “little bets” approach?

We live in uncertain and rapidly changing times that can make us risk-averse, prone to getting stuck.  Little bets provide an antidote.  For example, Twitter originated out of little bets made inside Odeo, a podcasting company that was going nowhere.  After asking employees for suggestions about what the company should do, Odeo founder Evan Williams gave Jack Dorsey two weeks to develop a prototype for his short messaging idea.  Twitter was soon born.  Another key reason why the time is right to embrace a little bets strategy is unlike previous generations, people now change jobs every few years and, according to researchers, will even switch careers up to six or seven times over a lifetime.  That’s a very new way of relating to our work and careers.  Little bets must become a way to see what’s around the next corner, or we risk stagnating.

About Peter:

Peter Sims is a best-selling author and entrepreneur.  His latest book is Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries, which grew out of a long collaboration with faculty at Stanford’s Institute of Design (the d.school), a hub of creative thinking and doing, and his previous work in venture capital withSummit Partners, where he had the opportunity to work with some of the world’s most innovative entrepreneurs, including as part of the team that established Summit’s European Office in London.  He was also the coauthor with Bill George of the best-seller True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership and is a Co-founder and Director of Fuse Corps, a social venture that will enable America’s most entrepreneurial young leaders to work on year-long grassroots projects to tackle some of society’s most pressing problems, such as within education, reporting directly to mayors, governors, their senior staffs.

Copyright/Credit:  Peter Sims

(See Mr. Sims’ recent appearance on Press:Here on NBC Bay Area, here – forward to the 2nd segment.)

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Ever stop to wonder what your life would be like these days without your iPhone, laptop, iPad, and / or BlackBerry?  Have we, as people of this technology age become so dependent on and accustomed to living with all our “screens” that it would be a shock to our system to actually slow down, start to read and digest a story in depth, pause, and go about remaining offline to contemplate it while simply, say, washing your car? — As opposed to:  reading a story, looking at your twitter feed immediately following, switching to Google to google the story and read others’ opinions about it, return to Twitter to tweet about it, then to Facebook to post status on it and Google + to ask your circles to comment on it, and then write a quick blog post about it on tumblr?  Wow – I’m exhausted just thinking as I’m typing about the scenario.  Powers calls this “Digital Maximalism.”

Well, this is exactly what William Powers thought and presents alternative methods for in his book ‘HAMLET’S BLACKBERRY: BUILDING A GOOD LIFE IN THE DIGITAL AGE.’  He proposes that:  Americans work hard. But, not enough of Americans play hard, as well. In today’s corporate world, vacation still means you’re tied to your BlackBerry or are required to check-in via e-mail, but what does that mean for our mental health?  How does one remain a dutiful employee without being imprisoned by digital technologies, meant to enhance life?  Powers actually offers alternatives – a bold, new approach to digital life – one that anyone can use to make better, smarter use of today’s technologies in the way they use them … perhaps more sparingly.  Small examples include:  implementing what he calls an “Internet Sabbath” or refraining from using the weekend for entire weekends; or creating what he calls “Walden Zones,” places in your home where no digital devices are allowed, such as your living room.  Very keen concepts, if you ask me.

By changing our digital habits, it is Powers’ belief that we can live a fuller life with balance and more depth.  I, for one, would welcome the change, particularly when it comes to conversations – in person or by voice over the phone, rather than text & email – with friends and family.  But, I’d also like to hear your points of view on the topic.  In the meantime, I will be checking out the book and reporting back with a full review in the weeks to come.  So, please comment with your thoughts — We’d love to hear from you!

(And, for those of you who must, check it out on the  ‘Hamlet’s Blackberry’ Facebook page, here.)

Tags: Christine Oneto, Digital maximalism, Hamlet's Blackberry, William Powers
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Yes, it’s that time of year again — To vote for your favorite panels (& favorite organizations that put them together!  {hint, hint} ) and this coming year’s will be a great one for Girls in Tech.  The topic:  Entrepreneur-ism.  The panelists:   Extraordinary.  We’re very excited about it, as entrepreneurs are some of our favorite people, and a strong core of our membership base here at Girls in Tech.  So, without further ado, we’d like to unveil it here & ask for your support:

Interactive 2012 Panel:  Everybody’s a Bloody Entrepreneur!  Or are they?

There was an article – or 100 – the other day that said something about entrepreneurs being…The life blood of society!  The new drivers of our economy! The largest employers of our citizens!  The solution to our problems!   And what about all the LinkedIn profiles stating “Entrepreneur” as a title?  But are all these “entrepreneurs” really entrepreneurs?  We’ll be hashing through what entrepreneurship really means, what a startup really is, and what innovation really makes a difference on society and the economy, (What is “making a difference” anyway?). Our panel will be a group of diverse “entrepreneurs” – from high-growth speedups, as described by Startup America, to social entrepreneurs who might not provide huge financial returns but contribute in other ways.  And we’ll be talking about the similarities and differences between everyone’s idea of their own Entrepreneurship. It’s a frank discussion on some of the realities and frustrations surrounding this debate.

The panel will address the following questions:

• What does being an entrepreneur really mean? What are some key characteristics of an entrepreneur?
• When does your start-up actually start making a significant impact? And what does impact mean?
• What are the some ways you get from being an “Entrepreneur” to being an Entrepreneur?
• How do entrepreneurs empower organic entrepreneurship values throughout their organizations?
• How do entrepreneurs themselves go through the process of defining their success?

Our Esteemed Panelists

1. Adriana Gascoigne ‐ Girls in Tech
2. Terry Chase Hazell ‐ RampCorp
3. Alexis Maybank ‐ Gilt Groupe
4. Nancy Spears ‐ genConnect

So please, as they say:  Vote early, and vote often! …Or pass it on, anyway.  Let all your friends and contacts know about this enlightening, enriching panel by these fine women in tech!   Vote here: http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/11363

Thanks to each one of you, in advance,  for all your support!  See all ya’ll in Austin!

Tags: Adriana Gascoigne, Alexis Maybank, entrepreneurism, entrepreneurship, genconnect, Gilt Group, Kate Brodock, Nancy Spears, RampCorp, sxsw, Terry Chase Hazell, Women Entrepreneurs
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