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Lack of Focus (Startup Lesson Learned)

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By Jennifer Toney (Founder & CEO, WeMakeItSafer) When Cass asked if I would be willing to write a post for FailCon, I was honored and pleased to oblige. WeMakeItSafer was part of the very first FailCon demo pit. Back then, we weren’t much more than an idea. I remember showing up to the conference very “underdressed” with our poster-board and alpha (read: not pretty) website.

Soon after, we began blazing a trail, or make that two trails. Our goal was, and is, to be an information hub for manufacturers, retailers and consumers –- a place where important information gets to the people who need it in a timely manner without compromising

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Take Our Daughters to Tech Events (Change The Ratio)

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By CV Harquail (Blogger, Authentic Organizations) What is the best, purest way to get more girls interested in tech (and more women employed in tech)?

Get them deeply interested in what tech can do and what problems tech can help us solve.

When girls (and boys) become genuinely interested and genuinely curious, they will pursue careers in tech not because ‘that’s where the jobs are” or because “that’s what smart people do”, but because that’s what they *want* to do.

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15 Female Founders and CEOs to Watch at the Springboard 2011

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By Amy Millman (Co-Founder & President, Springboard Enterprises) Last week, Mark Suster and Gina Bianchini called attention to some of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to women in tech: “Why Aren’t There More Female Entrepreneurs?” and “Is there a Female Mark Zuckerburg?”

Whenever this happens, we know Women 2.0 will respond with a list of female founders to watch.

This time, we thought we'd help by announcing 15 female founders of digital media and technology companies

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How Steve Jobs Inspired Me (Permission to Dream)

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By Elizabeth Boylan (Art Director, VectorBloom Technologies) Apple was founded 35 years ago, the same month I was born. I went a round-about route from studying chemistry, business and then fine art, to happening upon Jobs' Stanford commencement speech when I was a new mother 3 years ago. I watched it on my MacBook Pro.

The lessons Steve presented about connecting the dots and following your dreams came as a relief as I wasn't sure if I had wasted time chasing after passing interests in my twenties. I was at home with a very young daughter and no definite way to provide for myself financially in a career I loved.

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Five Sources of Funding for Startups (VCs Aren’t One of Them)

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By Anisha Sekar (Director of Marketing, NerdWallet) Receiving funding from a venture capitalist has it's perks: not only do you suddenly have a substantial cushion, but you also get the VC'ss support, experience, advice, likely extensive contact list, and sometimes even space and physical capital. But taking venture funding has its downsides.

The immediate (and much-discussed) drawback is that accepting VC funding means ceding both equity and control over your company. Now, you’re responsible to someone whose drive for profit might not be aligned with your personal goals, and your

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Startup Open Names “GEW 50” for Global Entrepreneurship Week

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By Elissa Rose (Assistant Editor, Women 2.0) In the search to find tomorrow's job creators, Startup Open, a competition that searches for startups with the greatest growth potential, unveiled the "GEW 50."

The GEW 50 is a list of the world's 50 most innovative new companies who will now vie for a host of prizes to be announced on November 14, timed with the kick-off to the 2011 Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW).

GEW is a global celebration

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Applying Rooney Rule to Women in Leadership (Just Win Baby)

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By Laura Yecies (CEO, SugarSync) I’m a regular reader of Mark Suster’s blog “Both Sides of the Table”. He wrote a post last week on one of my favorite topics “Why Aren’t there More Female Entrepreneurs”.

He brings up some interesting points on his women role models and positive experience with women entrepreneurs – so far so good. The problem was that I clicked on this link to an interview that Pemo Theodore did with him on the subject of women entrepreneurs. Talk about feeling punched in the stomach. I suggest readers take a look at the clip for themselves but

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Ellie Cachette on Building Tables and Creating More Seats

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By Leslie Bradshaw (Co-Founder & President, JESS3) I first met Ellie Cachette through a mutual friend and fellow entrepreneur, Nick O’Neill, and later came to know her thanks to a long weekend at sea through Summit Series. Her company, ConsumerBell, has been one of the few startups that I’ve been introduced to that has been so clear in its vision (making recalls easier), signed up top tier clients and investors, and already had case studies and revenue clocked before most startups even have a prototype.

Once you read Ellie’s philosophy and approach, it will all make perfect sense why they are out of the gates so strong.

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Women 2.0 Receives Corporate Sponsorship from Kauffman Foundation to Fuel Growth of Female-Led Innovation

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Sponsorship will support blog network, educational resources, programs and events to launch successful, scalable, innovative ventures for female entrepreneurs Media Contact: Shaherose Charania (Co-Founder & CEO, Women 2.0)

Women 2.0 today announced that the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, one of the world's largest organizations devoted to entrepreneurship, has provided corporate sponsorship to support Women 2.0 initiatives to increase the number of technology companies founded by women. Kauffman’s sponsorship will enable Women 2.0 to expand its educational resources to the female entrepreneur community via a blog network of relevant content and the expansion of global networking events such as Founder Friday.

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Where Are The Power-Brokers in American Women Entrepreneurs

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By Geri Stengel (Founder & President, Ventureneer) The Forbes list of the World’s Most Powerful Women includes no American-born entrepreneurs. Yes, it includes corporate execs, high government officials, and celebrities who leveraged their fame into businesses but no one who started a small business that became a huge business.

Where are the Billie Jean Gates and Marcella Zuckerbergs? I’m an entrepreneur and a woman. Where are my role models on this list?

Around #20 that you see a female entrepreneur --

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What is High-Growth Entrepreneurship’s Secret Sauce? (Video)

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By Angie Chang (Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Women 2.0) The Kauffman Foundation released an animated sketchbook video illustrating the importance of finding the "magic sauce" for startup success.

The video points out that "nearly 700,000 new businesses start every year, but the failure rate is high and many of them are not creating jobs," and asks, "How do we make those firms more successful at the outset?" President and CEO Carl Schramm of the Kauffman Foundation narrates:

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