Women 2.0 » Business

Inside scoop: Startup and Venture opportunities

Lay-offs abound, meh. Startups are thriving and incubators are being launched in the Bay Area! The undercurrent of entrepreneurship is creating jobs and we’d like to give you the inside scoop.

Through the personal Women 2.0 network we are sharing a set of job and internship opportunities you wont find anywhere else. These are friends of Women 2.0 seeking to hire the best, so get on it and apply today!

If you are excited about any of the following positions, please drop us an email to jobs@women2.org with the subject line being the company name and position (ie. “Zazengo, Front-end UI Developer”). In the email, say why you want this job, why the company should hire you, a link to your LinkedIn profile, and be sure to attach your resume (ideally in PDF format). We will forward your interest on your behalf to the venture. Good luck!

Do you have a job, internship or sweat-equity opportunity available? Share it with the Women 2.0 community! Read More »

Comments (1)

Founder Showcase by TheFunded.com (1/14)

Thanks to the Women 2.0 community, we more than doubled the number of women entrepreneurs who applied to the The Founders Institute program (compared to the previous semester).

Women 2.0 members save 15% off ticket price by registering here.

The next event, The Founder Showcase on Thursday, January 14th, 2010 at 5:30pm will be held at Sun Microsystems in Santa Clara, CA by TheFunded.com — This is an open startup pitch and networking event that highlights the newest cutting-edge businesses and helps innovators gain traction among the Silicon Valley elite. Read More »

Also posted in Angel Investors, Investors, Mixers, Savings Comments (1)

BusinessMakers Interviews Women 2.0 Co-Founders

Russ talks with Shaherose Charania and Angie Chang

Original broadcast: August 29, 2009 - 6:17 minutes

Podcast transcript available here.

Katie and Esther discuss Russ’s interview with Women 2.0

Original broadcast: September 02, 2009 - 6:37 minutes

In this podcast, Katie and Esther dissect the recent BusinessMakers interview with Shaherose and Angie, co-founders of Women 2.0. Podcast summary available after the jump. Read More »

Also posted in Podcast

Demystifying Government and Stimulus Funding for Your Startup - September 9th Workshop

Are you having trouble finding an investor for your startup? You know, you don’t have to rely on VCs and angel investors to give you cash. There are ways the government can fund your startup. Yes, the government.

Join Women 2.0 for an informative night of Demystifying Government and Stimulus Funding for Your Startup. We will be meeting in San Francisco at Citizen Space on Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 starting 6:30pm to discuss alternative methods of funding your business.

Let’s demystify government and stimulus funding. Discussion topics will include:
» What is available to women-owned, minority-owned businesses
» Step-by-step instructions and examples on how to apply to the funds and loans
» SBA and SBIR loans
» Who can use the stimulus money from the government
» State and local incentives for locating companies in low-and-mid income areas

Speakers:
» Jill Fishbein (Partner, Carr & Ferrell)
» Cynthia Ringo (Managing Partner, DBL Investors)

Also posted in Mixers, Workshops Comments (8)

Register for Women 2.0 Startup Weekend: August 28-30

Women 2.0 joins forces with Startup Weekend this August 28th - 30th, 2009! We provide the space and brain fuel — you bring the energy and innovation to build something big over the weekend. Sign up now for your spot at Startup Weekend!

Maybe you have an idea, maybe you don’t?
Maybe you started a startup before, maybe you haven’t?
Maybe you are a developer, a designer, a do-er?
Please join us for Startup Weekend August 28-30, 2009.

What is Women 2.0 Startup Weekend? Much like a bar camp, you build something exciting over the weekend. Come to Startup Weekend to find an idea that resonates with you, join a team, and build! Startup Weekend is a place to test ideas, contribute to ideas, and meet potential founders. We are bringing together the most innovative, talented, and out-of-the-box entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. How it works: Teams form Friday night, companies develop product(s) and/or service(s) through Saturday, and company pitches are delivered on Sunday.

Also posted in Debriefing, Media, Media Training, Mixers, Startup Weekend Comments (21)

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, Awards, Events, Investors, Mixers Comments (1)

2009 Workshop Series: Jumpstart Your Startup

Looking for the most current Jumpstart Your Startup series? Click Here!

This is a workshop series for entrepreneurs with the next big idea.

Jumpstart your startup with a new series from Women 2.0 to help bring your business idea to reality. Jumper cables in the trunk? Check. Gas? Check. Brakes? All good.

Starting on Saturday, January 17th, 2009 and wrapping up on Thursday, February 26th, 2009, the “Jumpstart Your Startup” workshop series held by Women 2.0 consists of 5 two-hour Thursday classes in Palo Alto and 2 full-day Saturday classes in San Francisco. Workshops utilize discussion forums with UC Berkeley professor Naeem Zafar and hands-on working sessions with successful women executives, VCs, and entrepreneurs providing “from the trenches” feedback and insight.

» Click here for course description, schedule, and more information on Jumpstart Your Startup

WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Women with an idea for a startup and/or a startup in the making. If a part of a founding team, attendees may invite one or more team members (male or female).

ABOUT THE “JUMPSTART YOUR STARTUP” WORKSHOP SERIES
You will work with your team, or on your own, to research potential, perform analysis to identify resources, and write a simple business plan (or at least a good executive summary). By course completion, participants will have evaluated the strength and potential of their business idea and prepared the following tangibles: a market size-up, a deck of slides, and a business plan including financial projections.

HOW TO APPLY FOR YOUR SPOT IN THIS WORKSHOP SERIES
Women 2.0 will be selecting up to 25 attendees based on an application with the following five questions:

Please explain your desire to be an entrepreneur and any past experiences that have helped you in the shaping of this goal: (e.g.: professors, clubs, associations, conferences, books, speakers, etc).
Please tell us in a few sentences what your strengths/abilities are and how your contribution is going to positively impact the success of the startup.
Do have a business or an idea? If yes, describe why your idea is unique and why has it not been addressed yet in today’s market?
Do you have a team? If yes, is your whole team planning to attend this event?

To apply for a spot in the Women 2.0 Jumpstart Your Startup workshop series, email your answers to the above questions to Baat Enosh at baat@women2.org — We will be enrolling selected participants on a first-come, first-serve basis so you should apply ASAP because space is limited! Early-bird pricing for Jumpstart Your Startup has been extended to January 8, 2009!

Also posted in Events, Media Training Comments (2)

Get FREE Software with Microsoft’s BizSpark Program

As a Network Partner of Microsoft, Women 2.0 is one of the few entrepreneurial organizations in the United States that can enroll startups in to the BizSpark program for free software.

What do you get?

Development tools, platform technologies and production licenses

All the software included in the Microsoft® Visual Studio® Team System Team Suite (VSTS) with MSDN® Premium subscription
Expression® Studio Version 2
VSTS Team Foundation Server (standard edition)
Production use rights to host a “software as a service” solution (developed during participation in the BizSpark Program, on any platform) over the Internet, with regard to products including Microsoft Windows Server, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server, Microsoft System Center, Microsoft BizTalk Server, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Access to the Microsoft Developer Network, Global Community, and Technical and Customer Support

Do you qualify?

Are you actively engaged in development of a software-based product or service that will form a core piece of its current or intended business?
Are you privately held?
Have you been in business for less than 3 years?
Are you generating less than USD $1 million in annual revenue?

Sign up for BizSpark!

Email Women 2.0 at bizspark@women2.org with the subject line “Interested in BizSpark” and tell us about your startup. Please include your answers to the above four qualifying questions in the email.

Also posted in Events, Media Training, Savings Comments (3)

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 Awards, Bay Area Girl Geek Dinners, Community Service, Debriefing, Events, Investors, Media, Media Training, Mixers, Savings Comments (2)

“Speak with Angels” - Women 2.0 September event

Looking for funding so you can take your venture to the next level?

Join an intimate conversation with angel investors on Tuesday, September 30th, 2008 at the Angels’ Forum office in Palo Alto. Patricia Roller (co-founder of frog design and member of the Angels’ Forum), Georges Harik (angel investor and former Director of Googlettes, a start-up incubator that operated inside Google), and Carol Sands (founder and managing member of the Halo Fund) will answer questions and help you learn everything you ever wanted to know about early stage funding.

If you’re interested in attending, please email us your answers to the following questions:

Why do you want to attend this event? Why should you be selected to attend this event?
Do you currently own/run your own business, or have an idea for a business? What stage is it in?
Please describe your business.
How do you plan on making money?
Do you plan on participating in Pitch 2009?
If you had the chance to ask only one question to a VC, what would it be?

Deadline to apply for a spot at this exclusive event is September 12, 2008. To apply, send us an email to women2.0@gmail.com with your responses to the above questions. Selected participants will be notified by September 19, 2008. Cost of the event for selected attendees is $50 a person.

* * * * *

UPDATE: Debriefing and Notes from the September 30th, 2008 “Speak with Angels” Event

Angel investing is risky business compared to venture capital, but as Patricia Roller said — it’s about giving back AND making money. Both Patricia Roller and Georges Harik stressed the importance of following up on the introductions or referrals an angel investor gives you bcause even if the angel investor does not invest initially, the interest/investment of their peer(s) may lead them to invest at a later time. Georges Harik stressed the importance of finding a good angel with a strong network to be your first investor, because other angels will be more inclined to follow. Patricia Roller provided a helpful hint that even if an angel investor does not invest, consider asking them to become an advisor and do take their advice, and maybe later, their financial investment will follow their personal/professional investment. Both angel investors spoke to the entrepreneurs about keeping your angel investors and advisors updated — keep your regular reports concise and focused on what’s important. Afterall, your angel investors and advisors are there to help.

A handpicked group of entrepreneurs met with Patricia Roller and Georges Harik to talk about angel investing.
Carol Sands meets the entrepreneurs.	Networking is of the essence.

More pictures from the event are available on Flickr.

Thanks to everyone who came out. The next angel investment event will be in March 2009 — stay tuned!

Also posted in Angel Investors, Bay Area Girl Geek Dinners, Debriefing, Events, Investors, Media, Media Training, Savings

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.

Also posted in Mixers Comments (1)

Within you AND your company? It’s intrapreneurship.

Join us on November 15th for a fireside chat on intrapreneurship with Cynthia Johanson of Yahoo! and Nina Bhatti of HP Labs

When: Thursday, November 15, 2007, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Where: Yahoo! Building E (Classrooms 9 and 10), 700 First Ave., Sunnyvale, CA
Why: Learn from our amazing speakers. Meet fellow movers & shakers.
Cost: $5 General, and free for Yahoo! employees
***Please register online at http://intrapreneurship20.eventbrite.com/!***

Women 2.0 and Yahoo! invite you to join us for a fireside chat with Cynthia Johanson (Yahoo! Product Manager, Advanced Development Division) and Nina Bhatti (HP Principal Scientist) about some real ways they have been entrepreneurial within their companies, and how you can be entrepreneurial too. Learn how large corporations can provide the perfect space to foster your personal entrepreneurship, and how to embrace opportunities to ship projects. Intrapraneurship within your company provides valuable experience in product management, and puts you one step closer to becoming that startup CEO one day!

Cynthia Johanson, Yahoo! Product Manager
After beginning her career at Yahoo! as a software engineer on the Mobile team, Cynthia is now a product manager on the Advanced Products team. Her most recent project is the just-released Kickstart product, a new social networking service that matches college students to employers.

Nina Bhatti, HP Principal Scientist
Nina creates unique consumer experiences with specially designed imaging technology. She assembled and led an all-star team within HP to enable camera phones to correctly capture skin tone, ultimately assisting in cosmetics purchases. Her team is currently in talks with cosmetics giants to bring this technology to you.

The fireside chat will be moderated by Indu Navar, co-founder and CEO of Serus. She has been on the ground floor of several startups and large companies, including Healtheon (WebMD), Silicon Graphics, and NASA.

Light appetizers will be served at 6:30pm. The fireside chat will start at 7:30pm.

Hosted by our friends at Yahoo! and special thanks to Ginny Hung and Karolina Buchner.

Directions to Yahoo!: From 237/101, exit NORTH Mathilda and make a left at First Avenue, then a left again to the Building E parking lot. Visitor parking spots are available near Building E, and also across the street by the security attendant’s booth. Main campus is at 701 First Avenue.

Also posted in Mixers

Around town, and more!

» Women 2.0 at Ladies Who Launch Live!
Women 2.0 will be at the Ladies Who Launch Live! San Francisco event on Friday, October 26th and we’re tabling so if you’re going, come find us there!

» SNAP Summit Special Discount for Women 2.0 Members
SNAP Summit is San Francisco’s first major conference on the Facebook platform. SNAP is the first conference to feature Ami Vora, one of Facebook’s senior female employees, as headlining speaker. SNAP takes place THIS FRIDAY, October 26th, 2007, and SNAP Summit organizer Christian Perry of SF Beta and geekSessions fame would like to offer a discount to all of our Women 2.0 members.

» Reporting about the Grace Hopper Celebration 2007
THIS IS A DEBRIEFING on the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in Orlando, Florida from October 17th thru October 20th.

Over 1,400 women in computing from 22 countries amassed ourselves at the Walt Disney Hilton for days discussing our roles in computing, stressed the importance of mentorship, shared tips on running birds-of-a-feather women in computing groups, and much much more.

Pictures say a thousand words, so check out pictures I’ve uploaded to Flickr. Find even more pictures from GHC2007 here. Leave a comment if you have more to add!

» She’s Geeky (un)conference wrap-up
Also, check out these pictures from the She’s Geeky (un)conference which took place in Mountain View, California on Monday and Tuesday. Women 2.0 is a proud media sponsor of She’s Geeky!

Also posted in Mixers, Savings

Call For Talent!

Are you interested in helping Women 2.0 put on the big events, market, and more? We are currently looking for a couple of people for the following positions:

Event Coordinator
We are looking for an energetic, creative, and responsible woman to plan monthly mixer events and help with planning large events (one large event will be held in November). To be in charge of logistics, planning, and organizing all aspects of the events that bring the Women 2.0 member base together.

Online Community Manager
Yes, that’s right - we’re looking for somebody to help us increase our online presence! All of you Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, Wordpress, etc. fans out there, we’re looking for you!

VOLUNTEERS WANTED FOR PITCH NIGHT 2008!!

Join the Women 2.0 team in planning next year’s most innovative Pitch Night for 2008. This is your opportunity to participate, gain a unique experience and get to know the sponsors, investors and participants of Pitch 2008. We are seeking top talent to support this event in the following areas:

Pitch Night 2008 Event Managers (2 of them!)
Plan, innovate, manage then implement the Pitch Night from start to finish. All decisions from theme to cupcake flavors rest in your strategic decision making skills. Your organizational and detail orientation will ensure the event is perfect to the T!

Experienced Business Development Manager (just one!)
Working directly with Women 2.0 team, help craft the pitch to investors and sponsors. Ideally you’ve done this before and have warm connections and are polished at what you do. More importantly you are passionate about the Women 2.0 mission and want to help us grow Pitch 2008. We are looking for experience working with Angel investors and large corporations to raise funds.

Pre-Pitch Program Managers (2 of them!)
Plan, innovate, and manage the 5 sessions in advance of the pitch night. These sessions are designed to prepare the participants for a prime performance (4 P’s in one sentence!). These sessions begin in October. These sessions are the core to the success of the participants and we need support in managing all content development and event management.

How do I get involved with Women 2.0?
Submit a contextual resume and exciting intro to women2.0@gmail.com. Please attach the resume in WORD format and include your exciting intro as the body of the email. Highlight reasons why you want to, should be, and must be part of the Women 2.0 Team.

Women 2.0 in Canada represent at Mesh Conference 2007.

Also posted in Community Service

Exclusive July Women 2.0 Mixer with Special Guests!

SuperHappyEntrepreneurHouse w/ Garden Party Mixer
When: Saturday, July 21, 2007, from 12pm to 3pm
Where: This event will be held in Atherton, CA
Cost: $25 includes speaker sessions, lunch, & garden party mixer
Register today at: http://gardenpartymixer.eventbrite.com

Women 2.0 is hosting an EXCLUSIVE summer afternoon of entrepreneurship & networking in a garden party setting on Saturday, July 21st, 2007 in Atherton! Special guests Katherine Barr of Mohr Davidow Ventures and Rachel Cook of Vibe Capital will lead breakout sessions covering the entire lifecycle of an emerging entrepreneur, followed by an intimate Q&A wrap-up with the speakers.

Session I: Katherine Barr (Partner, Mohr Davidow Ventures)

The Art of Negotiation
A general framework of negotiation tips and strategies to use in multiple scenarios, ranging from strategic planning, relationship management of partners, and VC pitching.

Katherine Barr has taught a Professional Education negotiation program at Stanford University, and a negotiation program at Harvard Law School. She joined Mohr Davidow Ventures as a Partner investing in high technology investments. Previous, Katherine was a Product Development Manager at HSA Corp, an education technology startup. She worked for the Japanese government in international relations prior to her graduate program. Katherine received her B.A. from McGill University, and completed an M.A. and the M.S. core curriculum in Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University. While at Stanford, Katherine helped to run the E-Challenge business plan competition and was VP of Marketing for BASES.

Session II: Rachel Cook (Founder, Vibe Capital)

Evolving as an Entrepreneur
An overview of the stages of entrepreneurship, from building and launching your startup, to utilizing angel funding.

Rachel Cook is the Founder of Minti, a parent-to-parent social networking place for parents to write, read, share and rank advice articles on parenting. Rachel has been an serial entrepreneur, since July 2000 as a co-owner of ineedhits.com (Search Marketing), Co-Founder of Vibe Capital (building social advice-opedia communities on the vibEngine platform), Co-Founder of a new start up at Codestr LLC (building next generation social applications) and is author of the popular blog “Talking Tech on Family 2.0″ She is the mother of one 3 year old, a wife and business partner to Clay Cook. She is australian born, specializing in providing services to the US market, finally taking the leap and relocating the family to California.

Event Schedule for Saturday, July 21, 2007:

Lunch & Networking (12:00pm - 1:00pm)
Introductions & Breakout Groups (12:45pm - 1:00pm)
Session I (1:00pm - 1:30pm)
Break (1:30pm - 1:45pm)
Session II (1:45pm - 2:15pm)
Q&A and Wrap-up (2:15pm - 3:00pm)

There are only 40 seats remaining for this premier event hosted by Women 2.0. Register for your spot at this exclusive event today! This event is open exclusively to women.
We look forward to seeing you there!

— The Women 2.0 Team
(Annie, Angie, Shivani, Shaherose, & Wen-Wen)

Also posted in Mixers Comments (3)

Entrepreneur27 presents LawYours 2007

Our good friends at Entrepreneur27 are hosting LawYours on Wednesday, May 10th, 2007 at Spago’s in Palo Alto. There are 50 spaces open for young entrepeneurs. Michael Arrington of TechCrunch and David Weekly of pbwiki will be presenting.

Meet top law firms in the Silicon Valley and connect with fellow up-and-coming entrepreneurs over wine and hors dâ€™oeuvres. Email lawyours@entrepreneur27.org with your answers to the following questions to apply:

1. What is your proudest achievement?
2. What do you want to get out of LawYours?
3. Got a website? Show us.

This event is free so apply today!

Also posted in Mixers Comments (2)

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

Copy & paste this HTML to your website or blog:

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Also posted in Awards, Mixers Comments (8)

2007 Napkin Business Challenge

Thanks for submitting!
Now hang tight.

We’ve had a tremendous response from all over the US, Canada, UK, and India! We have officially closed the Napkin Business Challenge to further entries. Thank you for submitting!

Semi-finalists will be contacted shortly.

Finalists will be contacted April 20th.

The Pitch Event is April 25th and is open to the public.

The top 2 winning teams get $1000 and a meeting with Michael Moritz of Sequoia or Tim Draper of Draper Fisher Jurvetson!

Michael Moritz joined Sequoia Capital in 1986 and is currently Partner. Sequoia was one of the only two venture capital firms to back Google itself. Other investments include PayPal, Yahoo, and Apple. Previous to Sequoia, Michael worked as a reporter for Time Warner and co-founded Technologic Partners. Michael holds an M.A. in history from Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford, and an MBA from Wharton.

Tim Draper is the Founder and a Managing Director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson. His original suggestion to use “viral marketing” in web-based email to geometrically spread an Internet product to its market was instrumental to the successes of Hotmail and YahooMail. He serves on the boards of Glam.com, Tagworld, and SocialText. Tim holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

FRIDAY, MARCH 30

PAPER NAPKINS DUE

Mail your napkin no larger than 7×7 inches in a regular-sized envelope to 1770 Pine Street, Suite 103, San Francisco, CA 94109. Put your name and contact info on the napkin so we can match it with your emailed entry form. Email this entry form with your team info to women2.0@gmail.com. Semi-finalists will be notified by April 1st.

FRIDAY, APRIL 6

POWERPOINT DUE

Semi-finalists are to email their 10 slide PowerPoint presentation to women2.0@gmail.com by midnight on Friday, April 6th. Finalists will be notified by April 20th and invited to present to our judging panel.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25

PITCH EVENT

Starting at 7:00pm in the CNET office in San Francisco, finalists will pitch to a judging panel consisting of venture capitalists, seasoned entrepreneurs, and successful women executives.

Women 2.0 Napkin Business Challenge Eligibility and Rules

The business plan must represent the original work of members of the team. You can submit as many business ideas on napkins as you want. You may have a team of up to four individuals. At least half of the team must be female and at least half of the team must be under 35; else the majority shareholder must be a woman and under 35. This is a Women 2.0 and Entrepreneur27 production afterall.

We are accepting business ideas that are in concept stage or in beta launch only. The competition is for new, independent ventures in the seed, start-up, or early stage. Generally excluded are the following: buy-outs, expansions of existing companies, real estate syndications, tax shelters, franchises, licensing agreements for distribution in a different geographical area, and spin-outs from existing corporations. As if youâ€™d be silly enough to submit that anyway.

Resources for the Women 2.0 Napkin Business Challenge

Promote Women 2.0 on Your Website or Blog
for the Business Challenge - Deadline March 30