U
D

Conversation

the

05/18/12 | Uncategorized

Female Founders Who Celebrated A Startup Acquisition

Startup acquisitions make news! Celebrate the women starting and exiting companies in technology.

By Angie Chang (Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Women 2.0)

We at Women 2.0 are often asked for names of notable women for magazines (lists), newspaper articles (press), conferences (speakers), etc. We catalog lists of women entrepreneurs to watch each Friday, putting out a fresh list each Friday (and asking you to help us finish the list!).

This Friday, we celebrate women who have started technology companies and celebrated an exit in recent memory. Whether this is a merger or acquisition, these happening make news – they get on the newswire, the acquisition makes headlines, and women in technology everywhere cheer on the success of female founderswho have demonstrated success – and made waves doing it.

Here are a list of female founders of tech startups who have been acquired in the last few years:


adaAda Chen Rekhi (Co-Founder, Connected)

Product marketer Ada Chen Rekhi co-founded Connected in April 2011 to provide contact management without the work. Connected was acquired by LinkedIn in October 2011 for an undisclosed amount. Follow Ada on Twitter at @adachen.

 

Alexis Ringwald (Co-Founder, Valence Energy)
Fulbright scholar Alexis Ringwald co-founded energy management software company Valence Energy. Valence Energy was acquired by Serious Materials in September 2010 for an undisclosed amount. Follow her on Twitter at @alexisringwald.

 

Alicia Morga (Founder & CEO, Consorte)
Latina entrepreneur Alicia Morga founded Consorte in 2005, a VC-backed digital media company focused on the Hispanic market. Consorte was acquired by Audience Science in May 2010 for an undisclosed amount. Follow her on Twitter at @aliciamorga.


amitaAmita Paul (Founder & CEO, Objective Marketer)

Social marketing guru Amita Paul founded Objective Marketer in 2009, placing as a finalist at PITCH 2010. Objective Marketer was acquired by Emailvision in 2010 for an undisclosed amount. Follow her on Twitter at @amitapaul.


aniieAnnie Chang (Co-Founder & Head of Products, LOLapps)

“Don’t be fooled by the name of her startup” warned Fast Company. In 2008, Annie Chang co-founded LOLapps, a leading yet under-the-radar social apps publisher. LOLapps was acquired by 6waves for an undisclosed amount in July 2011. Follow her on Twitter at @lolapps.

 

Cathy Edwards (Co-Founder & CTO, Chomp)
In 2009, CTO Cathy Edwards co-founded app search engine Chomp, building the proprietary algorithm and launching on iPhone in January 2010 and on Android in February 2011. Chomp was acquired by Apple for $50 million in February 2012. Follow her on Twitter at @cathye.

 

Joyce Kim (Co-Founder & CEO, Soompi)
Former lawyer Joyce Kim co-founded Soompi in 2006, a Korean entertainment community website. Soompi was acquired by Seoul-based company Enswers for an undisclosed amount. Follow her on Twitter at @joyce.

 

leahLeah Culver (Co-Founder, Pownce)
Django evangelist and developer Leah Culver co-founded social networking web service Pownce in 2007. Pownce was acquired by blog giant Six Apart for an undisclosed amount in 2008. Follow her on Twitter at @leahculver.

 

lucyLucy Zhang (Co-Founder & President, Beluga)
Former Google software engineer and mobile developer Lucy Zhang co-founded group messaging app Beluga in 2010. Beluga was acquired by Facebook in March 2011 for an undisclosed amount. Follow her on Twitter at @lucidlogic.

 

mathildaMathilde Pignol (Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer, ZipZapPlay)
User researcher, interaction designer and creative director Mathilde Pignol co-founded ZipZapPlay in 2007. ZipZapGames was acquired by Seattle-based PopCap Games for an undisclosed amount in April 2011. Follow her on Twitter at @bluebutterfly.

 

Prerna Gupta (Co-Founder & CEO, Khush)
Atlanta-based Prerna Gupta co-founded Khush in 2009 to develop intelligent music apps and led her startup to profitability. Khush was acquired by Smule in December 2011 for a “eight-figure deal” in cash and stock. Follow her on Twitter at @prernagupta.

 

Rashmi Sinha (Co-Founder & CEO, SlideShare)
Social software and interface designer SlideShare CEO Rashmi Sinha co-founded SlideShare in 2006 to share documents online. SlideShare was acquired by LinkedIn for $118M in May 2012. Follow her on Twitter at @rashmi.


ruchiRuchi Sanghvi (Co-Founder, Cove)

Facebook’s first female engineer Ruchi Sanghvi left Facebook to start stealth collaboration startup Cove in 2011. Dropbox acquired Cove in February 2012 for an undisclosed amount. Follow her on Twitter at @rsanghvi.

 

saknaSakina Arsiwala (Co-Founder, Campfire Labs)
To change the way people think of social interactions in the real world and online, Sakina Arsiwala co-founded Campfire Labs in November 2009. Groupon acquired Campfire Labs in December 2011 for an undisclosed amount. Follow her on Twitter at @heysakina.

 

suzanneSuzanne Xie (Founder & CEO, Weardrobe)
Former analyst Suzanne Xie founded Weardrobe in 2008. Weardrobe was acquired by Like.com for an undisclosed amount, then Like was acquired by Google in 2010 for a rumored $100 million. Follow her on Twitter at @suzannexie.

 

Xochi Birch (Co-Founder & Board Member, Bebo)
Social network Bebo was co-founded in 2005 by Xochi Birch, a serial entrepreneur who started her career as a programmer. Bebo was acquired by AOL for $850 million in March 2008. Follow her on Twitter at @xb.

 

Wendy Tan White (Co-Founder & CEO, Moonfruit)
UK-based website and online shop builder Moonfruit was co-founded by CEO Wendy Tan White started the company with her husband in 2000. Moonfruit was acquired by Yell for $29 million in cash in May 2012. Follow her on Twitter at @wendytanwhite.

Know of more female founders of high-growth or high-tech companies who have celebrated an acquisition? Let us know in the comments below.

Photo credit: Toilet Fodder.

Angie Chang co-founded Women 2.0 in 2006. She currently serves as Editor-In-Chief of Women 2.0 and is working to mainstream women in high-growth, high-tech entrepreneurship. Previously, Angie held roles in product management and web UI design. In 2008, Angie launched Bay Area Girl Geek Dinners, asking that guys come as the “+1” for once. Angie holds a B.A. in English and Social Welfare from UC Berkeley. Follow her on Twitter at @thisgirlangie.

Anne-Gail Moreland

Anne-Gail Moreland

Anne-Gail Moreland, an intern with Women 2.0, was on the StartupBus. She studies neuroscience at Mount Holyoke College, where she is trying to merge a passion for tech and the brain into a new wave of cognition-based technology

Straight to your inbox.

The best content on the future faces of tech and startups.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

SHARE THIS STORY

NEW COHORT STARTS JANUARY 2024

Join the Angel Sessions

Develop strategic relationships, build skills, and increase your deal flow through our global angel group and investing course.

RELATED ARTICLES
[yarpp]