Lunchtime Startup Ecosystem Introductions – Speakers
Along with mentoring at lunchtime, we will be introduced to the startup ecosystem on November 14 at the Women 2.0 PITCH NYC Conference during lunch by:
Anna Curran (Organizer, NY Startup Weekend)
Founder of a print-on-demand startup, Anna Curran is a NY Startup Weekend organizer. Prior to founding her startup, she was selected by Startup Weekend as the New York co-founder of the pilot program called The Startup Foundation. She also founded Startup Weekend’s Partnership Series that brings together Fortune 500 companies who want to collaborate with startups. Follow her on Twitter at @AnnaCurran.
Janet Hanson (Founder & CEO, 85 Broads)
Entrepreneur Janet Hanson founded 85 Broads, a global network community of 30,000 trailblazing women who want to leverage their best personal and professional relationships to create greater success for themselves and each other. Launched in 1997, the “founding members” of 85 Broads were women who worked for Goldman Sachs at 85 Broad Street. Today, all trailblazing women are invited to join. Follow her on Twitter at @janethanson.
Jessica Lawrence (Managing Director, NY Tech Meetup)
The former CEO for Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council, Jessica Lawrence is the first Managing Director of the NY Tech Meetup, where she has worked since April 2011 to expand the capacity of the 26,000-member non-profit organization while also managing its day-to-day operations on a full-time basis. Her professional experience has been about challenging the status quo. Follow her on Twitter at @jessicalawrence.
Katie Gage (Manager of Programming, Springboard Enterprises)
Managing signature venture-catalyst programming, Katie Gage works at Springboard Enterprises, the premier platform where entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts meet to build great women-led businesses. Springboard sources, coaches, showcases and supports high growth companies seeking equity. She handles programs including Build It Big and Springboard Dolphin Tank™. Follow her on Twitter at @SpringboardEnt.
Kristen Titus (Executive Director, Girls Who Code)
Working to close the gender gap in technology and engineering, Kristen Titus is currently Executive Director at Girls Who Code. She is the former Managing Director of Jumo.com, the social network for the social sector from Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes. She led the organization’s programming and product development, fundraising, communications and operations. Follow her on Twitter at @kristentitus.
Loretta McCarthy (Managing Director, Golden Seeds)
With a focus on dynamic women-led companies, Loretta McCarthy is Managing Director of Golden Seeds, an investor consortium that invests in early-stage, women-led companies. Since its founding eight years ago, Golden Seeds has invested over $40 million in 53 companies. At Golden Seeds, Loretta manages the network of over 260 members. Follow her on Twitter at @LorettaMcCarthy.
Natalia Oberti Noguera (Founder & CEO, Pipeline Fellowship)
Social entrepreneur Natalia Oberti Noguera founded Pipeline Fellowship, an angel investing bootcamp for women philanthropists. The Pipeline Fellowship works to increase diversity in the U.S angel investing community and creates capital for women social entrepreneurs. Fellows commit to invest in a woman-led for-profit social venture in exchange for equity and a board seat. Follow her on Twitter at @nakisnakis.
Sara Chipps (Founder, Girl Develop It)
Software developer Sara Chipps is the founder of Girl Develop It, inspiring more females to see being a developer is fun and glamorous. As her concept expanded, Sara decided to build her network of female developers with a mission to teach women around the world the fundamentals of software development and to become empowered. Sara’s favorite language is JavaScript. Follow her on Twitter at @SaraJChipps.
