Girls In Tech

If you happen to be one of the lucky ones in Austin for SXSW Interactive, please visit the Women Techies United booth, (#219) where we are represented along with the following great women’s organizations:

• Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology enables technical women in industry and academia to advance in their careers through its resources and programs.
• Astia is committed to building women leaders and accelerating the funding and growth of high-potential, high-growth, women-led startups.
• DevChix is an organization for women software developers currently we have 300+ members across 15 countries.
• Digital Sistas provides technology education and enrichment for young girls and women who are traditionally underserved.
• Girls in Tech (you know…us!) is an organization focused on women’s entrepreneurial and innovative achievements in technology.
• LinuxChix is a community for women who like Linux and Free Software, and for women and men who want to support women in computing.
• NCWIT is the National Center for Women & Information Technology is a coalition of 200 corporations, academic institutions, government agencies, and non-profits working to increase women’s participation in information technology (IT).
• She’s Geeky organizes Unconferences around North America connecting women in tech & STEM fields.
• Women 2.0’s vision is to be a catalyst for innovation, mobilizing a global community of women entrepreneurs seeking to advance the world through technology.
• Women Who Tech champions women in technology and social media who use their tech savvy skills to transform the world and inspire change.

and…

• Women Techies United brings together 10 different women in tech organizations & events.  Their booth will run panels, events and other happenings at SXSW & beyond.

So all ya’ll head over and say “hi” if you are at the conference or will be there!

***Girls in Tech would like to thank Sanford Dickert for his support in making our presence at the booth possible. (You can check out his website at: http://whoissanford.com/.  Thank you, Sanford!

(Also thanks go to David Hou and Lan Nguyen from DramaFever.com for creating the Women United logo. — We greatly appreciate your stellar creativity!)

Since many of us are aware of just how often women’s contributions to the tech world go unnoticed, we wanted to give all of you a chance to help change that.  Here’s how:  March 24 is Ada Lovelace Day. — This is an international day of blogging (videologging, podcasting, comic drawing, etc.) to celebrate our unsung heroines, whatever they do.  It doesn’t matter how new or old your blog is, what gender you are, what language you blog in, or what you normally blog about – everyone is invited to join in this effort.

Just sign the pledge at: http://findingada.com/ and publish your blog post any time on Wednesday March 24th,  2010. From our past blogs on Dr. Grace Hopper and others, we know that there are many of these women in tech out there that are worthy of and due our tributes for the accolades they have received and accomplishments they have achieved.  Local and current figures in the tech world who you know, we would also love to hear about!  You are invited to tell the world about these unsung heroines, whatever they do!

Who was Ada?

Ada Lovelace was one of the world’s first computer programmers, and one of the first people to see computers as more than just a machine for doing sums. She wrote programs for Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, a general-purpose computing machine, despite the fact that it was never built.  She also wrote the very first description of a computer and of software.

Join the movement & post your blog!

Today is International Women’s Day and to celebrate, Girls in Tech would like to invite you to share in he International Museum of Women (IMOW) project “Women on the Map!”  IMOW will spend this month compiling tributes to women who have made an impact in our lives.   They are recognizing the countless women who are changing the world for the better on a daily basis.  You can help by submitting your own “dedication” to someone who has made a difference in your life:  your mother, a colleague, mentor, or friend…

It’s an easy, free way to celebrate them and give them special recognition.  When you add your chosen inspiring woman her name and a message from you will appear alongside the names of hundreds of women across the globe. Their map will connect women across continents, creating a powerful visual representation of the vast, change-making impact women have on our world.  The result will be a powerful visual representation of the vast, change-making impact women have on our world.   To get started on your entry, click on their website, here.

You can also check out the inspiring stories of women around the world featured intheir current online exhibition, Economica: Women and the Global Economy. With topics like ‘Giving Women Credit’ and ‘Women’s Wealth’ it is a great way to find out how women are impacting our global economy.

See the globe when you visit their page at www.imow.org/economica/stories/map. (image and links courtesy imow.org)

After starting at Xerox as a summer intern at age 19, July 2009, brought Ursula M. Burns, through her prowess and performance, to a headline-grabbing milestone: Burns was installed as Xerox’s chief executive officer, becoming the first African American woman to take the helm of one of the nation’s largest publicly traded companies.  Recently, she was interviewed by Black Enterprise Business Report.  Says Burns: “It’s really is surprising to me just how impactful on the outside this [appointment] is, just how much responsibility therefore I have to represent well.”

To see the full interview, follow the link, here.

More women, changing history!

(Quote & video link courtesy of www.blackenterprise.com)

Women United in Philanthropy will host its 4th annual awards luncheon honoring women who have made a significant impact on their communities through philanthropic giving, advocacy, and volunteerism. The awards luncheon will be held on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 from 11: 00 AM to 2:00 PM at Cipriani 42nd Street.  The charity event will benefit the Women United Fund, which supports United Way of  New York City ’s youth empowerment initiatives.

WHO:   Keynote Speaker: Sallie L.  Krawcheck, President, Global Wealth & Investment Management, Bank of America

Honorees:  Peggy Blumenthal, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Institute of International Education; Kendall Farrell, Executive Director, Bottomless Closet; Arminda “Mindy” Figueroa, President and Founder, Latin2Latin  Marketing + Communications; and more…

WHAT:     4th Annual Women United in Philanthropy Awards Luncheon salutes exceptional women creating lasting change in our communities through their philanthropic giving, advocacy and volunteer efforts.

Women United in  Philanthropy is an all-volunteer group that taps into the power, talent and passion of women to transform our  communities.  Women United members are accomplished women leaders who have taken an active role in advancing the work of United Way of New York City .

WHEN:
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
11:00: VIP  Reception
12:00pm:    Luncheon
12:30pm: Sallie  L. Krawcheck keynote address followed by Awards Ceremony for Women United  Honorees

WHERE:
Cipriani 42nd Street
110 East 42nd Street
(Between Lexington & Park Avenues)
New York, New York
10017

For more information about the event or to learn about
Women United in Philanthropy, please visit www.womenunitedluncheon.org.

Building on the great success & feedback they received from last year’s life sciences forum, Springboard has launched AllThingsLifeSciences/CleanTech: 2010 earlier this month.  This is Springboard’s 20^th venture capital forum which will recruit, qualify, coach and support emerging growth ventures led by women in the life science and clean tech sectors.  The program will source, qualify, coach and showcase women-led emerging growth companies from the life sciences and clean tech sectors who are seeking equity capital for product development and expansion.

Since 2000, Springboard has produced 19 Venture Forums featuring over 400 women-led companies that have raised $5 billion in equity, grants and corporate investments and have provided positive returns for their investors, including 7 IPOs. This year’s program combines virtual access with in-person events in order to maximize and deepen the connections between program participants and Springboard’s international network of entrepreneurs, investors, sector experts and trusted business advisors.

Here are some examples of what a few of last year’s participants have accomplished:

·         Eso-Technologies raised $1 million in Series A funding, which will be put towards finalizing their prototype.  Investors include DaneVest Tech Fund and Phenomenelle Angels.

·         Michelle’s Miracle closed their first tranche of $1.5 million Series A financing.  Investors include Phenomenelle Angels and Fisher Properties.

·         Sequella was the recipient of a two-year, million dollar plus grant from the National Institute of Health to further develop SQ641, a new class of antibiotic, to be used to treat tuberculosis.

For more information or to apply to participate this year, click here.  Or to view a fact sheet on the program, go to: AllThingsLifeSciences/Cleantech 2010 Venture Forum Fact Sheet.

With 185 women earning a college degree at age 22, for every 100 men, women are now outpacing men in obtaining higher education, as they have been in the last few decades. (In a recent Times article stated, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.) Additionally, more women are now employed than men due to the fact that men are more likely to work in cyclical or declining sectors. Thus the question becomes: In light of this, how likely are women to choose to marry? And, are women changing their expectations of what the man would bring to a marriage?

Things have changed since our parents were marrying; and yet some things are still the same:  For example, in 1950, less than three-quarters of college-educated women had married by age 40, compared to 90% of their contemporaries who stopped schooling after high school.  These days, women who are college-educated are more likely to marry than their less-educated counterparts.  But they do tend to marry later in life, with only near 1/3 of them marrying by age 25.  Therefore, we are not marrying for the financial security, but more for the relationship itself.   As the Times article states, “the incentives to marry and form a family today are shifting from the old model of specialized and separate roles — a model that was less appealing for career-oriented women — to a new model focused on a shared vision for how to live one’s life.”  In this,  couples choose to marry on the basis of their shared visions of a balance of work, downtime, and family which are more suited to  each other.  As they each are earning an income, they are not dependent on the other in this way, causing less friction and less divorce, (according to one author in this article).

So in this case, women are no longer concerned about marrying someone with a higher earning potential than them.  They may be looking for someone who will, instead, have a better ability to share and take part in parenting tasks, for example.  They might also be looking for someone who will balance their stressful work life with hobbies that the two have in common to enjoy in their own time.

To read more about four specialists’ views on this topic, read the whole article, here.

Also, tell us your thoughts by leaving a comment, below.

(quote courtesy of New York Times, February 21, 2010.)

The Flash Gaming Summit is back for its 2nd year! Join in for a one day conference dedicated to fostering the growth and success of the Flash games community. The conference will bring together leaders in the flash game space to share industry insights and strategies on successful game design, development and monetization.

The program includes panel discussions plus a keynote by Jameson Hsu, CEO of Mochi Media. Other panelists include:

* Chris Hughes, FlashGameLicense.com

* Jim Greer, Kongregate

* Vikas Gupta, Social Gold

* Renaun Erickson, Adobe

* Mark Skaggs, Zynga

*David Stewart, Playdom

They will speak on topics such as “Money in Flash: Next Gen Monetization of Flash Games,”  “Everything About Sponsorship & Licensing” and “4 keys to a successful social game that all game developers should know.”

For more info. & to register, go to: http://www.flashgamingsummit.com/index.html

Jump to Register: click here

Ashoka’s Changemakers is looking for your great ideas that are catalyzing the economic advancement of women through technology. They hope you will join them for: Women | Tools | Technology: Building Opportunities & Economic Power, a collaboration in conjunction with ExxonMobil and the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW).

Changemakers® is a community of action where we all collaborate on solutions. They know they have the power to solve the world’s most pressing social problems.  They’re already doing it, one project, one idea at a time.

How do they do it? They talk about the issues, share stories and mentor, advise, and encourage each other in group forums, even engage in friendly competition.  (….That’s where you come in!)  They form surprising connections and unexpected partnerships across the globe that turn the old ways of problem solving upside down.  So, get involved & see why their mantra is “Everyone is a Changemaker.”

For details on the contest,click here:  http://www.changemakers.com/en-us/technologywomen for the Competition Summary.

There is an Early Entry Prize Deadline coming up on March 1^st, 2010 for a chance to win one of two early entry prizes. In addition to winning a digital camera, early entry prize winners will be featured in the Women in the World summit on March 12-13, 2010, and highlighted in Ashoka’s Changemakers publication. Enter by the final competition deadline on April 14^th, 2010 and have the chance to vie for one of three $5,000 prizes. Winners will also be invited to participate in a collaboration workshop with Ashoka’s Changemakers and ExxonMobil during summer 2010.  So, check it out — You may be the next “Changemaker” we talk about on GIT…

Some interesting statistics on virtual goods, courtesy of Social Gold by Jambool.

Social Gold is a full feature virtual economy platform that developers can use to create their currency systems, monetize it using in-game payments by Social Gold, and manage and grow their economy using Social Gold virtual economy analytics. Social Gold was founded by veterans from Amazon.com — people who built the foundational infrastructure for their e-commerce and web services, and who had gone on to build some of the most popular social games.

Use Social Gold to do many things, like: buy points for your favorite games on Facebook using credit cards, Amazon Payments, Google Checkout, PayPal or your mobile phone!
See more at: https://www.jambool.com/socialgold/home