website statistics

Finalists Announced for Conference + Pitch 2008!

2008 Conference
2008 Conference Speakers

This Saturday is the Women 2.0 and Stanford Women in Business Conference. Hear Rachel Payne of Google.org and Chris Shipley of Guidewire Group discuss the global market and its needs during a fireside chat to start, then Terri Ghio of TBS Connect will lead a panel discussion about entrepreneur experiences and successes. Enjoy an interactive lunch by indulging in a working lunch with movers and shakers in the Silicon Valley! Check out our wiki for lunch leads and their bios.

The afternoon will kick off with a panel of startup founders who are igniting global change, then at 2:30PM the TOP FIVE teams in the Women 2.0 Business Plan Competition are pitching LIVE!

Finalist #1: Koollage (San Francisco, CA)
The Team: Mythili Sankaran, Steve Rhoads, and Geetha Murali

One Line Pitch: A social “mini” blogging and “micro”media platform for the mobile generation.

Finalist #2: Gaiagy (Newton Center, MA)
The Team: Margot Eiran, Kanika Singal, and Rucker Alex

One Line Pitch: Distributor of integrated eco-efficiency products, offering a personalized savings calculator via social networking site applications & other channels.

Finalist #3: Skill Shop (San Francisco, CA)
The Team: Debbie Cheng and Lindsay Tabas

One Line Pitch: Putting the right people on the right projects shouldn’t waste time and money; let SkillShop reduce both these pain points to optimize IT resources.

Finalist #4: WebVet (Chicago, IL)
The Team: Bill Zaccheo and Hope Schultz

One Line Pitch: WebMD for Pets.

Finalist #5: Passive Devices (Denver, CO)
The Team: Kristyn Heath

One Line Pitch: Maker of SnoopTunes, Passive Devices is an advertising company in the consumer electronics space specializing in portable peer to peer music sharing.

Register here

» Get your ticket now for this all-day event!
(There are ticket options for entrepreneurs, investors, Stanford students, or just for the pitches)

There we have it — a day of entrepreneurial activity and fun with Women 2.0 and Stanford Women in Business. Hope you can make it!

Win Tickets to Web 2.0 Expo Conference!

Women 2.0 will have a booth at Web 2.0 Expo for the 2nd year in a row. Find us at in the non-profit pavilion exhibit space - we’d love to hear how you’re doing!

While Women 2.0 Business Plan Competition submissions are being furiously perfected before the clock strikes midnight, Women 2.0 is giving away two FULL conference passes to Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco, April 22-25.

Web 2.0 hosts Web2Open unconference emphasizing discussion and participation around Web 2.0 topics. Register for a free badge for Web2Open using the the code “websf08opw” to get into Web2Open sessions, Expo Keynotes, Show Floor, Launch Pad, and Women’s Networking Evening on Thursday, April 24th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at the Marriott’s View Lounge. If you attend Web2Open, you’ll also get a ribbon to attend 3 hybrid conference sessions: Creating a Coherent Social Strategy for Business, Influence is Overrated, and Taking Web 2.0 Offline and On the Desktop.

WIN one of two FULL Conference Passes to Web 2.0 Expo!

Two FULL Conference passes to Web 2.0 Expo (valued at $1,695 each) will go to the two who best answer the question, “How can Web 2.0 further improve your daily life?” Leave your answer in the comments section of this post, along with a valid email address. Winners will be notified April 19.

Women 2.0 Competition Makes ABC 7 Morning News

Shaherose Charania (Women 2.0 Co-Founder), Pokin Yeung (entrepreneur), and Esther Dyson (investor) talk to the ABC 7 Morning News.

The women discussed the importance of the Women 2.0 Business Plan Competition and the ideas behind it - Watch the ABC 7 Morning News Segment report on how entrepreneurs share ideas with Women 2.0.

» Watch Women 2.0 on ABC 7 News!

(Original Air Date: March 26, 2008)

Competition Deadline Extended to April 15, 2008

Most good business ideas are not germinated from a spreadsheet or powerpoint. All you need is a pen and a cocktail napkin. Doodling is a universal language and visual thinking has created many great companies (e.g. Southwest Airlines). Check out these great doodles on napkins on BusinessWeek, or the cool doodles at thebackofthenapkin.com.

The deadline to enter the Women 2.0 Business Plan Competition is EXTENDED TO APRIL 15, 2008. So pull together a team of at least 50% female representation to be eligible to enter (you can also enter as a solo female entrepreneur) and get started! All submissions will receive written feedback from the judges (read their bios here).

Top 5 finalists present LIVE to the judges at the Women 2.0 and Stanford Women in Business Conference on May 10, 2008 at Stanford. Winner is announced at the end of the conference and scores a meeting with the iconic Esther Dyson, along with a grab bag of legal and PR goodies.

ARE YOU IN? More info at http://pitch.women2.org

Ning Hosts Open Mic #2 in Palo Alto - March 6

Women 2.0 Open Mic Sessions

Women 2.0 held Open Mic Session #2: “Meet The Customer Rainmakers” on Thursday, March 6, 2008 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at Ning in Palo Alto, CA, discussing real strategies for customer acquisitions with our esteemed panelists.

» Maria Sipka (Co-Founder and CEO, Linqia)
» Rebecca Weeks (Director of Business Development, RealGirlsMedia)
» Gina Bianchini (Co-Founder and CEO, Ning)
» William Bunker as moderator (Co-Founder and Principal, White Space Ventures)

How do you build a community, a community of communities, and a wine company from the ground up? Each of these entrepreneurs started with a clean slate and today, designed products for their target markets to become recognizable brands in their respective markets. Are you applying to the Women 2.0 Business Plan Competition? Learn from our esteemed speakers practical customer acquisition strategies as you begin your own venture!

Holly Liu of Watercooler asks the panel a question from the audience.Gina Bianchini answers a question from the Women 2.0 community.

Women 2.0 had an intimate lunch with CEOs Joyce Kim of Soompi, and Marleen McDaniel, emeritus of Women.com (bought by NBC) on Saturday, Feb. 23rd in Sun Microsystem’s board room overlooking San Francisco’s streets.

We discussed successful leadership experiences and explored challenging situations and solutions while in the hot seat. This was an exclusive opportunity by Women 2.0 for Women Leaders to start the formation of the “New Girls Club” — and to be part of the next generation of entrepreneurship!

Members of the Women 2.0 community at Open Mic #1.Joyce offers key tips for consumer web ventures.

Read More »