By Angie Chang (Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Women 2.0)
This morning, Forbes announced their annual “30 Under 30” lists, launching a cavalcade of public congratulations for the named, and also leaving many women in tech wondering “where are the women?” in Forbes lists?
24-year old Danielle Fong holds top billing in the “30 Under 30” for energy (and will be speaking at Women 2.0’s PITCH Conference). In the “30 Under 30” for social & mobile, 29-year old Clara Shih (Co-Founder, Hearsay Social) announced her seat on Starbuck’s board last week. No doubt women are blazing trails in technology, business and innovation.
So where are the women in Forbes “30 Under 30”?
We looked across categories from “social & mobile” (4 women of 30 named), “science & innovation” (9 women of 30 named) and “energy” (8 women of 30 named) to decide that yes, “technology” (2 women of 30 named) is where women fail to make their mark on Forbes editors.
The solution? Speak up. For women in technology, the year 2012 will be the year to crush it and let everyone know about it. Celebrate your success with Women 2.0 and other media publications. Enlist a director of marketing to submit your name and accomplishments to media outlets for you.
This year, we have celebrated 2011 Female Founder Successes, and created lists of women entrepreneurs who are “naturally gifted” in things beside shopping, mobile women entrepreneurs, women CTOs and VPs of engineering, female investors… the lists go on and on.
Women in Technology (Forbes “30 Under 30”)
Jessica Mah (Founder, InDinero)
(Age: 21 | Listed under “Technology”)
Offering financial advising for businesses online, thwarting future Madoffs.
Susan Gregg Koger (Founder, Modcloth)
(Age: 27 | Listed under “Technology”)
Husband-wife duo reinventing clothes shopping online with their retro-inspired merchandise.
Women in Science & Innovation (Forbes “30 Under 30”)
Christina Fan (Senior Scientist, ImmuMetrix)
(Age: 28 | Listed under “Science & Innovation”)
Began work on a new, non-invasive test for Down syndrome.
Ciara Metcalfe (Postdoctoral Fellow, Genentech)
(Age: 28 | Listed under “Science & Innovation”)
Studying stem cell hidden in the intestine to search for new drugs for people.
Daniela Witten (Assistant Professor, University of Washington)
(Age: 27 | Listed under “Science & Innovation”)
Developing artificial intelligence programs deciphering how genes lead to disease.
Heather Knight (Founder & CEO, Marilyn Monrobot)
(Age: 28 | Listed under “Science & Innovation”)
Creating interactive theater using robotics.
Jessie Rosenberg (Research Staff Member, IBM TJ Watson Research Center)
(Age: 25 | Listed under “Science & Innovation”)
Graduated college at 17; now uses optical technology to make faster, better computer chips.
Jodie Wu (Founder & CEO, Global Cycle Solutions)
(Age: 24 | Listed under “Science & Innovation”)
Redesigns bicycles to run agricultural jobs in rural Tanzania where electricity is scarce.
Leigh Anne Ihnken (Research Scientist, GlaxoSmithKline)
(Age: 29 | Listed under “Science & Innovation”)
Making pharmaceutical chemistry less expensive and less harmful to the environment.
Rizia Bardhan (Postdoctoral Candidate, Berkeley National Laboratory)
(Age: 29 | Listed under “Science & Innovation”)
Nanotech particles that can diagnose or treat disease; new ways of storing energy.
Sarah Ng (Graduate Student, University of Washington)
(Age: 27 | Listed under “Science & Innovation”)
Use of DNA sequencing to find the genes that cause rare diseases.
Women in Social & (Forbes “30 Under 30”)
Amanda Hocking (Author, Paranormal Romance Young-Adult Fiction)
(Age: 27 | Listed under “Social & Mobile”)
Used social media to promote her e-books, earning $2M and a deal with St. Martin’s Press.
Clara Shih (Co-Founder, Hearsay Social)
(Age: 29 | Listed under “Social & Mobile”)
Helping large companies manage social media across many far-flung local offices.
Danielle Morrill (Director, Evangelism & Corporate Communications, Twilio)
(Age: 26 | Listed under “Social & Mobile”)
Joined Twilio as employee #1 and mentors entrepreneurs at 500 Startups and Startup Weekend.
Leila Janah (Founder & CEO, Samasource)
(Age: 29 | Listed under “Social & Mobile”)
Helping U.S. companies outsource tech work in a socially responsible way with Samasource.
Women in Energy (Forbes “30 Under 30”)
Alexis Ringwald (Co-Founder, Valence Energy)
(Age: 28 | Listed under “Energy”)
Created energy management systems for commercial buildings; sold startup to Serious Energy.
Ashleigh Patterson (Co-Founder, Viridis Technologies)
(Age: 29 | Listed under “Energy”)
Safely dispenses compressed nat gas fuel into vehicles, deployed in Australia and India.
Danielle Fong (Co-Founder & Chief Science Officer, LightSail Energy)
(Age: 24 | Listed under “Energy”)
Working on game-changing energy storage system, backed by greentech investor Vinod Khosla.
Eden Full (Founder, Roseicollis Technologies)
(Age: 19 | Listed under “Energy”)
Thiel fellow invents low-cost solar tracking system to be deployed in developing countries.
Elizabeth Salerno (Director, Data & Analysis, American Wind Energy Association)
(Age: 29 | Listed under “Energy”)
Wrangles stats from wind energy companies to report on wind industry policies and trends.
Kelsey Lynn (Partner, Firelake Capital)
(Age: 29 | Listed under “Energy”)
Scouts for startup ideas that apply materials science solutions to energy problems.
Meredith Perry (Founder, Ubeam)
(Age: 22 | Listed under “Energy”)
Developing device to re-charge gadgets remotely using ultrasound transmitters.
Vanessa Green (CEO, OnChip Power)
(Age: 29 | Listed under “Energy”)
Developing smaller, more efficient energy transformers for LEDs and consumer electronics.
To be discovered by Forbes and the world, you have to pipe up and make yourself known. One step is to start sharing your successes with Women 2.0, the platform for women entrepreneurs at all stages of the startup/innovation lifecycle (from idea to minimum viable product, from launch to acquisition/IPO).
We’ve found that women with MBAs (more so than women without MBAs) tend to:
- Recruit their marketing folks, and
- Seek investor funding right out of the gates.
Thus, the women entrepreneurs who do these two items straight away make their accomplishments are well-known and gain credibility with investor backing. For those without MBAs, take note of your peers who do this and do the same!
You should also attend Founder Friday mixers to meet and network with fellow women entrepreneurs, and share your 2011 entrepreneurial successes with Women 2.0 by emailing foundrtickr@women2.org.
We welcome everyone to attend our biggest event of the year on February 14, 2012 in Mountain View — the Women 2.0 PITCH Conference — to meet 800+ entrepreneurs, investors and startup team members in the Women 2.0 community and beyond.
Here’s to a bigger and better 2012!
About the guest blogger: Angie Chang co-founded Women 2.0 in 2006 with Shaherose Charania. She currently serves as Editor-In-Chief of Women 2.0 and is working to mainstream women in entrepreneurship. Previously, Angie held roles in product management, web UI design, and entrepreneurship. In 2008, Angie launched Bay Area Girl Geek Dinners, asking that guys come as the “+1” for once. Angie holds a B.A. in English and Social Welfare from UC Berkeley. Follow her on Twitter at @thisgirlangie.
