WITI (Women In Technology International), the world’s leading professional organization for executive women in technology, will truly inspire “Collaboration, Strategy and Growth” through hands on speaking engagements and panel discussions at the Annual WITI Women and Technology Summit in San Jose, CA September 12-14, 2010.
Top technology leaders from Clean Tech, Mobile, Search, Cloud, Social Media, and Business teach WITI Summit attendees how to capture and target more customers, build stronger relationships with existing customers and take advantage of the applications and tools to build a stronger web presence, increase revenue and streamline costs for their companies.
Girls in Tech Members receive a 20% discount!
Speakers and Panelists will Include:
 Sandy CarterVice President, Software Business Partners, IBM |
 Nilofer MerchantEntrepreneur, CEO & Chief Strategist, Rubicon Consulting |
 Kathy ChouVP, PSG Americas Sales Strategy & Operations, Hewlett Packard |
 Bernadette NixonSenior Vice President, Global Field Marketing, CA |
 Bernard GoldenCEO, HyperStratus |
 Sally JenkinsVice President, Worldwide Marketing, Symantec |
 Vanessa AlvarezIndustry Analyst, Frost & Sullivan |
 Ghennipher WeeksCo-Founder, Applied Connectioneering, Inc |
Click Here for a Complete Schedule of Events!
Including The 15th Annual WITI Hall of Fame Awards
Join WITI as we honor key women innovators from science and technology on Monday, September 13th in the Silicon Valley. Katie Boehret, reporter for The Wall Street Journal, will serve as MC. This year’s honorees will be:
 Sandy CarterVice President, IBM Software Group Business Partners |
 Dr. Ruth DavidPresident and CEO, Analytic Services Inc. |
 Dr. Adele GoldbergFounding Chairman, ParcPlace Systems, Inc. |
 Dr. Susie WeeCTO, Client Cloud Services, Hewlett-Packard |
 Dr. Ruth WestheimerFellow, New York Academy of Medicine, Yale and Princeton Universities |
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Click Here for Details | Download the Press Release | Videos of Past Recipients |
Register Now! use discount code: GITsum10 for 20% off!
Mountain View based start-up, Bizzy, is a new way for local businesses to share deals, events, tips and news with their customers.
Today they announced “What’s Happening” in San Francisco which provides us (consumers) with a listing of great offers, events and promotions from businesses in their city at any given time – all in one place.
On Bizzy, you create a customized list of your favorite local businesses and once you’re connected, your Bizzy homepage acts as a feed of updates, highlighting special deals and events from the businesses you’ve selected. All of the feed items are shareable on Facebook, Twitter and via e-mail providing an easy way for new customers to discover local businesses by learning from their friends’ experiences or from people with similar taste.
What I love about it is the fact that my inbox isn’t being bombarded with 20% off deals and the like. When I am ready to make plans for the weekend, want to shop, or whatever – I can go to Bizzy to see whats going on in San Francisco.
Wondering what to do this weekend? Take a look at “What’s Happening” in San Francisco: http://bizzy.com/happening/sf
Bizzy is also available in NYC and Dallas and I can’t wait for it to launch in Santa Cruz 
Last week was a bitter sweet moment for me and my time with Girls in Tech, San Francisco. It was my last event with 
the chapter before I relocate next month, but it was by far my personal favorite! I sat down in front of an oh-so-fashionable audience and had a conversation with the amazing San Francisco fashion blogger Jennine Jacob of The Coveted.
My first blog post for Girls in Tech was about Jennine and her blog that I just fell in love with and visited daily to get the scoop on outfit ideas, new designers, local shops and more. I thought, what better way to end my years volunteering for Girls in Tech with one-on-one talk with Jennine to learn about her successful blog, her amazing Independent Fashion Bloggers Network and other ventures she’s starting.
Jennine modestly walked us through her blogging career that we all see as an amazing success. She is well-known in the San Francisco blogger community, was just featured in San Francisco’s 7×7 Magazine and IFB has a huge membership and is actively involved in New York Fashion Week.
She explained that The Coveted was not an overnight success, but something she worked at for a long time and built her following organically. She gave inspirational tips for new bloggers on how to gain readership, how to get involved in their online communities and how to best monetize their blogs without ads splashed all over.
It was a great event that I was looking forward to after months of execution and planning. I thank Jennine for taking the time to share her journey with our Girls in Tech San Francisco members and other local aspiring bloggers.
Thanks also to the Sandbox Suites for the fantastic venue and to Laura Jane Iriarte for photographing the event! Take a look!
“Now who says fashion isn’t an intellectual discipline?” Jennine asks her readers who are devoted to Coveted. Not many would disagree that there’s much to be said about Cynthia Rowley’s resort collection, or if anyone will be gutsy enough to rock a head dress, and how a buy/sell/trade store can be a treasure chest of finds. Although Jennine advises, “… it’s not worth it to buy used Forever21…even though I have done it.”
She is not a designer at Karl Lagerfeld’s studio writing from lofty industry knowledge. Her honesty, candor, and some self deprecating humor has pulled readers into her world of fashion which is relevant, relate-able, and fun. Her captivating and witty writing style along with her knowledge of the industry (mainly through being a shopaholic and world traveler) makes readers feel like they are like minded fashionistas too with the same realities. “I knew I wanted to wear makeup as long as I could remember, but applying it was always another story.”
Jennine has taken a life long passion and grown it through the beautiful, intricate, and accessible world of technology. The Coveted has been featured on Glamour, IQONs, Modepass, and Pronto and she has since founded the Independent Fashion Bloggers Network. It is what can happen when you combine passion, talent, and technology and it could be you! Fashion Police and Fashion Criminals alike will benefit from learning about Jennine’s path to blogging success.
She has a chronic dilemma though “….muffin top! Every time I wear jeans, it always boils down to a choice between muffin top or saggy bottom.” Jennine’s dedication to denim has inspired another blog called Eat Sleep Denim. Where will this end? What is the future for Jennine? How will she scale her business? I’m excited to find the answers at the Girls in Tech event July 21st. Are you?
A special thanks to our hosts Sandbox Suites, Bay Area’s premier provider of affordable, flexible, on-demand shared office space for entrepreneurs, independent professionals and small businesses. What better place to corral a group of budding entrepreneurs?
Blogger Spotlight: Jennine Jacob of The Coveted
Wednesday, July 21, 2010 from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (PT)
Sandbox Suites 123 10th Street, San Francisco
Get all the details and buy your tickets now by clicking HERE
ChicMeetsGeek hits San Francisco again this Thursday, June 3rd at the Auttomatic Lounge. Every ChicMeetsGeek event features a nonprofit beneficiary; this time, the chic and geek communities will come together to benefit the Glide Foundation, an organization that helps San Francisco’s poor and marginalized populations overcome the barriers of poverty and violence.
Come dressed for a fabulous night out, but prepare to be inspired during the conference-like panel of speakers including geeky ladies, chic gentlemen, and – of course – surprise performers as well. Guests will have the opportunity to interact with speakers through an exclusive Q&A session. As the night goes on, the glamor comes out with a dazzling fashion show and silent auction. All throughout the evening, beverages will flow freely at the open bar, alongside hand-crafted hor-d’oeuvres (and to satiate the sophisticated San Franciscan palate, bacon and truffles will also make a unique appearance). Special guests and speakers include:
• Jay Nicolas Sario – Designer & Project Runway contestant
• Charlie Ayers – Author & Executive Chef
• Raul Navalta (aka RJ KoolRaul) – America’s Best Dance Crew contestant
• Joel Goodrich – San Francisco Philanthropist and Socialite
• Sukhinder Singh Cassidy – CEO of Polyvore
• Lily Kanter – Co-Founder & CEO of Serena and Lily
• Victoria Ransom – Co-Founder & CEO of WildFire App
• Wendy Lea – CEO of Get Satisfaction
• Amy Muller – Co-Founder of Get Satisfaction
So grab a ticket to expand beyond your social circle, and help change lives while you’re at it. As a special offer for the first ten Girls in Tech members to register, get 20% off with this discount code: GirlsInTechRock.
While the evening will be livestreamed here, the event is an immersive experience (when else could you see Dave McClure dance to Lady GaGa?), so come out if you can!
Chic Meets Geek: Breaking Barriers
Auttomatic Lounge
Pier 38
San Francisco, CA
Thursday, June 03, 2010
5:30 PM – 10:30 PM
The 9-5 grind is gone. How we work, who we work for, and when we do it are more flexible, but also more complicated. That’s why two freelancers from Santa Cruz, Shane Pearlman and Margaret Rosas put together the first Freelance Camp back in 2008.
Their mission: help independent consulting professionals be in business for themselves, not by themselves.
Freelance Camp’s one-day un-conferences, organized independently and run from the barcamp.org playbook have taken place on three continents for three years and now San Francisco’s own Freelance Camp will take place on June 5th at the NextSpace Coworking San Francisco, 28 2nd Street, 3rd Floor.
Tickets are available on Eventbrite http://freelancecamppro2010sf.eventbrite.com/.
Run by a local team of volunteers, and always organized for the benefit of the local freelancing community and not for profit, all proceeds (net of expenses) are donated to the organizer’s nonprofit of choice. So far, all the events have included breakfast, a working lunch and an after party.
Freelance Camp takes a wide view on who exactly a freelancer is: if you’re a developer, designer, blogger or bookkeeper, great. Same story if you work as a Realtor, lawyer, carpenter, engineer, or inventor.
Due to popular demand, the organizers of Freelance Camp San Francisco 2010 have created a new sub-brand, Freelance Camp PRO. This “unconference” will target attendees who have been running a freelance business full time for a year or more. The event will be smaller (+/- 100), topics more advanced, and participation is expected to be at a higher level than the past camps.
The morning will kick off with coffee and pastries (yum), and a brainstorm of desired topics. Participants with something to contribute or a specific topic idea generate the breakout sessions which are then scheduled throughout the rest of the day. Freelance Camp PRO will culminate with an after party to further the networking and knowledge exchange in a casual, social setting.
Throughout the event, Freelance Camp PRO will share live tweets (@freelancecampsf and #freelancecamp) and updates to the Wiki page, so the fun and learning can be followed outside of the space.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, Girls in Tech is offering the fourth in a series of interviews with leaders in the technology field. Today, we’re featuring Sophie Farrell, account manager with Google Online Sales. Stay tuned for the final in our series of posts Leena Rao, TechCrunch.
Cheers,
The Boston GIT Team
1. What’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made and what did you learn from it that’s worth passing along to others?
While it can be uncomfortable to take a problem with a teammate and tackle it head on, I have found that the most difficult situations I have been in and the biggest mistakes I have made have come from times when I chose to shy away from a difficult conversation. These are times when just one meeting or discussion would have undoubtedly fixed the problem, repaired a line of communication or mitigated frustration before it grew into something bigger. If you see a problem or identify a teammate who is not holding up his or her end of a bargain, tackle the situation head on as quickly as you can – you’ll thank yourself later.
2. What’s your biggest success in the workplace?
Diversity of experience. I take great pride in the fact that, during my time at Google, I have had the opportunity to develop a variety of skills at work. Whether fulfilling the role of strategic advisor to my clients, mapping out the global roll out of a new Sales operation or partnering with marketing to drive user adoption across Google products, I have created and taken advantage of an array of opportunities. While these experiences have afforded me opportunities to succeed, I consider my greatest success to be the variety of situations that I have pushed myself to succeed in.
3. What’s your life or work motto?
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from indomitable will.” This is a Mahatma Gandhi quote that I have always kept on a note above my desk. I have heard it recited by Lance Armstrong and co-workers alike and I believe it speaks to the true source of our power. There will always be someone more qualified, smarter, faster or more experienced, but it is completely up to you as to whether or not anyone will have a stronger will than you. I believe an indomitable will can translate to incredible success.
4. What woman in history inspires you most and why?
While she is not a historical figure, I have a genuine admiration for Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox. As the CEO of a major American company, Ursula remains true to herself and the principles of hard work. She worked tirelessly to rise to where she is and appears to balance assertive and respectful in a remarkable way. As she says, there is “stuff that happens to you and then there is stuff you happen to.” I admire the grace with which she handles the stuff that happens to her and the tenacity with which she makes the rest of it happen.
5. What piece of technology can you not live without?
In thinking about this question, I have realized that, during the past year or two, my answer has transitioned from my computer to my cell phone. Assuming that is the case for more people than just me, it speaks volumes to the potential that lies ahead for the mobile industry as we continue to transition our dependence on the Internet from desktops to mobile devices. That said, whether it’s talking to my friends and family, checking my email or listening to Pandora, I couldn’t live without my cell phone!
6. What tech trend are you following for 2010?
Geo-located social networking. This space is flooded with innovation from small startups (Foursquare, Toodalu) and strong companies (Google, Facebook, Twitter) alike. I am personally drawn to the way Toodalu.com is building a visual, maps based approach. This type of technology will transform the way we interact within our social circles.
7. What one piece of advice would you give the Girls in Tech of tomorrow?
If you want it, ask for it. If you’re inspired by somebody, ask to have coffee with him or her. If you have an idea, find someone who can help your grow it. If you have a passion, chase it. I believe most people fall into three buckets. Those who wait for things to come to them, those who work hard and believe that in time that will get them where they need to go, and then those who not only work hard but spend time knocking on doors, tackling challenges, and asking for guidance, advice and a seat at the table. It’s the third group, the trailblazers, that not only get to do exciting things, but they accomplish great things.
Cell phone, a pen and sunglasses. The phone is my connection to everyone and everything. The pen is because I have found myself in some of the most inspiring and interesting conversations that I have ever had while living in Silicon Valley – having a pen to write down ideas, contact information or even questions has become crucial. Finally, the sunglasses are for the weather in California. After growing up in the Midwest and then spending four years in Boston, it wasn’t difficult to get used all the sunshine out here!
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
Beth Kuenstler; Director of Partnership Development, CARE
Beth Kuenstler is Director of Partnership Development for CARE, one of the world’s largest international humanitarian organizations, with headquarters in Atlanta, GA and operations in over 65 countries. In her position, Beth leads CARE’s new approach for partnering with Fortune 100 companies to increase brand awareness by engaging consumers and employees in CARE’s poverty-fighting work. Since joining CARE in 2005, Beth has developed marketing partnership strategies that have produced over ten million dollars in media value and increased financial support. Prior to joining CARE, Beth spent over 10 years in consumer and high-tech marketing with Procter & Gamble, Kodak and Adobe. Her nonprofit experience includes the Executive Director role of San Francisco-based Hands On Bay Area, a local affiliate of the national organization Points of Light Foundation/Hands On Network. In her role as Executive Director, Beth oversaw the engagement of nearly five thousand corporate and community volunteers that annually contributed the equivalent of over one million dollars of time to local nonprofits.
Beth holds a MBA from Purdue University, where she also garnered national recognition for founding the Management Volunteer Program. The program is in its fifteenth year of engaging graduate students in their local neighborhoods to spark a life-long commitment to community service and philanthropy.
Aaron Lee; Co-Founder, RedBeacon
Aaron works on product design and engineering at Redbeacon. Prior to Redbeacon, Aaron was one of the founding engineers on Google Video. He later became the Tech Lead on YouTube monetization, building products that spanned AdSense, AdWords and YouTube. He was also a Launch Engineer, helping launch many other Google products and mentoring and promoting engineers. Aaron was one of the angel investors in startup Blade3D and also provided technical advice to startup Cooliris. Aaron received his Ph.D. from Princeton and M.A. & B.A. from University of Cambridge.
Charlene Li; Founder, Altimeter Group
Charlene Li is the Founder of Altimeter Group and co-author of the business bestseller, “Groundswell: Winning In A World Transformed By Social Technologies“, published by Harvard Business Press in May 2008. She is currently working on her next book, “Open: How Leaders Win By Letting Go”, to be published in May 2010 by Jossey-Bass. She frequently consults and speaks on social and emerging technologies and publishes a blog, The Altimeter. Charlene is one of the most frequently-quoted industry analysts and has appeared on 60 Minutes, The McNeil NewsHour, ABC News, CNN, and CNBC. She is also frequently quoted by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USAToday, Reuters, and The Associated Press. She is a much-sought after public speaker and has presented frequently at top technology conferences such as Web 2.0 Expo, SXSW, Search Engine Strategies and the American Society of Association Executives.
Jessica Livingston; Founding Partner, Y Combinator
Jessica Livingston is a founding partner at Y Combinator, a seed-stage venture firm based in Mountain View, CA. She is the author of Founders at Work, a collection of interviews with founders about the early days of their startups. Previously, she was vice president of marketing at investment bank Adams Harkness. In addition to her work with startups at Y Combinator, Livingston organizes Startup School (www.startupschool.org)
To register for the conference, please click on the following link:
