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08/16/11 | Uncategorized

Bringing the Women 2.0 Revolution to SXSW 2012 – Please Vote!

By Veronika Sonsev (Founder & CEO, InSparq)
The tech industry has traditionally been a boys’ club — women have been under represented as developers, founders and c-level executives. However, thanks to traditional and social media, a network of loosely associated groups (Women 2.0, Change the Ratio, RailsBridge, Girls in Tech, Women in Wireless, etc.) and an army of women driven to change the ratio, we are starting to see some early signs of improvement:

  1. More women are pursuing computer science degrees.
  2. The number of startups lead by women is growing.

Increasing the number of women in tech has become a movement or a revolution of sorts. And although it is just the beginning, the lessons learned from the women in tech movement can be applied to any cause — whether you want a new bike lane in your NYC neighborhood or you’re on a mission to end world hunger.

Some of the leaders of the women in tech movement put together a panel for SXSW as a case study to teach civil-minded leaders how to start their own revolution and we would love your VOTE of support:

Starting a Revolution: Women in Tech

Speakers:

  • Shaherose Charania (Co-Founder & CEO, Women 2.0)
  • Tereza Nemessanyi (Co-Founder & CEO, Honestly Now)
  • Sara Holoubek (Founder & CEO, Luminary Labs)
  • Ilén Zazueta-Hall (Director of Leadership Development, RailsBridge)

Moderator:

  • Veronika Sonsev (Co-Chair & Founder, Women in Wireless)

In the old days, starting a revolution required armed guerillas, violent protest… and “fast” meant five to ten years. Today, a tweet or OpEd can circumvent the globe in seconds, instantly catalyzing a group of like-minded people to demand change.

While today’s revolution employs thoroughly modern means, it exhibits classic features as well. Using Women in Tech as a case study, we’ll explore how to use technology and new media to go from cause to full-fledged revolution, resulting in measurable change.

No matter the cause, the steps are the same:

  1. Voice the problem
  2. Build coalitions of support
  3. Grow awareness for the cause
  4. Develop groups to take action.

We’ll have with us the key players who tipped the scales, to talk about what happened and what’s to come.

Please vote for our panel for SXSW 2012!
Editor’s note: Everyone gets 10 votes for SXSW — Here are a few more panels worth voting for F*#k Talking About Women: Let’s Build Companies! and The Future of Interactive Health. Got more female founders on proposed SXSW panels? Share in the comments below.
About the guest blogger: Veronika Sonsev is the Founder and CEO of inSparq, a social communication company. She is also the Co-Chair and Founder of Women in Wireless. In her 12-year career as a business development and strategy executive for AOL and Jumptap, Veronika has built new business lines, developed strategic partnerships and launched international markets. She blogs at 12 Months to Launch. Follow her on Twitter at @vsonsev.

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