Girls In Tech

Silicon Valley-based Venture Capital firm, KPCB and Girls in Tech cordially invite you to attend “Net Effect: The Impact of Women on the Web – Start-up Edition”. KPCB partner Aileen Lee talks with four distinguished female execs who recognize women as not only influencing the overall tech landscape, but increasingly leading it. Join Aileen and her industry-shaping guests on Nov. 9th as they discuss how women are breaking the glass ceiling. The panelists will share their distinct insights on leadership and how businesses across the social web, e-commerce and advertising are achieving success with the female demographic.

Please click on the following infographic to purchase a ticket to the event:

Tags: entrepreneurs, Female, girls in tech, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, KPCB, technology, VC, venture capital, women, women in business
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Event Details:

Date: Thursday, October 13th
Program: 7pm – 9pm
Where: dzine it studio on 26 West 23rd Street, 4th Floor, New York City

Initiating conversations about salary negotiation with the successful women in our network is the first step to acquiring a negotiation muscle.

I saw how tapping one’s network can positively impact a woman’s career after making an introduction to two female friends. One was an executive with great deal of professional experience, and the other was just about to start her professional career and seeking career advice. Let’s call the first friend C and the second E.

The more experienced friend gave friendly advice to E who had just received her first job offer. C encouraged E to negotiate for a better package and to not settle for the first offer. But E countered this advice with a great deal of hesitation. She was afraid she would risk losing the job offer by asking more for herself. She was having trouble seeing herself as deserving more than what was given to her.

Don’t get me wrong — E is hardworking, highly qualified, and someone I greatly admire as a person. I could see she deserves more, but she couldn’t. Like many women, she didn’t know how to negotiate, or that she could even negotiate. Gently prodded by C, E decided to work up the courage to ask for a better term. She later happily reported that the negotiation worked out in her favor.

Three things dawned on me from watching this conversation unfold:

1. Negotiation is a learned skill that improves with practice. C has a great deal of negotiation experience from both sides of the table and was thus able to give great, practical advice to E. Learning to negotiate is a skill that women may need to focus greater effort at developing than men, who in general seem to have a natural propensity to negotiate. According to authors Linda Babcock and Sara Laschaver “Women Don’t Ask”, men initiate negotiations four times as often as women.

With more women entering the workforce, entrepreneurship, and leadership ranks, it’s high time that more women raised their hands and asked for what they want. It’s time for women to develop and flex their negotiation muscles.

2. We need to talk more about initiating negotiation. Watching C provide guidance to E made me wish to facilitate more opportunities for women to connect and learn from each other on this topic. Furthermore, it is imperative that we have informed discussions about salary negotiation as part of the larger, on-going discussion around wealth creation for women and closing the gender pay gap.

3. Women who successfully master the art of negotiating earn more money and are more successful in their careers. Another study cited by Babcock and Laschaver calculated that women who consistently negotiate their salary increases earn at least $1 million more during their careers than women who don’t.

A crucial step in learning to negotiate is to learn from the women in our own networks who successfully asked for what they want and got their worth in the workplace.

This is the thought process behind the panel discussion I’m moderating with wimlink in New York City on Thursday, October 13. At this event, three talented women leaders in fields as diverse as executive coaching, law, and digital media will share their wealth of experience and insight on how to get your worth in the workplace. Featured speakers are

1. Julia McNamara, founder of Helix Career Management and certified executive coach

2. Carla Varriale, partner of law firm Havkins Rosenfeld Ritzert and Varriale, LLP

3. Bethany Hillman, VP of Operations at TVGenesis

Click here to read the full bios of each panelist and register for this event.

Whether you are starting a job search, a new job, or salary negotiation, this session will provide you with tips, inspiration, and guidance to take your career to the next level.

Learn to flex your negotiation muscle. Learn from the rich experiences of women leaders. Be richly rewarded for the value you bring to the table.

Written by:

Jamie Lee
Operations Manager
Tipping Point Partners
@jieunjamie

Tags: event, negotiation, networking, New York City, women
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Follow me @cmparadise

In my role as a volunteer social media manager for women’s professional organizations in the Bay Area it is my job to stay on top of the news; and the news lately regarding women, executive positions and a challenging job market has become alarming.  From articles in the Wall Street Journal to U.S. News to Bloomberg there are reports that a pervasive wrong is occurring and that is the inspiration for this blog post.

From a timeline perspective this began with an article from the Wall Street Journal ‘Women Executives Twice as Likely to Leave Their Jobs as Men’ in October of 2010.  “About 7.2 percent of women executives in the survey left their jobs, compared to 3.8 percent of men. Both the voluntary rates (4.3 percent versus 2.8 percent for men) and the involuntary rates (2.9 versus 0.9 percent) were higher for women executives.”  The article states that women were more likely to be dismissed from their job and the research suggests that this is due to the lack of opportunities and professional support needed to advance successfully.

This research is supported by the recent article from Women on Business ’29 Fortune 500 companies Have No Women on Boards’ which highlights that only 2.6% of women hold board chairmanships.  That article was actually a reactionary piece written about the Bloomberg Businessweek article ‘Boys Only Boards’.  According to the author Joel Stonington “There are 29 companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 that are all male in decision-making roles, with no women on the board of directors or among the top five highest-paid officers, according to Bloomberg Rankings. They range from America’s largest maker of uniforms, Cintas (CTAS), to the company that produces Animal Planet and the Oprah Winfrey Network, Discovery Communications (DISCA).  There are 47 companies, or 9.4 percent of the S&P 500, that have no women on the board of directors, according to Bloomberg Rankings.”  Yes you read that right….29 companies without women in the top five highest-paid officer roles.

If you are wondering how Bloomberg Rankings got from 47 companies to 29….if there was one (1) woman present (let me repeat…one)  in an executive position the company was removed from the rankings.  Not to dismiss the women who hold these positions but this is not even close to gender equality.  Personally, I would like to see a list of companies without 25% of their executive positions held by women. I know I would be adjusting my spending habits accordingly.

It is not only the executive ranks that are facing this challenge.  In the Wall Street Journal article ‘Tech Executives See Paths for Women, Especially Geeks’  the author states that “Women held 25% of computing-related occupations in 2009, down from 30% in 2000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The percentage of computer information systems degrees obtained annually by women has held at 18% since the 2007-08 school year, down from 28% in 2001-02.”.  And even more frightening women are not aiming for the top.  In a McKinsey & Co survey conducted in 2010 16% of women versus 26% of men are aiming for top management positions.

A Poor Way To Do Business

“It’s totally insensitive,” says Terry Savage, a financial journalist and longtime corporate board member. (She requested that Businessweek.com not cite the boards on which she sits, as she did not want to be seen as speaking for those companies.) “I find it simply astounding that a company that has at least half its ultimate users and customers as women, especially uniform making or media, I find it astounding that they don’t have a woman on the board.”  Could it be said any better?  Let’s try….

Marketing statistics about women from she-conomy.com :

• Wealthy boomer women are the marquee players in our country’s culture and commerce. They are educated, have a high income, and make 95 percent of the purchase decisions for their households. – Karen Vogel, The Women’s Congress and co-founder and president of New Generation Event Solutions
• Once the college bills are out of the way and children launch their own households, the discretionary spending power of 50-plus women soars. They spend 2.5 times what the average person spends. Women are the primary buyers for computers, cars, banking, financial services and a lot of other big-ticket categories. – Marti Barletta, Primetime Women
• High-net-worth women account for 39% of the country’s top wealth earners; 2.5 million of them have combined assets of $4.2 trillion. More than 1.3 million women professionals and executives earn in excess of $100,000 annually. 43% of Americans with more than $500,000 in assets are female – MassMutual Financial Group–2007
• The number of wealthy women investors in the U.S. is growing at a faster rate than that of men. In a two-year period, the number of wealthy women in the U.S. grew 68%, while the number of men grew only 36%. – The Spectrem Group
• Women account for 85% of all consumer purchases including everything from autos to health care:
  • 91% of New Homes
  • 66% PCs
  • 92% Vacations
  • 80% Healthcare
  • 65% New Cars
  • 89% Bank Accounts
  • 93% Food
  • 93 % OTC Pharmaceuticals
  • American women spend about $5 trillion annually…
    Over half the U.S. GDP

With statistics like the above….how can companies not seek women in droves for executive positions?

The Growing Talent Pool & What You Can Do

With all of the above it is astonishing the low number of women in executive management.  Even more so when there are numerous ‘women to watch’, ‘women to follow’, and top business women listings.  A few of my favorites:

• Advertising Age – Women to Watch
• FORTUNE – 50 Most Powerful Women in Business

And being that I am from the Bay Area:

• San Francisco Business Times – 150 Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business

Clearly the talent exists and the challenge lies in perceptions as opposed to the reality of the talent pool available.

So what can we do? I believe the responsibility begins with each and every one of us.  One of the factors cited for poor ability to advance into executive management is the lack of opportunities and support systems.  Women should not rely on their companies to provide this type of support but instead look to external organizations and networks to create this.  Organizations like Girls-in-Tech, along with many more around the country are there to assist and provide these opportunities.

Steps to Take:

1. Investigate opportunities for professional growth, mentorship, and networking within your company.  If you don’t find any…consider speaking to your HR department about partnering with organizations that provide these opportunities for women.
2. Research organizations within your area that can help you and become an active member.  The least you can do is show up to events….the most you can do is volunteer.  These are all great ways to provide youself with new opportunities.
3. Invest in yourself and other women leaders.  Many companies offer yearly benefits to offset the cost of continued education…use them.  Consider mentoring other emerging women leaders within your area.
4. Seek out female talent.  With online networking platforms like LinkedIn and Viadeo this has never been more easy!

Tags: lack of women executives, lack of women on boards, Leadership, women, women executives, women in technology
Posted in All Chapters, All Chapters, Girls In Tech, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Silicon Valley | No Comments »

Today’s Tech & Video Game industries, while still heavily male dominated, are seeing a growing female presence each year. In recognition of this, companies have now started assembling scholarship programs for women entering these fields. Just last year, Sony established the G.I.R.L. (Gamers In Real Life) Scholarship program, to positively impact the way females are depicted in video games and create and influence content to be appealing to women. The program also tries to raise awareness of the female gaming audience to the media in an effort to encourage the gaming industry to positively promote women throughout all facets of games, game production and into game management. Winners receive $10,000 towards tuition, as well as an internship at Sony Online Entertainment.

Other scholarships for girls include Vanguard’s Women in Technology scholarship program, Microsoft’s Graduate Women’s Scholarship program, and various scholarships from womengamers.com to name a few. There are now more technology and gaming scholarships for girls than ever before, with the number increasing each year. Interested in one of these scholarships or know other girls who might be? Check out the links provided below for these scholarships and others.

Microsoft Graduate Women’s Scholarship Program:
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/collaboration/awards/fellows-women.aspx

WomenGamers.com Scholarships:
http://www.womengamers.com/scholarships/

ESA’s Computer & Video Game scholarship program:
http://www.theesa.com/foundation/scholarship.asp

International Game Developers Association conference scholarships:
http://www.igda.org/scholarships/

Vanguard Women in Technology scholarship program:
http://www.sms.scholarshipamerica.org/vanguardwomenintechnology/

Tags: Alexandra Mokh, gaming, girls in tech, GIT, microsoft, scholarship, school, sony, tech, technology, video games, women, women in tech, women in technology
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WITI (Women In Technology International), the world’s leading professional organization for executive women in technology, will truly inspire “Collaboration, Strategy and Growth” through hands on speaking engagements and panel discussions at the Annual WITI Women and Technology Summit in San Jose, CA September 12-14, 2010.

Top technology leaders from Clean Tech, Mobile, Search, Cloud, Social Media, and Business teach WITI Summit attendees how to capture and target more customers, build stronger relationships with existing customers and take advantage of the applications and tools to build a stronger web presence, increase revenue and streamline costs for their companies.

Girls in Tech Members receive a 20% discount!

Speakers and Panelists will Include:

Sandy Carter Vice President, Software Business Partners, IBM	Nilofer Merchant Entrepreneur, CEO & Chief Strategist, Rubicon Consulting	Kathy Chou VP, PSG Americas Sales Strategy & Operations, Hewlett Packard
Bernadette Nixon Senior Vice President, Global Field Marketing, CA	Bernard Golden CEO, HyperStratus	Sally Jenkins Vice President, Worldwide Marketing, Symantec
Vanessa Alvarez Industry Analyst, Frost & Sullivan	Ghennipher Weeks Co-Founder, Applied Connectioneering, Inc

Click Here for a Complete Schedule of Events!

Including The 15th Annual WITI Hall of Fame Awards

Join WITI as we honor key women innovators from science and technology on Monday, September 13th in the Silicon Valley. Katie Boehret, reporter for The Wall Street Journal, will serve as MC. This year’s honorees will be:

Sandy Carter Vice President, IBM Software Group Business Partners	Dr. Ruth David President and CEO, Analytic Services Inc.	Dr. Adele Goldberg Founding Chairman, ParcPlace Systems, Inc.
Dr. Susie Wee CTO, Client Cloud Services, Hewlett-Packard	Dr. Ruth Westheimer Fellow, New York Academy of Medicine, Yale and Princeton Universities

Click Here for Details |  Download the Press Release |  Videos of Past Recipients | 

Register Now! use discount code: GITsum10 for 20% off!

Tags: david leighton, girls in tech, laurel kaufman, networking, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, technology, WITI, women, women in technology international, women in technology summit
Posted in All Chapters, Girls In Tech, San Francisco, Silicon Valley | 1 Comment »

Jalak Jobanputra Senior Vice President New York City Investment Fund

Jalak Jobanputra is Senior Vice President at the New York City Investment Fund and manages the Fund’s investments in the information technology, media and cleantech sectors. Prior to joining the Fund, Jalak was a Principal at New Venture Partners, a $300M early stage venture fund where she was a director of Procelerate Technologies and Real Time Content. Previously, Ms. Jobanputra worked at Intel Capital where she led and managed strategic investments in software, digital media and services companies. Cont…

My twitter stream and email inbox has been full of links to the NY Times article published yesterday — Out of the Loop in Silicon Valley.

It is great to see that a conversation is finally evolving on the importance of gender diversity in the technology and venture capital sectors. On my trip to Rwanda last year I wrote a blog post on why I thought diversity in general was important.

When I meet with startups one of the first reactions/comments is that they have never met a female VC before. We exist, and I count close friends, and investors that I admire greatly, in the ranks. I have also worked with many male VCs who have funded women led companies and are supportive of women. However, after 11 years as a venture capitalist, I can say this industry is one of the most male dominated that I have encountered (including investment banking — many larger firms have diversity programs, shareholders and boards that provide incentives and oversight on this issue).

Successful companies grow out of an ecosystem and network of support, and that includes mentors, investors and role models. Integration of different viewpoints and backgrounds is not always easy but research validates that there is long term payoff for any short term challenges that may exist:

For those with a bottom-line approach, analysts say it makes a difference when women are in the garages where tech start-ups are founded or the boardrooms where they are funded. Studies have found that teams with both women and men are more profitable and innovative. Mixed-gender teams have produced information technology patents that are cited 26 percent to 42 percent more often than the norm, according to the National Center for Women and Information Technology.

Building out an ecosystem that gives ALL smart, talented entrepreneurs access to funding, and support for their fledgling businesses will benefit everyone in the long term. When I helped launch NYCSeed with Owen Davis a couple of years ago, the goal was to provide this network of support in addition to seed funding. And everyone, including the most successful serial entrepreneurs, can benefit from these networks.

But this access becomes particularly important for first time entrepreneurs, and I am seeing an increasing number of women in this category. These women are thinking just as big as their male counterparts (and sometimes are better at weighing the risks and alternate scenarios!) As technology usage becomes more mainstream and diffuses into more industries and disciplines, more women are becoming creators and users of technology as a default.

That’s why I sat on the board of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs in 1999 in Silicon Valley when I started my venture career, and continue to support women entrepreneurs through Astia, Girls in Tech and a host of other organizations. That’s why I am moderating a panel of incredible women entrepreneurs on the topic of Social Media for Social Change this Monday April 19 at GreenSpaces with Echoing Green and NYWSE. And stay tuned for a panel of tech company founders who have successfully raised venture funding, including Heidi Messer (LinkShare, WorldEvolved) Stephanie Sarka (goto.com, new stealth startup), Jen Bekman (20×200) and Jenny Fleiss (Rent the Runway) on May 27 with GIT and Astia hosted at Polaris Ventures‘ Dogpatch Labs in NYC.

This is not about singling out women just because they are women, but because they are building businesses that are going to make a significant impact on our lives in the future (while generating a nice return for their investors along the way….)

Tags: entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship, venture capital, women
Posted in New York | 1 Comment »

In celebration of Women’s History Month, Girls in Tech is offering the fourth in a series of interviews with leaders in the technology field. Today, we’re featuring Sophie Farrell, account manager with Google Online Sales. Stay tuned for the final in our series of posts Leena Rao, TechCrunch.

Cheers,
The Boston GIT Team

1. What’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made and what did you learn from it that’s worth passing along to others?
While it can be uncomfortable to take a problem with a teammate and tackle it head on, I have found that the most difficult situations I have been in and the biggest mistakes I have made have come from times when I chose to shy away from a difficult conversation. These are times when just one meeting or discussion would have undoubtedly fixed the problem, repaired a line of communication or mitigated frustration before it grew into something bigger. If you see a problem or identify a teammate who is not holding up his or her end of a bargain, tackle the situation head on as quickly as you can – you’ll thank yourself later.

2. What’s your biggest success in the workplace?
Diversity of experience. I take great pride in the fact that, during my time at Google, I have had the opportunity to develop a variety of skills at work. Whether fulfilling the role of strategic advisor to my clients, mapping out the global roll out of a new Sales operation or partnering with marketing to drive user adoption across Google products, I have created and taken advantage of an array of opportunities. While these experiences have afforded me opportunities to succeed, I consider my greatest success to be the variety of situations that I have pushed myself to succeed in.

3. What’s your life or work motto?
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from indomitable will.” This is a Mahatma Gandhi quote that I have always kept on a note above my desk. I have heard it recited by Lance Armstrong and co-workers alike and I believe it speaks to the true source of our power. There will always be someone more qualified, smarter, faster or more experienced, but it is completely up to you as to whether or not anyone will have a stronger will than you. I believe an indomitable will can translate to incredible success.

4. What woman in history inspires you most and why?
While she is not a historical figure, I have a genuine admiration for Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox. As the CEO of a major American company, Ursula remains true to herself and the principles of hard work. She worked tirelessly to rise to where she is and appears to balance assertive and respectful in a remarkable way. As she says, there is “stuff that happens to you and then there is stuff you happen to.” I admire the grace with which she handles the stuff that happens to her and the tenacity with which she makes the rest of it happen.

5. What piece of technology can you not live without?
In thinking about this question, I have realized that, during the past year or two, my answer has transitioned from my computer to my cell phone. Assuming that is the case for more people than just me, it speaks volumes to the potential that lies ahead for the mobile industry as we continue to transition our dependence on the Internet from desktops to mobile devices. That said, whether it’s talking to my friends and family, checking my email or listening to Pandora, I couldn’t live without my cell phone!

6. What tech trend are you following for 2010?
Geo-located social networking. This space is flooded with innovation from small startups (Foursquare, Toodalu) and strong companies (Google, Facebook, Twitter) alike. I am personally drawn to the way Toodalu.com is building a visual, maps based approach. This type of technology will transform the way we interact within our social circles.

7. What one piece of advice would you give the Girls in Tech of tomorrow?
If you want it, ask for it. If you’re inspired by somebody, ask to have coffee with him or her. If you have an idea, find someone who can help your grow it. If you have a passion, chase it. I believe most people fall into three buckets. Those who wait for things to come to them, those who work hard and believe that in time that will get them where they need to go, and then those who not only work hard but spend time knocking on doors, tackling challenges, and asking for guidance, advice and a seat at the table. It’s the third group, the trailblazers, that not only get to do exciting things, but they accomplish great things.

Cell phone, a pen and sunglasses. The phone is my connection to everyone and everything. The pen is because I have found myself in some of the most inspiring and interesting conversations that I have ever had while living in Silicon Valley – having a pen to write down ideas, contact information or even questions has become crucial. Finally, the sunglasses are for the weather in California. After growing up in the Midwest and then spending four years in Boston, it wasn’t difficult to get used all the sunshine out here!

Tags: Boston, girls in tech, GIT, Google, San Francisco, social media, social networking, tech, women, women in tech
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As we venture into 2010, I can’t help but get excited about new and innovative internet tools and resources that will launch this year, which will help us become more efficient, effective and productive, both professionally and personally. In 2009, there were certainly a lot of cool tools that served as fantastic resources for my very active lifestyle, and I’m sure that they will continue to be useful in the coming years. Check out my list and please comment on sites and web resources that were useful to you this year!

Be a Better Networker

LinkedIn

Facebook

Squidoo

Ning

Twitter

Organize Your Finances

LearnVest

Mint.com

BillShrink

Find That Perfect Vacation

TripIt

RUBA

Tripwiser

TripCart

TripAdvisor

Kayak

Entertain Yourself

Yelp

Craigslist

DapperUp

Bargain Shop Online

Shopittome

Sale.com

Weardrobe

Chictopia

GiltGroup

Polyvore

Tags: Adriana Gascoigne, BillShrink, Chitopia, Craigslist, DapperUp, facebook, GiltGroup, girls in tech, Kayak, LearnVest, linkedin, Mint, Ning, Online resources, Polyvore, RUBA, Sale.com, Shopittome, Squidoo, Tripadvisor, Tripcart, TripIt, Tripwiser, twitter, Weardrobe, women, Yelp
Posted in All Chapters | 11 Comments »

It has been found that adolescent girls are uniquely capable of raising the standard of living in developing countries. Girls are the most likely agents of change, as they have so much potential, but are too often invisible to the world & the media. That’s why the Nike Foundation, along with intellectual and financial contributions from the NoVo Foundation created The Girl Effect.
With partners like the United Nations Foundation and the International Center for Research on Women, they are working to bring these girls’ stories to light and raise money and awareness to help change their futures through education.

Why girls? Because when adolescent girls in the developing world have a chance, they can be a strong, powerful force of change for themselves, their families, their communities, their countries, and even the world.

Now here are some statistics that may surprise you:
For example: Did you know that an extra year of primary school raises a girl’s lifetime wages by 10-20% & an extra year of secondary school, by 15-25%?
And that one-fourth of the population in Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Sub-Saharan Africa are girls?
If you’d like to help give these girls a chance by joining the Girl Effect movement, you can do so:
Either on their Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/girleffect#/girleffect?v=info
or their website:
http://www.girleffect.org/.

For more statistics, see their factsheet at: http://www.girleffect.org/downloads/TheGirlEffect_FactSheet.pdf

Tags: change, commuity, developing world, Girls, Global, women
Posted in All Chapters, San Francisco | No Comments »

Momologie, a national e-newsletter launched this past week, spearheaded by two gals who practically define “girls in tech.”

Michele Adams and Gia Russo, former editors at Martha Stewart Living, contributors to Fit Pregnancy, and founders of the successful MiGi brand, launched Momologie.com, a free e-newsletter and website where women who subscribe receive a daily message in their e-mail inbox featuring information for busy moms. Topics include home, style, organization, food, celebrations and travel. Momologie was founded on the principal to be a trusted online resource and community for tech savvy moms interested in making the quality of their family life a priority.

The mom-blog craze has captured the attention of even mainstream media and Momologie is a one-stop online mommy mecca. In addition to their web site and newsletter, they can also be found on Facebook and Twitter (@momologie).

Christine Kirk is the Online Communications Director at Murphy O’Brien Public Relations in Los Angeles executing social media campaigns for luxury brands including travel, real estate and food/beverage clients. She also holds the position of PR Manager for the Los Angeles chapter of Girls in Tech. She can be reached at ckirk@murphyobrien.com or @luxuryprgal.

Tags: e-newsletters, girls in tech, momologie, Moms, online communities, women
Posted in Los Angeles | 1 Comment »