I'm glad to be supporting TWO upcoming events designed for women entrepreneurs. If you're a woman entrepreneur in Silicon Valley - or would like to encourage one - then read on, forward this information, and register.
First, I'll be speaking on how to go after VC funding at She's Geeky, an unconference designed for geeky women (and girls, if you'd like to bring your daughters). According to the organizers, "attendees include women involved in all aspects of technology, including those who like to use geeky tools, not just coders, programmers and engineers. You don’t even have to be from the computer industry. You just have to be a woman who identifies as a geek." She's Geeky is very affordable and is coming up this weekend (January 30 - 31) at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, so register today.
Second, I'm serving as a VC judge for Women 2.0 Pitch 2009, an annual startup competition. Enter your back-of-a-napkin business plan by April 10th and get a chance to win a meeting with legendary investor Michael Moritz from Sequoia Capital, along with free space at the Plug and Play Tech Center, legal representation from Pillsbury, and more. Any startup with a woman on the founding team is eligible. Five finalists will be chosen (by judges including yours truly) to pitch live at Pitch Night on May 7th, 2009. Apply to pitch here.
Folks often ask me why women need a 'special conference' to go to. While I agree much of the content at these events could be accessed at any entrepreneurship event, it's refreshing to walk into a room of one's own for a day. As anyone who's attended a freshman orientation or joined a soccer team knows, there's something special about bonding within a peer group. If one of your peer groups happens to be 'geeky women,' here's an opportunity to find them.
