By Natalie MacNeil (Co-Founder, YEC Women) The following answers are provided by YEC Women. Co-Founded by Natalie MacNeil and Scott Gerber, YEC Women is an initiative of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs.
By Nilofer Merchant (Contributing Writer, Harvard Business Review) Once again, the topic of women on boards is getting play.
Most of Facebook’s 800 million users are women, but all of its seven directors are men. It’s such a big disconnect that it makes one question if their strategy is fundamentally wrong.
There’s plenty of research already out there that proves that it makes good business sense, so in my mind this is not about women’s equity as much as it is about being smart and building a company for the long haul.
... Read More... By Dana Rosenberg (Startup Enthusiast, Self) For startups, the design element is becoming more important than ever. Consumers are developing an appreciation for design that is driving their purchase and engagement decisions. Simultaneously, the expanding global market for mobile and interactive web services is creating a need for designers to take on new interfaces and evolving challenges.
Startups like Flipboard and Pulse are heralded for their great user experience and sleek designs, while Massive Health and Instagram capitalize on great design to drive photo-sharing
... Read More... The OPEN Women Leadership Forum (February 11, 2012 in Mountain View, CA) is a one day conference all about reinventing yourself for a new successful future, and for new opportunities to brand and re-brand yourself in these changing times. Women 2.0's Angie Chang will be speaking at this event and participating in lunchtime mentoring. Network with an impressive group of leaders and entrepreneurs belonging to technology, finance, social enterprise, medicine, and social media
... Read More... By Carissa Ganelli (Founder & CEO, Commerce Drivers) Occasionally I get this question. So, let me clarify. I don’t want to be an entrepreneur. I already am one.
There was the flowered crown business I started while I was an undergrad at Bryn Mawr in which I made, wait for it, flowered crowns to sell to my fellow students for the annual May Day celebration.
As you can imagine the market wasn’t that big, it was an incredibly seasonal business, and the time to sale was 365 days. On the plus side, I held no inventory, took orders with payments
... Read More... By Angie Chang (Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Women 2.0) Jezebel nominates "lady innovators Best Buy could've put in its Super Bowl ad" on Sunday.
Jezebel blogger Anna North points out that this ad showcased a bunch of male tech innovators. She writes:
"Let's give them the benefit of the doubt — maybe those poor ad execs just didn't know how to find cool women in tech. So we did the work for them. Here are ten awesome ladies they could've featured."
Here are the "lady innovators" who deserve air time
... Read More... By Whitney Johnson (Founding Partner, Rose Park Advisors) She’s been described as Mark Zuckerberg’s most valuable friend, the key cog in the vast machinery of Facebook that makes everything else work. The one person without whom Facebook would have never gotten this close to an IPO, a woman who helped propel Mark Zuckerberg’s social experiment into a juggernaut.
Forget the question of why there are no women on Facebook’s board, how could Sheryl Sandberg not be?
Gobsmacked as I am at her omission, and recognizing that this may have been a severe pain point
... Read More... By Kelly Hoey (Co-Founder & Managing Director, Women Innovate Mobile) Just off a call with Brian Forde, Advisor to the United States CTO on Mobile and Data Innovation.
It was a "how do we get the word out to developers" call - obviously not a tough conversation when Women 2.0 is involved.
This app challenge has some beyond the usual government contest features, including an incredible line-up of judges who are reviewing the submissions (Nilofer Merchant and Joanne Wilson are two of the judges) and then there are some cool prizes
... Read More... By Angie Chang (Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Women 2.0) Bootstrapping your startup? Unemployed or underemployed? Still a student? We understand life has its ups and down.
Women 2.0 is working to keep the PITCH 2012 Conference & Competition affordable to all. You can apply for a deeply discounted ticket for PITCH - we will grant discounts on a need basis over the next week.
So tell your friends, neighbors and colleagues about PITCH and how we are keeping the conference accessible to all.
... Read More... By Fred Wilson (Managing Partner, Flatiron Partners & Union Square Ventures) A few weeks ago, I spent the day at NYU ITP at the Women Entrepreneurs Festival. This is a one day event put on by The Gotham Gal and her friend Nancy Hechinger who is on the faculty at NYU ITP.
In its second year, the WE Festival features a day of panels and talks featuring women entrepreneurs. Men can attend and do, but the stage is filled with women all day long. It's a very different experience from the typical startup/tech event and I highly recommend it to anyone who is eager to see more women doing startups.
... Read More... By Angie Chang (Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Women 2.0) Sheryl Sandberg is the name of the year, heralded the "$1.6 billion woman" by The New York Times over the weekend.
The New York Times piece touts Sandberg's successes but warns that "to some, Ms. Sandberg seems to suggest that women should just work harder while failing to acknowledge that most people haven’t had all the advantages that she’s had", citing Sylvia Ann Hewlett (Director, Gender and Policy Program, Columbia University) as saying:
"I’m a huge fan of her accomplishments
... Read More...
