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Women In Technology – Past, Present, Future

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This week, I delivered two keynotes to middle school and high school girls interested in tech careers. By Gayle Laakmann McDowell (Founder & CEO, CareerCup)

The first one was for the Philadelphia area awards dinner for the Aspirations in Computing Award, and the second was for a wonderful event called Girls Exploring Tomorrow’s Technology. I’ve printed my message below which addresses why everyone - both boys and girls - should consider a technology career.

I wanted to talk to you today about why I think technology is such a great field to enter. But, first, I think I need to tell you a bit about who I am and how I got here.

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The Board Of Directors: Board Chemistry

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The importance of chemistry in your startup's board of directors. By Fred Wilson (Managing Partner, Flatiron Partners & Union Square Ventures)

One of the least discussed elements of a Board of Directors is the chemistry among the Board members. It is critical to a well functioning Board but not always considered in Board construction.

Like a well functioning startup or a top flight sports team, the chemistry between the participants on a Board must be strong. That doesn't mean they need to be best friends who hang out with each other outside of the job. It does mean they must respect each other and lean on each other's strengths to get to the right decisions.

When you are building a Board, you must think about

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How To Structure Your Early-Stage Startup

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How to structure your early-stage startup: founder equity, legal stuff, financial plans... By Rama Katkar (Co-Founder, Hipiti)

When you first set out to start a new company, it can be easy to get bogged down learning about all the things you didn’t even realize you needed to know. Serial entrepreneurs have an advantage, because they have been there and done that, so they can easily sidestep some of the early hurdles.

But if you’re a first-timer, you can waste a lot of energy focusing on seemingly small things that distract you from what you really want to be doing – building and executing your business idea.

When my co-founder and I recently set out

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3 Things About Mexican Startups That May Surprise Investors

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By Rebecca Lipon (Application & Judges Coordinator, PITCH Competition 2012) Last week I trekked up to the Microsoft’s San Francisco campus to see Mexican.VC's Demo Day. Mexico is not known for spawning Internet companies, but with our sister site, Ellas 2.0, we wanted to know what is happening in Mexico.

Mexican.VC styles itself as Silicon Valley’s first “discovery fund” for Mexico, providing an initial $20k capital boost to entrepreneurs. Why is this necessary? Early seed capital is often provided by a US entrepreneur’s credit card, but with limited access to personal credit in developing markets, a third party is needed to provide “discovery capital”. That is the role Mexican.VC is assuming

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Win A Free Ticket To Google I/O Developer Conference 2012!

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Win one of two FREE tickets to attend Google I/O developer conference! By Angie Chang (Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Women 2.0)

Women 2.0 is offering two FREE tickets ($900 value each) to attend the Google I/O developer conference. If you’re excited about meeting other developers who build using Google technology and want to learn about the newest technical developments from Google, this is your opportunity to go to Google I/O.

To apply for one of these tickets, tell us in 200 words or less why you think you should come to Google I/O 2012 in the comments below by Friday, April 13, 2012.

We’re looking for women who

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Calling All Female Game-Changers For Singularity University

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Scholarships are available to select female catalysts chosen to attend Singularity University. By Susan Fonseca (Founding Member, Singularity University & Founder, Women@TheFrontier)

Singularity University (SU), a Silicon Valley organization located at NASA Research Park in California seeks next-generation rock-stars to join this summer’s Graduate Studies Program 2012 (GSP12).

Every summer, SU selects 80 top students from around the world to join the GSP class. Our students comprise a diverse set of forward-thinking minds with entrepreneurial experience and a passion for solving the biggest challenges.

Apply today! Deadline to apply is March 31, 2012.

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What I Learned From Pitching At SXSW’s Dolphin Tank

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The most important lesson was embracing failures as learning experiences. By Misty Gibbs (Founder & CEO, Empower Lounge)

I had the great opportunity to pitch Empower Lounge at SXSW for Startup America Women's The Dolphin Tank.

What did I learn with only two minutes to pitch the panel of judges who happen to be ALL women, a rare opportunity for a female founder? Less is more. More is better. Less is more about the "why" behind your product. I spent most of the two minutes sharing research and what I learned first-hand about what smart women really crave from the digital world to build the case for the pain Empower Lounge

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Startup Founder Life: Breaking Free From Fear Of Failure

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I’ve heard Arianna Huffington refer to fear of failure as the obnoxious roommate in her head. By Joanne Lang (Founder & CEO, AboutOne)

As a startup founder, I’ve come to expect new and interesting experiences on a regular basis. It’s part of what makes being an entrepreneur so exciting.

Not long ago, James Logan, Program Director for the Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry, asked me to be the keynote speaker at their Annual Small Business Dinner. I’d never given a keynote before, and like many people, I find public speaking a bit unsettling. However, another wonderful aspect of being an entrepreneur is the amazing support I regularly receive

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6 Lessons The Girl Scouts Can Teach Entrepreneurs

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Solid business skills sold with each box of Girl Scout Cookies! By Geri Stengel (Founder, Ventureneer)

When you sign up for a box of Thin Mints or Samoas, do you realize that you just helped an entrepreneur-in-training? And that she and the 100-year-old Girl Scout organization may have some ideas that could help your business. Every year, Girl Scout troops across the nation set up small businesses and learn some timeless lessons in basic entrepreneurship.

Maybe that’s why more than two-thirds of US Congresswomen have “Girl Scout” on their resumes and 80% of women business owners were Girl Scouts.

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If A Tree Falls In The Woods, Will Android Send You An Ad For Stump Grinders?

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Google applies for patent to sniff your environment to send you more relevant ads. By Mellisa Tolentino (Staff Writer, SiliconAngle)

If you’re wondering why Android apps have more in-app ads than iOS, the answer is simple: Android developers rely on ads for their revenue. But what’s troubling with in-app ads is the fact that it makes users’ information available for advertisers to see and use.

“Due to the fact that ad libraries are incorporated into the host apps that use them, they in essence form a symbiotic relationship,” said a study from North Carolina State University. “Based on such relationship, an ad library can effectively leverage it and naturally inherit all permissions

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Showcasing My Startup At SXSW

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Buyvite showcases at Tech Cocktail at SXSW 2012. By Brandy Wimberly (Founder & CEO, Buyvite)

What an awesome adventure SXSW has been for Buyvite! We were honored to present our company at two great events and the exposure we gained from showcasing our software was unmatched. We’re so grateful to Startup America and Tech Cocktail for the invites and glad that we’re now a little wiser about the whole SXSW experience.

I was definitely not prepared for my first night which consisted of scrambling for parking during a torrential downpour in an unfamiliar city (I drive like a Yankee, apologies to

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Crowdfunding Wild West Transitions To Tamed Frontier: JOBS Act Approved By Senate

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The Senate approved (73-26) the JOBS Act (HR 3606) with CROWDFUND Act (S. 2190) amendments. By Candace Klein (Founder & CEO, Bad Girl Ventures & SoMoLend)

Under the JOBS Act, entrepreneurs will be able to raise up to $1 million per year through online crowdfunding platforms like my company, SoMoLend, and such others as Peerbackers and Crowdfunder. The bill includes added protection for non-accredited investors. The amount investors will be able to lend depends on their income, with some individuals capped at $2,000.

There was much debate on the House bill, primarily around issues of fraud and investor protection. Frankly, as the founder of a crowdfunding platform that could have benefited from the House bill, I should have been wholly and solely supportive

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Does Big Data Have A Story Beyond Geeks?

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What's your big data story? By Kristen Nicole (Senior Editor, SiliconAngle)

During my trip to Austin for SXSW 2012, I wanted to uncover this year’s big data story, and determine the areas to which big data can still be applied. SXSW is a unique instance of merging cultures, technology and marketing themes, pitting mainstream appeal against the festival’s coveted air of exclusivity. That makes it an interesting stage for something like big data, which often operates behind the scenes, and in many ways is still considered an emerging technology.

As big data finds its foothold beyond being a buzz word towards becoming a business solution, the range of industries

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Meet The Women Founders Of Start-Up Chile

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By Tara Roberts (Co-Founder, girltank & Contributor, The Next Web) Picture a group of female lone rangers, each silhouetted against the setting sun with broad-rimmed hats tilted sideways to shadow their faces and holsters slung low around curvy waists. Then listen for that sound – you know it – the high-note whistle in American westerns that signals you’re watching a badass and something dangerous is about to happen.

This rather stereotypical representation of a rebel... is not such a terrible way to characterize the empowered and stalwart women founders in Start-Up Chile.

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The Hunger Games – A Hopeful Vision For The Future

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By Joan C. Williams & Rachel Dempsey (Authors, The New Girls' Network) I almost don't want to write this post, because it brings attention to something I'd much rather be ignored. In the frenetic lead-up to the March 23 opening of The Hunger Games, there are articles about the movie's restrictive costumes, about its "futuristic Appalachian" soundtrack, about its similarities with a Japanese film called Battle Royale. But few of them focus on one key point:

The Hunger Games is about a girl.

And not just any girl. The main character of the movie (and the novels that came before) is a badass teenager named Katniss

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The Women 2.0 Editorial Staff.