ITP's Women Entrepreneurs Festival 2012

I have worked over the last year on something I care deeply about – the advancement of women in entrepreneurship and technology. PlumAlley.co, the premier destination site for discovering and supporting female founded businesses will go live on September 6th. Every week PlumAlley.co will profile a female founder and a curated selection of her extraordinary products . . . → Read More: WE Alum Starts PlumAlley.co

Congratulations to 2012 WE panelist, Ayah Bdeir and her company, LittleBits!

http://techcrunch.com/2012/07/18/toys-grow-up-littlebits-picks-up-3-65m-pch-deal-to-build-out-its-open-source-hardware-vision/

LittleBits, an “open source hardware” startup that makes electronic building blocks to design objects for work and play, has today announced the addition of two significant building blocks of its own: it has picked up $3.65 million in funding; and has signed a manufacturing deal with . . . → Read More: Ayah Bdeir and LittleBits secures $3.65 million

WE Alumna, Suzanne Seggerman featured in Forbes article:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomwatson/2012/06/04/are-you-a-social-entrepreneur-5-key-questions-you-need-to-ask/

Are You A Social Entrepreneur?

by Tom Watson, June . . . → Read More: We Alum in Forbes Article

From WE Alumna Adrissha Wimberly

I wanted to send a special note to you to let you know that we’ve been making some great changes here at Smarteys. A week ago, we released our new tool, Paycheck Planner, and a new site that we are extremely proud of.

Paycheck Planner is a simple-to-use tool for people transiting from campus to career . . . → Read More: Smarteys releases Paycheck Planner

TWO women-owned companies won the startup showcase at O’Reilly Tools of Change in February 2012! One of them was BiblioCrunch.com, started by WE Alumna, Miral Sattar.

Here’s the link and the video!
Link . . . → Read More: BiblioCrunch.com at OReilly Tools of Change

Thanks to the handwork of a lot of people – the WE Festival 2 videos are now up!

http://vimeo.com/channels/wefestival2

Pictures . . . → Read More: WE Festival Pics and Videos!

WE Festival coverage in Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-hechinger/can-women-have-it-all-def_b_1076433.html

Festival Co-Organizer, Joanne Wilson’s address to the audience:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joanne-wilson/women-entrepreneurs_b_1215895.html?ref=women&ir=Women

“Women Entrepreneurs Gather at NYU”, The Network Journal.
http://www.tnj.com/entrepreneurs/entrepreneur-news/women-entrepreneurs-gather-nyu

Joanne Lang to speak at WE Festival
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2012/01/18/6061889.htm

Broadway World
http://broadwayworld.com/article/NYUs-ITP-Program-Hosts-Arianna-Huffington-117-18-20120116#

By Gotham Gal
http://www.gothamgal.com/gotham_gal/2012/01/womens-entrepreneur-festival-re-cap.html

By Emily McKhann – The Motherhood
http://www.themotherhood.com/blog/?p=1551

By Nancy Hechinger, “Why Is the Women Entrepreneurs Festival So Different?”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/nancy-hechinger/women-entrepreneurs-fesitval-_b_1220893.html

NY Daily News – Female Entrepreneurs Find Funding Community in NY
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/golden-ladies-nyc-female-entreprenuers-find-funding-community-york-article-1.1009894?pgno=1

Baking for Good
http://emily.bakingforgood.com/2012/01/19/women-entrepreneurs-festival/

Blog . . . → Read More: Some Press and Blog Posts about WE2

http://www.flickr.com/photos/itp-nyu/sets/72157629018003813/

Photos taken by:

Manuela Donoso, Mika Cardona, Lilia Ziamou and . . . → Read More: WE Festival Photos!

Venture capitalists Shana Fisher, Sarah Tavel, Joy Marcus, Nancy Peretsman, and Joanne Wilson come together in the Investors Panel for an insightful discussion into entrepreneurial investment. Each investor discusses what motivates her to invest, what an initial investment may look like, and what they consider a “good investment”. Panelists give brief introductions, . . . → Read More: Investors Panel Summary

The Community Makers panel was moderated by Chris Tardio and included a variety of entrepreneurs who focus on building tight-knit communities. After the introductory round of descriptions, Chris asked the panelists where the genesis of their idea came from, and the panelists answered with thorough descriptions and stories. Emily McKhann of The Motherhood described the way . . . → Read More: Community Makers Panel Summary

All speakers in the field of the arts talk about how they are drawn to the art world and how they develop their curiosity and creativity into their businesses. They also stress having ambition about their work and one speaker said you are the company itself which is inspiring . . . → Read More: Art Makers Panel summary

All speakers are makers either physically or digitally. Their businesses are reflected in their passions. They all continue to make what they are passionate about and see through no matter what. Also they build relationships beyond . . . → Read More: Makers Panel summary

The Taste Makers Panel brings together a group of inspiring women to discuss their passions for food, fashion, and culture and how their passion drove them in the creation of their businesses. The panel includes Emily Olsen, Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan, Katie Armour, Doni Belau, and Jennifer Hyman; and is moderated by Rachel Sklar. Each panelist . . . → Read More: Taste Makers Panel Summary

The Change Makers panel was composed of a group of inspiring women who have all found ways to make a difference by addressing problems in an innovative way.
Moderator Jessica Harris led the discussion, guiding the panelists through discussions of their own background, process of starting their own business, personal experiences, challenges and lessons learned. Each panelist . . . → Read More: Change Makers Panel Summary

Moderated by Diana Rhoten, The Knowledge Makers panel centers on education and how it relates to community, entrepreneurship, and pedagogy. Panelist share their personal experiences and insights into creating enterprises that address the needs of education, as well as transforming personal passions into thriving business ventures. Panelists include Pooja Nath Sankar, Sarah Elizabeth Ippel, Jennifer House, . . . → Read More: Knowledge Makers Panel summary

Today’s session of the Women’s Entrepreneurs Festival has started! The floor at ITP is bustling with women connecting with one another, connecting to the wireless network, and disconnecting to listen and take notes during Joanne Wilson’s insightful welcome remarks. . . . → Read More: WE Festival has begun. Welcome by Joanne Wilson

We are very excited for the start of the WE Festival tonight with our keynote address from Arianna Huffington!

Twitter . . . → Read More: WE Starts tonight!

Sunset Magazine mentions Eggzy and Hey, Neighbor! – both were WE! start-ups from last year!

Hey, Neighbor! started by Barbara Pantuso.

http://www.sunset.com/home/sharing-economy-00418000074416/

Eggzy started by . . . → Read More: WE Alum Successes: Eggzy and Hey, Neighbor!

A growing list of women owned businesses for you to do all of your holiday shopping this season! Put together by WE Alumna, Tereza Nemessanyi
The XX for Xmas list is live.
Home base of the growing list is on the Honestly Now blog. Pls FB, Tweet, Stumble, Follow, and ADD suggestions.
http://news.honestlynow.com/2011/11/25/buying-xx-for-xmas-a-holiday-guide/
 (We continue to add…panting… — we have . . . → Read More: XX for Xmas list is live!

Congratulations to WE 2011 Alumna, Julia LeStage

London/Boston-based start-up creates Weathermob, a social network for the world’s favorite conversation starter – the weather

Reports come in from over 35 countries in first three days after app’s release as a free download on the App Store

Weathermob, a London/Boston-based start-up supported by original investors in ASOS.com and lastminute.com, has launched . . . → Read More: WE Alum Success: London/Boston-based start-up creates Weathermob

Highlights several mom-owned businesses in Jersey City, NJ, right across the Hudson . . . → Read More: Moms Make Great Entrepreneurs

‘Can Women Have It All? Define ‘All’”

by Nancy Hechinger, WE Festival Co-Chair

November . . . → Read More: WE Festival in Huffington Post!

Thanks to those of you who have already applied! We are reviewing all of the applications and plan to announce our decisions by November 15. Stay tuned!

We still have space, so if you’re still thinking about it, please apply now! Application deadline is November . . . → Read More: WE Applications Decisions

I just came across this blog post on the NYU Entrepreneurs website:

“The Internet Debate: Should Women Stop Starting Female-Niche Businesses?” by Lexi Lewtan, October . . . → Read More: NYU Entrepreneurs article: Should Women Stop Starting Female-Niche Businesses?

Women 2.0: Number Of Women Founders Doubled Over Past Three Years
by Sarah Perez

Women 2.0, an organization whose goal is to increase the number of female founders in technology startups, is sharing some good news today: the number of women starting companies has doubled over the past three years. The new data comes from a survey of its . . . → Read More: TechCrunch Article

From WE Alum, Sanem Alkan:

I am excited to announce to the WE network that AudioVroom was selected
as the first music software featured on Facebook’s new mobile web
application platform and is now live for all Facebook users to enjoy.

AudioVroom is a next-generation music service unlike any other: It does not
require us to look for a particular song . . . → Read More: WE Alum Success: Sanem Alkan and AudioVroom

We are receiving a fantastic response and want to get back to all of you as quickly as possible. We are setting the application deadline for November 11, 2011.

Apply now! It only takes a . . . → Read More: Application Deadline – November 11

“Alum” of the first WE Festival, Deborah Jackson launched her new business, JumpThru in February, 2011:

Longtime 85 Broads member, Deborah Buresh Jackson, who was one of the women profiled in the book, More Than 85 Broads, has launched an exciting new company, JumpThru, a women’s business accelerator. (www.jumpthru.net) After 21 years in investment . . . → Read More: WE Alum Success: Deborah Jackson and JumpThru

A Tech Event That Actually Features More Women than Men
By Adrianne Jeffries, November 24, 2010
http://www.observer.com/2010/daily-transom/tech-event-actually-features-more-women-men
Featuring 6 of NYC’s Most Interesting Women in Tech
http://www.observer.com/2010/daily-transom/slideshow/six-nycs-most-interesting-women-tech
Including ITP Alums Despina Papadopoulos and Britta Riley
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Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/06/women-entrepreneurs-festival_n_817069.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenni-avins/the-inaugural-women-entre_b_818677.html

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Forbes:
http://blogs.forbes.com/elmirabayrasli/2011/03/07/in-entrepreneurship-there-are-no-rules-ladies/

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Examiner.com
NYU’s ITP Hosts First Women Entrepreneurs Festival
By Larry Byrd, Jan 31, 2011
http://www.examiner.com/fashion-events-in-new-york/nyu-s-itp-host-first-women-entrepreneurs-festival-review

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Video archives and . . . → Read More: Press Coverage from WE Festival 2011

We are now accepting applications for the WE . . . → Read More: Applications are open!

Click here to watch video footage and photos of the first WE Festival which was held at ITP, NYU on January . . . → Read More: Check out Last Year’s Festival

http://www.businessinsider.com/internet-next-big-thing-2011-10

Business Insider

“What Will It Take to Become the Next Big Thing?”

by Shira Levine, Oct 8, 2011

Featuring an interview with ITP Alumni Alex Kauffmann and Jason Aston . . . → Read More: ITP Alums Interviewed in Business Insider

From WE 2011 attendee, Sarah Baird:

Greetings from New Orleans! I just wanted to shoot y’all a quick note and let you know that my non-profit, Takeashine, has officially launched! Takeashine is an online crowdfunding platform for low-income students to bridge the gap between high school and college. We’re launching this fall with a pilot class of . . . → Read More: WE Alum Success: Sarah Baird and Takeashine

From Tereza Nemessanyi who attended WE 2011:
At the 2011 festival we were rolling out Honestly Now 1.0.  We learned a ton from it very quickly — some things were working and some things definitely not.  At that point we were running at a very low burn rate off a convertible note I’d raised in the fall. . . . → Read More: WE Alum Success: Tereza Nemessanyi and Honestly Now

We will be highlighting some successes of WE 2011 alumni and what’s happened to their businesses since the last conference.

From Lisa Duggan:
“On July 18, 2011 Lisa and her partner Steve launched The Parent du Jour, an “online book about contemporary parenthood being written one day, and one parent, at at time.” (http://theparentdujour.com). The goal of the . . . → Read More: WE Alumni Success: Lisa Duggan and The Parent du Jour

This is a snippet from Lisa Duggan’s blog post, “Rowing Ahead”.

The original, full-length post can be read here.

Lisa Duggan is co-founder and publisher of The Parent du Jour, an online documentary exploring contemporary families, one day, and one parent at a time.  Follow her progess on Twitter @theparentdujour.

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“Every time I scaled back on my career, to . . . → Read More: Reflecting on Last Year’s WE Festival

WE 2012 will take place Tuesday January 17, 2012 in the evening for our keynote address from Arianna Huffington!

The Panels will happen on Wednesday January 18, 2012 all day long. This time we have seven great panels lined up and the theme is about being a “Maker”.

Knowledge Makers
Community Makers
Change Makers
Makers
Taste Makers
Art Makers

and an . . . → Read More: WE are finalizing our panels!

Welcome to Women Entrepreneurs Festival 2012. Check back for more info on the . . . → Read More: WE2012