To celebrate women in technology and provide education and community around building social experiences across the web,   Facebook has partnered with Girls in Tech for the first joint 24-hour Facebook Developer Garage and Hackathon in Palo Alto. We hope developers in the Bay Area on September 11-12 will join us.

Posted in Events | 5 Comments »

Will You Be in Seattle for Gnomedex?

The Conference of Inspiration and Influence – where we showcase how Technology is changing the world! Read theGnomedex FAQ and then Register Now!

• How? Here: Register now! – Gnomedex is also partnering with pii2010, so join Geek Week and buy your ticket to both.
• Who? Influencers, Entrepreneurs, and Tech Enthusiasts!
• What? A confluence of leading bloggers and new media!
• When? August 19 – 21, 2010
• Where? Seattle, WA
• Why? Its the Social Media event of the year!

And…

• The Schedule is ever-evolving!
• Tags are simply “Gnomedex” and/or “Gnomedex10″
• The pre-registration party will likely be Thursday, August 19, at 7pm.

How is Gnomedex Different from other Conferences?

• An intersection between technology and community
• Technology that transforms and extends the human experience
• Social Media stories that inspire and empower
• Conversations that become the stage: the backchannel is the frontchannel
• The Science and Mathematics of our Real Lives

Why Attend Gnomedex?

• It’s a Whos Who of Social Media leadership
• Meet Movers, Shakers, & Deal Makers
• We’re tapping into the Conversation Economy
• Gnomedex is the most affordable conference of its kind
• Important for new or existing company strategies

Tags: conference, event, girls in tech, gnomedex
Posted in Events, Girls In Tech | No Comments »

…for massive player engagement and revenue

special guests founders Josh Rose of Flying Wisdom Studios and Joe Dunn of e23 Games

Hello Bay Area Game Developers,

Do you want more players for your games this year?

How about more engaged players that spend more in each play session?

Are you worried about this not happening?

We have all heard the less than optimistic coverage on game revenues. According to the NPD group/Gamasutra US retail video game industry sales January 2010 sales decreased 13% from the same time last year. Even social game viral growth, a major buzz area over the last few years, is not as easy with Facebook virality changes and the rise of game companies with massive user bases and large marketing muscle.

• How do you prevent yourself from being part of these statistics?
• How do you arm yourself for the next wave of successful games?

Join us August 10th at 7pm to  hear Joe Dunn and Josh Rose give you a brain dump download of how they win in the market so you can too. They will cover how they combine:

• creative design
• new technology
• platform agnostic virality

to create game experiences players crave, share, and keep coming back for.

There will be a brief interactive Q&A between each speaker, so designers and developers can get a chance to get some direct opinions or strategies on some of their own games and businesses.

Do you want to network grow your business and have a good time?

Come party with us after the event to brainstorm, chill, or simply share a beer with awesome fellow game developers, designers, artists, and deal makers.

This event will sell out!  We have 94 seats left, as of a 4 days ago we had 200! Join us! Your going to want to be at this event to grow your business this year!

Sana Choudary and Japheth Dillman

When: August 10th, 7-9pm Afterparty: 9-10pm

Where: Art Institute of California, 4th floor, 1130 Market Street, 10 UN  Civic Center Plaza, San Francisco, CA 94102

Afterparty: from 9-10pm, location Jillians, 101 4th Street #1070, San Francisco, CA 94103

Posted in Events | No Comments »

On August 25th, Ubergizmo will host Digital Summer, an event that brings together the most international, professional, and glamorous crowd in San Francisco to celebrate photography, fashion, art, and technology. Among the unique features of this one-of-a-kind event is a live runway fashion show showcasing designers Colleen QuenCouture, Jan Warnock, Harputs OWN and Sofie Olgaard.  Manika Jewelry will provide the jewelry. Invitees will also have a chance to enjoy a professional photo-shoot and lots of time to socialize.

Twitter: #DS2010  - REGISTER HERE

PROGRAM:

- Intel, a world leader in computing innovation, will showcase the future of fashion display

-Try out the latest 3G smartphones from Verizon Wireless
Get a hands-on demo of the Droid X by Motorola and the Verizon Wireless MiFi™ 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot

Eco-action: BRING YOUR OLD PHONES for recycling through the Verizon WirelessHopeLine® Program: the used phones are refurbished or recycled in an environmentally friendly way. With the funds raised from the sale of the refurbished phones, Verizon Wireless supports non-profit organizations providing vital services to domestic violence survivors.

*8-11 PM  Studio Photo-Shoot by Eye-Fi (Feel like a Model!) with real time upload on screen

*8-10 PM  Glam up at the makeup stations

*8-midnight    Photo-Show by Liz Caruana, Warren Difranco and Anthony Lindsey - on screen

*10 pm Fashion Show by Colleen Quen Couture, Jan Warnock, Harputs OWN andSofie Olgaard – Jewelry provided by Manika

*Our media partner Yanko Design will showcase high-end product design at its booth

*Learn about Girls in Tech and request info about the Innovative Fashion Council San Francisco at their booths

MUSIC: DJ Mrs Blythe

ADMISSION: $5 with RSVP/ticket on the eventbrite invitation page - 
MANDATORY: BRING YOUR PRINTED TICKET or SHOW the TICKET with your name on your MOBILE

$10 at the door w/o RSVP

PLEASE NOTE: DRESS CODE — Chic and Elegant

SPONSORS: Gold: Intel Silver: Verizon

MEDIA PARTNERS:

Yanko Design
Cult of Mac
Techie Diva
Tech Mamas
Mashable
Burdastyle
FashionablyMarketing.me
Thread
We Blog the World

Posted in All Chapters, Events, San Francisco | 1 Comment »

Due to the economy meltdown, people started looking to innovation and startups to rejuvenate the economy. According to Richard Bendis ,“Companies with less than 20 employees were the source of 107 percent of the new jobs created after the 2001 recession.”  New York has been seen as an emerging tech center , Boston maintains its incumbency as a tech beacon , and, of course, Silicon Valley retains its title as the epicenter for tech startups and innovation.  However, what about all those states in between the distant coasts?

A female entrepreneur, Ruth Hedges, is trying to map out this problem—literally  . Her startup, FundingRoadmap is an electronic business plan and due diligence reporting system that streamlines the deal closing process. Ruth and her team have developed a way to bring together “startups looking for a level playing field for access to capital”. The map not only shows the startups and their respective locations but also highlights the amount of capital that they are looking to raise but have yet to find.

While I do not see this as a solution to the problem nor an integral sourcing tool for investors (or at least for the time being), it highlights the point that geography limits access to capital. In this virtual world that makes us so connected, ironically, the innovators are having trouble connecting capital with their geography. We need not only location-based technology but location based capital as well. I hope that Ruth and her team make some headway on mapping out and mitigating the issue. There are plenty of landlocked folk that have great ideas, ambition, and the ability to execute—all they need is a little cash.

To add a startup to the map or identify the startup demographics, see the map.

Posted in Girls In Tech | 1 Comment »

As a follow up from last week’s post on female entrepreneurs, I had the opportunity to interview Cyan Banister, a serial entrepreneur and investor. Cyan is currently the founder and CEO of Zivity, a platform that is a new way for artists to profitably connect directly with their fans in the rapidly changing digital media landscape.

Why are there so few women entrepreneurs?

Cyan: Women are risk averse. Initially, women think, “what if it doesn’t work?” After weighing the costs and benefits, women are likely to logic themselves out of a risky situation. Men tend not to do this and are more likely to step out on the ledge.  For instance, when you walk into a casino floor or look at the high-risk poker tables, there are mostly men–it’s the perfect example of different risk behavior between men and women. Men have no problem going all in.

Why do you believe women are risk averse?

Cyan: People don’t want to talk about it, but there is a genetic reason why men are more risky than women. Historically, men were the hunters and had to take the risks to get food on the table where as women were the nurtures and protective by nature.

Women tend to be better late stage CEOs because there is already structure and to some degree less risk.  Alternatively, women are great paired up with a man in earlier stage companies. Women and men are great compliments to each other and balance each other’s natures.

Do you think fewer women are entrepreneurs and in tech due to society or nature?

Cyan: People are born one way. As kids, you might show a higher proclivity toward tech or something else. Many kids at an early age also show a propensity for entrepreneurship whether it’s starting a lemonade stand or collecting and selling baseball cards.

I think parents should not take theirs kids off the learning path of hard sciences and encourage entrepreneurship, but you cannot force someone to be something that he or she is not. Often times, you see women less interested in these areas since , for instance, women engineers are an anomaly.

However, I do see that it is partially a societal thing. Some women are pushed or encouraged to grow up and be homemakers. If a woman wants to be one, that’s one thing, but there is often societal reinforcement for this.

What was your experience when you became an entrepreneur?

Cyan: I’ve had experience starting multiple companies. My first was a T-shirt company when I was 18 years old. I understand how alone you feel when everything is up to you, and I was the business process. When I started Zivity, I had 10 years and a few startups under my belt.  I was ready to jump in headfirst, but I also had the support from my husband .

Do you think women face different challenges than men?

Cyan: This is one of the worst things that I hear.  I do not want to totally discredit this, but I have never felt this in my experience. I have not seen any discrepancies between opportunities for women and men. I have been surrounded by men, and they tend to find me incredibly helpful and vice versa.

This is not to say that often times people are excited to see a women in roles that they are not usually in such as an entrepreneur. I have probably had additional attention on some of my experiences because I am a woman.  In some cases, I may not have gotten so many breaks. Being a woman is an asset, but it’s not the only one—just one of the many tools.

How can we help encourage more women to become entrepreneurs?

Cyan: I would like to help women take the initial leap, which is an unnatural step.  Women need to discover whether they have it in them. Women can start small until they get used to these small risks. For instance, product managers are constantly taking risks to create new things.  Taking risks within a business and speaking out more can help cultivate comfort for risk.  There is often a lack of confidence in women, which is something that we need to work on.

Additionally, women speak up less than they should. Even if you watch how men talk and women talk, you can see this.  Women won’t get in there and talk but are more reserved and listen. Women should be more assertive. When I was at IronPort, we had a culture of speaking up, and it is important to find a company that encourages you to have an opinion and to be heard.

Once a woman takes that leap, what advice would you give her?

Cyan: Once she takes the leap, one tool is being a woman and but that’s only one. So, be the best entrepreneur, you can be. Have confidence, and be the best manager you can be. Women are great entrepreneurs once they decide to make that step. If you are the best you can be , everyone will notice.

Do you approach investing in women differently than men?

Cyan: I approach them in the same manner. As one comes by, it does set off a light bulb and might give her that initial attention, but ultimately I evaluate the business in the same objective manner. I have not invested in a startup lead by women but receive only a few pitches from women.

What are your other frustrations on this topic?

Cyan: One of my frustrations is when people say that women need women mentors or heroes. I do not understand why they need to have women versus male mentors. I think they should have both. Men are very valuable. Additionally, the complaint that men won’t spend time with women because they are women is false. For those individuals that have this issue, it just means that those are the wrong mentors .

Additionally on this point, I do not like the idea of division of the sexes. Women and men compliment each other, and we should embrace our counterparts. I don’t like the idea that we should make men feel guilty for the lack of women’s presence in certain industries. There are only a few bad apples, but we should not generalize and beat up on guys for this issue.

We should celebrate individuals and appreciate the talents that they put forth.

—

It was a great experience interviewing Cyan and appreciate her taking the time to speak with Girls in Tech. She has great insights and a wealth of experience. She also currently mentors many women .

*Note: The interview responses are not verbatim but summarized.

Posted in Girls In Tech | 1 Comment »

There are many organizations (such as our very own GIT and others–Women 2.0, Astia, Springboard, etc…) gaining steam and a substantial following to encourage and empower women in technology as well as being entrepreneurs. However, even in spite of our efforts, there is still a long ways to go…

Even though we are building a foundation of resources and linking common interests among women, there are only a handful of women taking on the risky challenge of entrepreneurship. In my previous role, working as an Investment Analyst at OpenView Venture Partners, I encountered this first hand. I spoke with over 1,000 per year but only about 1% of those were women. This anecdote also holds for venture-backed tech start ups where only 8% were created by women even though females run 40% of private businesses in the US. An article from a few months back fully examines the makeup of the female tech scene. The data from the article suggests that of these female, venture backed start ups, most use substantially less capital and historically have had good exits.

So, what’s the deal if the ladies are pulling their weight? Well, the article partially points to education and the disparity in engineering or hard science degrees between men and women as well as the additional difficulties in fundraising for women. However, we still see plenty of male entrepreneurs less an engineering background that founded a tech company, and even though there may be additional issues fundraising, there are still not enough women even making the pitch. So, why are women not taking leap into the entrepreneurial pool?

So, I guess I’ll throw out there those questions that I am not really supposed to ask—uh oh!

Or are women just not that great at being entrepreneurs? Few people are examining these aspects of the issue, but one, somewhat controversial yet fascinating entrepreneur, Cyan Banister of Zivity has no problems putting it out there…literally… She wrote a message to Michael Arrington of TechCrunch explaining that ‘women stink as entrepreneurs’ and ‘are too risk averse and nurturing by nature’. We all sort of know that women on average tend to be more nurturing and a bit more risk averse, and there are some scientific studies that support these ideas. It’s unclear if these attributes are biological or societal, but regardless this could be a factor in the lack of entrepreneurial ladies.

If risk aversion and a nurturing disposition are the biggest reasons that the ladies are not getting out there, then do we need to fix this or can we reconcile the two?

If the issue is societal, we all need to keep pushing forward and encouraging women to take that leap but if it is genetic, well… let me know anyone finds some gene therapy. Regardless, if we can just take that leap, women can leverage risk averse and nurturing traits to build successful start ups…

Posted in Girls In Tech | 4 Comments »

In March, Aol announced that it’s social aggregator platform, Lifestream, would serve as a standalone product. In a further bid to push what David Eun calls Aol’s “start-around” they are looking for a hip and cool ambassador for their Lifestream product. As they push to revive themselves in the social media world, it looks like ladies are leading the charge!

Aol is on the hunt for an Ambassador who is not just tech savvy but actually a FUN geek. From seeing a number of different videos Tweeted and blogged, the females seem to have the loudest voice. With two of the three final contestants being female, it looks like this contest is reflecting what’s happening all over the web: a lady stampede! With 55% of Twitter users being female, more women in the US on Facebook , and more relationships on all social networking sites – women are taking full advantage of all that social media has to offer. Women like to talk, like to be social, and like to share— from 1930s Tupperware parties to the virtual world, women are raising their voices… and not just in the personal sphere but in all aspects of their lives.

In fact, though it’s still early—the two female finalists for AOL Lifestream are females and are rocking ~94% of the votes! One of the gals in the contest, Tessa Petrich is a Girl in Tech in the SF Bay area. She was the former VP of Marketing at Zimride, a carpooling startup in Silicon Valley. Now, she is hoping to be the life of the party as Ambassador of AOL Lifestream.

So help the ladies be heard, check out AOL Lifestream, and vote!

Tags: aol, aol lifestream, facebook, girls in tech, lifestream, social media, women social media
Posted in Girls In Tech | 1 Comment »