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Women 2.0 Founders Named “Most Influential Women in Technology 2010″ in Fast Company Magazine

But we weren’t the only ones! We recognized a lot of Women 2.0 entrepreneurs on Fast Company’s “Most Influential Women in Technology 2010″ list:

Jen Bekman (Founder, 20×200)
Coming of age during the tech boom, Jen Bekman worked her way up through the online ranks - New York Online, Electric Minds, Netscape, Disney/GO Networks, AOL, Meetup - only to split the scene for what seemed like career derailment. In 2003 she founded her own eponymous brick-and-mortar art gallery … But it was actually a percolator for her next move. Read more at Fast Company.
» Watch the “Women 2.0 In Conversation with Jen Bekman” video here.

Clara Shih (Founder, Hearsay Labs)
She wrote the book on social media marketing - and now it’s used as a textbook at Harvard Business School. Released last April, The Facebook Era is the Bible for businesses wanting to increase their sales and consumer base through social networks. The San Francisco-based startup just raised another round of capital and plans to double its staff soon. Read more at Fast Company.
» Watch the “Women 2.0 In Conversation with Clara Shih” video here.

Claire Boonstra (Co-Founder, Layar)
Trained in civil engineering, Boonstra comes from a technical family and originally wanted to be a designer (she says in an interview that she wanted at one point to make the “Boonstra Bridge”). But when the world of architecture didn’t quite click, she veered into tech, starting at i-mode, an early precursor to cellphone internet browsing. … The idea for Layar was sparked. Read more at Fast Company.
» Claire Boonstra named in “Female Founders to Watch in Mobile”.

Danae Ringlemann (Co-Founder, IndieGoGo)
After years as an equity researcher studying business models of entertainment companies, Ringelmann co-founded IndieGoGo, a crowdfunding Web site for independent films. For filmmakers, IndieGoGo is a way to raise supplemental funds; for contributors - whose donations typically range from $50 to $500 - it’s a way to get perks like a name credit in the film. Read more at Fast Company.
» Listen to the “In Conversation with Danae Ringlemann” podcast here.

Caterina Fake (Co-Founder, Hunch)
Ever wondered where to grab lunch? Or which DVD set to buy? Or even what to wear on — gasp! — a first date? “Just ask Hunch,” says Flickr cofounder Caterina Fake, whose latest startup helps users make decisions by comparing what it knows about them to what it knows about others like them. The site has attracted more than 1.5M users and roughly $12M in funding… Read more at Fast Company.
» Watch the “In Conversation with Caterina Fake” video here.

Annie Chang (Co-Founder, LOLapps)
Don’t be fooled by the name of her startup. Annie Chang is pioneering a very serious business venture. Two years after the launch of LOLapps, Chang has finally published games that approach her ideal: In Band of Heroes, for example, if a user wins a war, every friend who joined his army shares the spoils; in Diva Life, users pair off to “clash” with other high-heeled avatars. Read more at Fast Company.
» Annie Chang spoke at a Women 2.0 event at UC Berkeley here.

Shinyoung Park (Founder, Funji)
In real life, most teens and tweens can’t hit the clubs or crash late-night parties. (We’re ignoring Miley Cyrus.) But on Funji, the first avatar-based social networking app for the iPhone, “they express themselves to friends in a virtual world, whenever and wherever they want,” says creator Shinyoung Park, who was a winner of Facebook’s fbFund competition last year. Read more at Fast Company.
» Watch the Women 2.0 “In Conversation with Shinyoung Park” video here.

Alexis Ringwald (Co-Founder, Valence Energy Group)
At Valence Energy, which she cofounded, Ringwald creates software to help decentralize the power grid into a network of smart microgrids, or communities that consume energy produced nearby and on-site. Eventually, Ringwald hopes to take her work full-circle, bringing microgrid breakthroughs to India, where on-the-grid power can be both inefficient and unreliable. Read more at Fast Company.
» Alexis Ringwald named in “Female Founders Successes of 2009″.

Susan Wu (Co-Founder, Ohai)
The U.S. virtual goods market will jump 60% this year to $1.6 billion, and analysts estimate worldwide annual revenue could reach $10 billion — the equivalent of Hollywood’s 2009 box-office earnings. Founder of online-gaming firm Ohai Susan Wu knew that virtual goods (products that exist only online) made real money, and she went after the digital wares like a hot commodity. Read more at Fast Company.
» Susan Wu named in “Female Founders to Watch in Social Gaming”.

Laura Fitton (Founder, OneForty)
Now she’s flexing her tech-trend-spotting skills once more by founding OneForty, an app store for Twitter. The service catalogues and curates the best extensions and apps for the microblogging service through a community of users who share and rate tools. Fitton has already gathered more than $2M in funding. If anybody can make it work for them, we think it’s you, Laura. Read more at Fast Company.
» Laura Fitton named in “Female Founders Successes of 2009″.

And all that talk about needing more women in venture capital? Cindy is here to help.

Cindy Padnos (Founder, Illuminate Ventures)
Illuminate Ventures is a VC firm focused on early-stage, high-tech investing, with a special interest in supporting women in business. “We invest in great opportunities, period. We try to capture some very interesting - and not very sought after-deals, where other firms don’t recognize the value because it looks different.” Her investing portfolio ranges from Internet advertising and 3D browsing to SaaS applications and SEO management. Read more at Fast Company.

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Debriefing 2010 Mobile World Congress (Barcelona)

The numbers: 50,000 attendees, 8 buildings, 5 days. Each year, the mobile ecosystem descends on Barcelona to establish the state of affairs and predict the future. Mobile World Congress brings a buzz to Barcelona and everyone was involved, from the taxi drivers to the nearby cafes, from the metro to the tapas bars. Read More »

Also posted in Debriefing, Mixers

Join us February 14-16 for mobile mania in Europe

Will you be at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona? Follow Shaherose Charania’s plancast to see where you can find Women 2.0 while at the congress.

Find Women 2.0 and Ellas 2.0 in Barcelona at:
- Mobile Sunday (Sunday, February 14th, 2010)
- Mobile Premier Awards (Monday, February 15th, 2010) Honoring the Winners for Best Female Entrepreneur in Mobile
- Mobile World Congress (Monday, February 15th through 18th, 2010)

Here is the final program of this years’ Mobile Premier Awards which is coming up this Monday, February 15th, 2010 in Spain. Besides the classic MPA in Innovation live 3-minute pitches, this year the awards will announce the winners of the other awards in collaboration with partners like Women 2.0.

For this year’s event, the keynote presentation is on the story of Admob. The event host will be Mark Palmer, Founder of Maverick Planet Ltd. Check the jury that will choose the winners among the 20 finalists. So what are you waiting for? Book your seat now!

Also posted in Bay Area Girl Geek Dinners

“Will It Launch” Startup Idea Workshop (Feb 6-7)

Join Women 2.0 for a Startup Idea Workshop “Will It Launch?” February 6-7, 2010.

Also posted in Bay Area Girl Geek Dinners, Community Service, Debriefing, Events, In Conversation, Media, Media Training, Mixers, Savings, Startup Weekend, Workshops Comments (3)

Join Women 2.0 at DEMOfall 09 in San Diego next week

DEMO is known globally for having THE MOST SUCCESSFUL EXITS. Companies like Apple, TiVO, SixApart, Symantec, VMWare, Salesforce, eTrade and more debuted at DEMO.

DEMOfall 09 is about to unveil 70 products and prototypes, honor notable DEMO alumni and provide you with tremendous networking opportunities with VC’s, corporate buyers, technology innovators and press…and you’ll miss it all if you don’t attend DEMOfall 09!

Last-minute discount code for DEMO tickets - We have deeply discounted DEMO tickets for $695 here — keep in mind that regular price DEMO tickets are $2,995!

Are you a bootstrapping entrepreneur?
If so, we may have an even BETTER deal for you! Attend DEMO next week for only $350!

You must be a founder of a startup (female)
Tell us about your startup (in 160 characters)
Tell us why you should be selected to go to DEMO next week (in less than 100 words)

Write to partners@women2.org by MIDNIGHT on ~~Friday night, September 18th, 2009~~ Saturday night, September 19th, 2009.

The first 5 qualifying entries win the super-cheap DEMO tickets. Southwest airlines flights are only $39 each way to San Diego! You can find Women 2.0’s @shaherose and @aihui at DEMO next week.

Also posted in Savings

Pitch 2009 Winner: LumaMed, Saving Us All

Despite the recession, Women 2.0’s Pitch received close to 100 submissions from all over the world, proof that aspiring entrepreneurs are not allowing themselves to be defeated by the state of the economy.

Over 200 people including venture capitalists, aspiring entrepreneurs, students, and supporters watched the five finalists for Women 2.0 Pitch 2009 pitch live in San Francisco on May 7th, 2009. Competition was fierce as all five finalists represent different industries, solving five different problems the world faces today. (Listen to complete audio recording of Pitch Night 2009)

Team LumaMed (formerly LumaDerm) won the 2009 Women 2.0 Pitch Startup Competition, scoring a private meeting with Michael Moritz of Sequoia and winning business services worth over $10K. Team LumaMed showcased their innovations in cancer imaging and early detection. Their presentation also won the hearts of the audience as they also walked away with the People’s Choice Award, as voted by the audience with their cell phones, and the VentureBeat Best Media Story Award. (Watch LumaMed’s winning pitch)

LumaMed impressed our live judges, winning grand prize, the audience for the People’s Choice award,
and VentureBeat for Best Media Story.

Pitch Night was a celebration of women-led startups and high-growth innovation. Jumpstart your startup with Women 2.0! What’s your big idea?

This has been the third-annual Women 2.0 Pitch: Startup Competition. The competition aims to stimulate innovation and increase the number of women entrepreneurs starting high growth ventures.
Read More »

Also posted in Debriefing, Events

Pitch 2009 Finalists Announced, Pitching LIVE May 7!

Join Women 2.0 for Pitch Night on Thursday, May 7th, 2009 beginning 6pm at Microsoft in San Francisco. Watch Pitch 2009 finalists pitch live to a panel of investors and executives, vote for your favorite startup, and meet the entrepreneurial community at Women 2.0’s Pitch Night. Get your ticket to Pitch 2009 today!

Presenting Finalists:

CSRware Inc.
Carbon & Energy Business Intelligence SaaS software
measures, quantifies & models corporate costs & actions
to address growing market demand.
Presenting: Karen Alonardo (Founder & EVP of Business Development)

LumaMed LLC
Innovations in cancer imaging, early detection and treatment.
Presenting: Dr. Shabbir Bambot and Anju Mathew (Co-Founders)

Giddy Inc.
Think Cracker Jack meets Whole Foods.
83% of parents are dissatisfied with existing kids’ snacks.
We’re making healthy snacks fun with snacktivities!
Presenting: Sally Schoenfeld and Jill Friedman (Co-Founders)

GenGreen
GenGreen is the preeminent aggregator of environmental
content online. We house the largest directory of green
businesses and organizations in the United States.
Presenting: Charisse McAuliffe (Founder & CEO)

GiftAloft LLC
GiftAloft generates revenue for airlines and airports,
gifts for passengers, and trackable, tactile, advertising methods
for consumer advertisers.
Presenting: Celine Tessier North (CEO) and Daniel T. North (COO)

Live Judging Panel:

Christine Herron Principal, First Round Capital	Eric Eldon Writer, VentureBeat
Georges Harik Principal, Better Planet Investments	Mark Jacobsen Managing Director, O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures
Rebecca Lynn Principal, Morgenthaler Ventures	Sheila Gulati General Manager, Microsoft

At Pitch Night, the audience participates as we will award a total of FOUR prizes:

(1) GRAND PRIZE:
Our live judges will select one team to win the prized investor meeting with Michael Moritz of Sequoia, along with office space, marketing services, legal support and more.

(2) PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD:
You will vote based on the five pitches you will see presented at the event — use your mobile phone to select the People’s Choice Award for Women 2.0 — powered by MOZES.

(3) VENTUREBEAT’S BEST MEDIA STORY AWARD:
This award will be selected by VentureBeat writer Eric Eldon.
(4) YOUNOODLE BEST IDEA AWARD:
YouNoodle is Women 2.0’s startup network. Join the Women 2.0 Group on YouNoodle to follow your favorite startup idea. The startup with the most followers wins. VOTE NOW!

SCHEDULE:

6:00pm - Networking & Drinks
7:00pm - Welcome to Pitch Night 2009!
7:20pm - Introduction of the Final Five Teams
7:30pm - Pitch 2009 Finalists Live Pitches
9:10pm - Awards (The People’s Choice, VentureBeat’s Best Media Story, YouNoodle Best Idea)
9:20pm - Grand Prize Winner of Pitch Night 2009 Announced
9:30pm - Celebrations!

» Get your ticket now for Pitch Night 2009 (LIMITED SEATS AVAILABLE)

Pitch Night is an event open to both women and men — we invite anyone with a passion for entrepreneurship and innovation to join us for Pitch 2009.

A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

Also posted in Angel Investors, Business, Events, Investors, Mixers Comments (1)

Vote for your Favorite Startup on YouNoodle

How do you vote for your favorite startup?

If you like a startup in the Women 2.0 group of startups, “Follow” them on YouNoodle! The startup with the most followers by May 1st, 2009 will win “The Big Noodle: Best Idea” on Pitch Night in San Francisco on May 7th, 2009.

Who has the biggest noodle — the “Community Favorite”?

Submit your startup idea to YouNoodle, the social network for entrepreneurs. Get feedback and/or find new team members!

How your startup idea/prototype can win Community Favorite:

1. Join the Women 2.0 group on YouNoodle by clicking “Join the Group”
2. Create a profile and upload your resume
3. Add your startup by clicking on “Add Startup” tab
4. Get friends to click “Follow this startup” on your startup page

By joining the Women 2.0 group on YouNoodle, you can make new friends and possibly even some new colleagues for your newest startup idea!

Comments (4)

Join us on March 3rd for “Pitch 101″ in Palo Alto

Are you a founder looking for feedback or funding?
Planning on entering Pitch 2009 but don’t know how?
Women 2.0 brings you the best resources for
perfecting your pitch and refining your business idea.

Join us on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 at the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto for Pitch 101: Applying to Women 2.0’s Startup Competition.

Get feedback from startup executives and investors:
» Georges Harik (Principal, Better Planet Investments)
» Rebecca Lynn (Principal, Morgenthaler Ventures)
» Betty Kayton (Founder and CEO, InnovativeCFO)

This is a workshop on what to do (and what NOT to do) in applying to Pitch 2009.Aihui Ong (Pitch 2009 Coordinator, Women 2.0) will go over the Angelsoft application process.

Also posted in Debriefing, Events, Mixers

January 2009 Women 2.0 Mixer & Book Swap!

Join Women 2.0 for drinks and a book swap on Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 from 7pm to 9pm at Citizen Space (425 2nd Street, Ste. 300, San Francisco, CA - map). Tell us the best book you read in 2008, and what you are eager to read in 2009. Be sure to bring your business/tech/entrepreneurship books to swap for other Women 2.0 members’ books!

Get $5 off a regular price ticket if you bring at least one business/technology/entrepreneurship book to trade!

Our special guests:

Tara Hunt, The Whuffie Factor: Using the Power of Social Networks to Build Your Business
Tara is co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Citizen Agency, an Internet consultancy specializing in community-centric strategies around product research, design, development and marketing. She has over 11 years experience in web design, 8 years in online marketing, and over 4 years of blogging on HorsePigCow. Tara is the author of The Whuffie Factor (coming mid-2009), an insightful and practical guide to connecting with the online communities that matter to your business in ways that enrich both.
Sramana Mitra, Entrepreneur Journeys Volume 1
Sramana is a Silicon Valley based serial entrepreneur who founded three companies after earning her master’s degree from MIT. She is a strategy consultant who has worked with some 75 companies, a weekly columnist for Forbes, and author of the widely syndicated business blog Sramana Mitra on Strategy. In her book, she spotlights a diverse group of innovative entrepreneur CEOs and analyzes and discusses how they got their high-tech start-ups off the ground.
Clara Shih, The Facebook Era: Tap Online Social Networks to Build Better Products, Reach More People, and Sell More Stuff
Clara runs the AppExchange product line at Salesforce.com and is the creator of Faceconnector, the first business application on Facebook. Previously, Clara worked in strategy and business operations at Google and as a software developer at Microsoft. Through case studies and CEO interviews, Clara’s book paints a vision of how businesses can transform their sales, marketing, recruiting, and product development initiatives through use of online social networks. Clara was a finalist in the 2007 Women 2.0 Pitch Startup Competition!

Tara Hunt talks about her book “The Whuffie Factor” at the book swap and mixer.
Mingling with wine and books in hand.	Clara Shih talks about her Facebook book.
Shaherose Charania (Women 2.0) works the mic — she knows how to energize an entrepreneurial crowd!
Sramana Mitra chats with Women 2.0 members.	The Women 2.0 entrepreneurial book swap was a hit!

Special thanks to Julie Blausten for taking the pictures you see here and more at Women 2.0’s Flickr group.

Also posted in Debriefing, Events, Mixers

The Finance Crisis and Your Startup - Oct 7th

Busy running your startup but wondering how the financial crisis will impact your business? How does the future for startups seeking funding? Is this a good time to launch your dream venture? We will discuss the current financial crisis and its impact on the startup world at the Institute for the Future (IFTF) in Palo Alto on Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. IFTF will demo the Massively Multiplayer Forecasting Game: Superstruct before the panel event.

Panelists:
» Shai Goldman (Director for Venture Exchange, SVB Capital)
» Rebecca Lynn (Principal, Morgenthaler Ventures)
» Prasanna Krishnan (Associate, Draper Fisher Jurvetson)
» Betty Kayton (CFO, high tech startups & early stage firms)
» Greg Schmid (Director, Managing Uncertainty Group)

Moderator:
» Jill E. Fishbein (Partner, Carr & Ferrell LLP)

Event sponsored by SVB Capital:

From left: Jill Fishbein (Partner, Carr & Ferrell), Prasanna Krishnan (Associate, Draper Fisher Jurvetson), Shai Goldman (Director for Venture Exchange, SVB Capital), Rebecca Lynn (Principal, Morgenthaler Ventures), and Betty Kayton (CFO, high tech startups & early stage firms).

The event was blogged at Wall Street Journal as “VCs Ask Start-Ups: What’s Your Worst-Case Scenario?”. Blogger Gwen Bell turned her live Tweets from the event into a blog post titled “Economy Got You Poppin’ Pills?: VC Advice for Your Startup (+ 5 Strategies for Thriving!)”.Gwen Bell also live-Tweeted the event.

Also posted in Bay Area Girl Geek Dinners, Business, Community Service, Debriefing, Events, Investors, Media, Media Training, Mixers, Savings Comments (2)

“Startups Helping Startups” August Mixer

Join us at the YouNoodle office in San Francisco for some food, wine, good people, and demos from YouNoodle about the platform and their new Startup Predictor!

Come find out about the supportive ecosystem that exists in San Francisco for startups at the Women 2.0 and YouNoodle event “Startups Helping Startups”. Are you a startup helping startups? Share your wares with our entrepreneurial community.

We are gathering on Wednesday, August 27th, 2008 at 6:30PM at the YouNoodle office at 101 South Park, San Francisco, CA (map)

YouNoodle is providing food and wine, but feel free to bring some of your own! The event is FULL - you must be on the list of registered guests to attend this sold-out soiree!

Also posted in Events, Mixers Comments (1)

Beyond the Spark Conference Wrap-Up

Stanford, California - May 10, 2008 - Entrepreneurs and VCs gathered on the grassy lawn of the Stanford Golf Course for the 2008 Women 2.0 and Stanford Women in Business Conference Beyond the Spark: Entrepreneurship Redefined. The conference included panel discussions, an interactive lunch with Silicon Valley movers and shakers, and an afternoon session with Pitch 2008 Finalists. We boasted 300+ entrepreneurs, investors, students, and a special visitor - June Sarpong, top television personality and producer from the UK (MTV UK, T4, and more) and campaigner for the HRH The Prince’s Trust. She is building an influential political and lifestyle platform and will be joining the entrepreneurial ecosystem in LA.

Team Koollage won the 2008 Women 2.0 Business Plan Competition, scoring a private meeting with Esther Dyson and business services worth over $15,0000. Team Gaiagy walked away with the People’s Choice Award, as voted by the audience with their cell phones. TechCrunch covered Pitch 2008 here.
Podcasts of all panels, speakers, and competition finalists are available here.

The vision of the conference was to ignite and inspire - to expand what we know and what we expect from ourselves and our peers. Through the stories of an esteemed panel of speakers (Google.org, d.light design, Market For a Change, allvoices, and many more), we learned how to think and execute beyond Facebook apps and social networks to find NEW ways to make millions while positively affecting change.

Inside the white tent, napkin submissions for the Business Plan Competition lined a wall. Chris Shipley asked aloud: “Business plans or prayer flags?”

Chris Shipley (Guidewire Group) has an early morning fireside chat with Rachel Payne (Google.org).	Rachel Payne (Google.org) fields many questions from the audience about Google.org.
Dr. Maggie Haersch (VOICEMAP), Dr. Jwala Karnik (JawalCo), Pat McEntee (AuxoGlobal), and Amy Love (Protégé Performance Group) are on the morning’s panel assembled by SWIB.	Amy Love (former CEO of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs) encourages entrepreneurs to be proactive and be heard.
Afternoon panel: Erica Estrada (d.light design), Amra Tareen (allvoices), and Leila Chirayath (Market for Change).	Erica Estrada (d.light design) holds up the $25 solar-powered flashlight that illuminates homes in developing third-world countries.
Melanie Swan (MS Futures Group) moderates the afternoon panel.	Erica Estrada (d.light design) inspires the audience to do good. She regularly conducts field work in places like India, China, and Burma.
At lunch, each table had one or two “lunch leads” — entrepreneurial movers and shakers in the Silicon Valley.
Karen Hartline (CommunityNext), Katherine Barr (Mohr Davidow Ventures), and Angie Chang (Women 2.0).	Jeni Diaz and Roseanne Wincek (imthemusic) with Mary Wallace (Wallace Productions).
The judging panel lines up in front of the stage to hear the pitches from the five finalists of the 2008 Women 2.0 Business Plan Competition.
Mythili Sankaran (Koollage) pitches.	Margot Eiran (Gaiagy) pitches.
Debbie Cheng and Lindsay Tabas (Skill Shop) pitch.	Hope Schultz and Bill Zaccheo (WebVet) pitch.
Kristyn Heath (Passive Devices) pitches.	The judges voted Koollage winner of the 2008 Women 2.0 Business Plan Competition!
The audience used Mozes to vote for the “People’s Choice Award”, which went to Gaiagy.
How to vote using Mozes.	Winner of the People’s Choice Award - Gaiagy!
Hope Schultz (WebVet) talks to Joanne Wan (GigaOm).	Shannon McClenaghan (Jimmyjane), Sharon Vosmek (Astia), and Dana Florescu (Oracle).
Dr. Jwala Karnik (JwalaCo).	Artise Hardy (Strategic Analytics), Aihui Ong (Women 2.0), and June Sarpong (The Prince’s Trust).
Lindsay Tabas and Debbie Cheng (Skill Shop).	Tiffany von Emmel (Dreamfish).
Rachel Payne (Google.org) and Leila Chirayath (Market for Change).	Patricia Roller (frog design) is also a member of the Angels’ Forum.
Maya Baratz (MochiMedia) and friends.	Marleen McDaniel (Women.com).
Audree Halasz (dutchy) with friend.	Leila Chirayath (Market for Change) and Alice Wang (FTVentures).
Susan Lucas-Conwell (SD Forum).	Mitchell Tsai (Spiritual Business Companions) and Amra Tareen (allvoices).
Aihui Ong and Shaherose Charania (Women 2.0).	Current SWIB girls with the founder of SWIB.
Despite sharing the same last name, Angie Chang and Annie Chang (LOLapps) are not related.	Pokin Yeung and Shaherose Charania (Women 2.0) with Alka Gupta (Ojas Group).

Pictures are from the photo galleries of Shirley Lin, Mitchell Tsai, and Angie Chang with permission. Please go to their galleries to find more pictures from the event. If you took pictures from the event and would like to share them, please use the tag women2.0 on Flickr or leave a comment below.

Also posted in Bay Area Girl Geek Dinners, Community Service, Debriefing, Media Training, Mixers Comments (11)

Finalists Announced for Conference + Pitch 2008!

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.

» 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!

Also posted in Events, Mixers Comments (1)

Winners Declared for Napkin Business Challenge

The Women 2.0 Pitch Night was a smashing success! Over 150 people came to CNET to support women entrepreneurs who pitched their businesses to venture capitalists and successful women executives. The finalists fielded tough questions from the judges and in the end, only two teams received grand prizes of $1500 each, pitch coaching from Guidewire Group, and meetings with Tim Draper of Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Michael Moritz of Sequoia Capital.

The winning teams were Laser-Seal (envisioning faster, cleaner wound closures in the operating room with laser technology), and O’Light (O for Organic!) which aims to create fashionable, OLED lighting concepts. The audience voted with their cell phones using Mozes to determine O’Light as the crowd favorite, making O’Light the recipient of the People’s Choice Award.

Laser-Seal team wins Napkin Business Challenge O Light wins twice - the Peoples Choice Award

Tags for Flickr: women20, upcoming:event=150336

More pictures after the jump »

Women 2.0 extends another big THANK YOU to our sponsors who made this event possible. We also thank everyone who helped out, from volunteers to bloggers. To Annie Chang for coordinating the event and being a superb hostess. To all the participants in the Napkin Business Challenge. To the Women 2.0 community of entrepreneurs, tech mavens, and the business-savvy. To us, the movers and shakers. Congratulations, and cheers!

Also posted in Bay Area Girl Geek Dinners, Community Service, Debriefing, Media Training, Savings Comments (8)

Join us on Wednesday, April 25th for Pitch Night

We invite you to join the finalists of the Women 2.0 Napkin Business Challenge as they pitch to the judging panel live. As an audience member, your vote will help determine who walk away with the two top prizes of $1000 each, a pitch coaching session from Guidewire Group, and 30 minute meetings with Tim Draper of Draper Fisher Jurvetson or Michael Moritz of Sequoia Capital.

Event: Women 2.0 Napkin Business Challenge Pitch NIght
Date: Wednesday, April 25, 2007, pitches start at 6:45pm, doors open 6pm
Location: CNET, 235 2nd Street, San Francisco, CA (Directions)
Cost: $20 general admission, free for bloggers (Register here)
Support your fellow entrepreneur, meet the judges, and mingle with Women 2.0!

The 5 companies pitching on April 25th are the finalists of the Women 2.0 Napkin Business Challenge:

FindYourScene: A community website where people can find “their crowd” and post, discover, and rate social events.
Laser-Seal: Exploits ground-breaking interaction between light physics and cell molecular biology to reduce cost and improve quality of surgical wound closure.
QTstar: Video monetization and intermediary ad service company in China and the United States.
O’Light: Cutting-edge OLED technology to lighting designs.
(YOU)STYLEME: Online fashion community where men and women who have particular style needs can connect with other consumers who are style-savvy in a fun and engaging way.

Live Judging Panel

» Carol Sands, The Angels Forum
» David Stern, Clearstone Venture Partners
» Lara Druyan, Allegis Capital
» Marianne Wu, Mohr Davidow Ventures
» Marleen McDaniel, Women.com

» Shannon McClenaghan, Jimmyjane
» Sharon Vosmek, Astia (formerly WTC)
» Tami Zhu, AOL, New Ventures
» Venky Ganesan, Globespan Venture Partners
» Read the judges’ bios here

TeXTra, the online new show hosted by Natali Del Conte, will be on the scene to cover this event, as well as bub.blicio.us and Justin.tv. DJ Diane will be spinning. We look forwarding to seeing you there!

So get your ticket to the Pitch Event, join us on Upcoming, and we’ll see you on April 25th!

Questions?

Email us women2.0@gmail.com with any questions or if you would like to become a sponsor.

Thanks to our Sponsors

For the Napkin Business Challenge Pitch Event on April 25

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Women’s Equality Day Breakfast Recognition

At the Women’s Equality Day Breakfast held by Santa Clara County’s Commission on the Status of Women, the organizers of Women 2.0 were recognized as representing the ideals of women empowerment and gender equality, and commended for contributions to the Bay Area and the Silicon Valley community. We were very honored by the recognition, and as you can tell by the accompanying picture, not very awake at 7AM in the morning.

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Awards