Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference
Rain was not the only thing storming through the Bay Area during the end of January. The Web 3.0 Conference, Bay Area She’s Geeky and the first annual Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference gathered technology professionals from all over the US.
Over 300 women comprised of entrepreneurs, CEO’s and technology enthusiasts, assembled in San Francisco for the Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference. This one-day conference was packed with informational sessions on branding, venture capital acquisition, and of course social media.
Founded in 2007 by Adriana Gascoigne, Girls in Tech is a social network of women who are like-minded in the area of technology. GIT seeks to be a resource for women that will educate, engage and empower them in the field of technology.
Conference Highlights
The conference started with opening remarks from Founder Adriana Gascoigne and Cassie Phillipps the GIT Catalyst Conference Production Manager.
Niche Marketing
Eileen Gittins, Founder & CEO of Blurb and Julia Hartz, Co-founder & President of Eventbrite, along with other distinguished panelists lead the first session on Niche marketing. Susan Bratton, Founder & CEO of Personal Life Media moderated the discussion and gave the audience three characteristics to finding a niche.
• Find people with a desperate need for the product
• Ask yourself, “Do the people with this desperate need have the money to buy the product?”
• Ask yourself, “Are there enough people with the need and the money to buy the product.
Gittins expanded on these points adding that one should ask, “Why these people have the need for this product.” Hartz explained that an entrepreneur should consider their business model as well as how they are to acquire customers when determining their niche market.
Venture Capital
For those bizMe bizgals who are considering venture capital as a means for funding a project be sure to do thorough research. Not all startups need VC money. The panelists, several of which have been on both sides of the VC table (giving and receiving) offered insight into the roles gender has to play on VC.
Most of the panelists agreed that gender does not usually play a role in whether a company will receive VC or not. It is the quality of the presentation and business plan that will secure VC. So, BizMe Gals if the quality of your product or service and presentation are up to par then you have a good chance of securing funding.
Negotiation is an Art
Katherine Barr, Partner at Mohr Davidow Ventures lead an amazing workshop on how to negotiate a deal. Since women are usually less comfortable then men when negotiating money this workshop offered attendees the opportunity to pair up and practice negotiating skills.
It is never to early to practice negotiating. The earlier you develop this skill before graduating college the better. Be sure to do research when negotiating deals and salary. The more research completed before hand will help to navigate the deal in your favor.
Note: A great resource for negotiating is the book “Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Rodger Fisher and William Ury.
At the end of the GIT Catalyst Conference presentations were given by the top five women-led startups. These startups secured their presentation spot by an online voting system.
Greensherpe
Greensherpe is an internet startup that allows its user to create dynamic cash flow projection. This is a very timely product for people suffering from the economic downturn. Greensherpe helps to create financial clarity and empowers financial goals. The user can input income data as well as spending data directly from the bank. This helps to track spending habits and creates a visual of where the user can cut back on spending to save money.
For more information on the other startups in the top five, the GIT Catalyst Conference or joining GIT visit girlsintech.net.
Crystal-Marie Mitchell is Owner | Creative Director for IsrylDesigns in San Francisco. Follow her on twitter @thedivadiaries.
