Female tech CEOS share experience and support
SAN FRANCISCO — A recent private call-out for female tech CEOs to gather here quickly escalated into organized chaos. The idea was a roundtable to explore the recent phenomenon of early-stage startups led by women and how they are making a difference as well as great products.
The under-35-somethings intend to break molds, smash paradigms and redefine history.
Half a dozen executives were expected at a local business conference room in the shadow of the Bay Bridge. A dozen showed up, and another six or seven were turned away because the conference room wasn’t big enough. “It’s a great time for early-stage start-ups, and for women in particular,” said Victoria Ransom, CEO of Wildfire Interactive, a 350-person company that makes social-media marketing software for 15,000 customers.
Most agree that it won’t be easy in an industry teeming with male executives, board members, inves- tors and engineers. “If you display characteristics of men, you’re called a bitch,” says Clara Shih, CEO of Hearsay Social, a social-media marketing company. Adds Katrina Lake of fashion site Stitch Fix: “There is a certain motivation in the underdog role and proving wrong those who are condescending.”
That came as little comfort for Kathryn Minshew, founder of The Daily Muse, who says she went to 60 male investors without luck before a female angel investor said yes to backing her online career community for job seekers.
For two hours, they swapped stories, traded unbridled opinions and dispensed advice on jobs and gender, all with healthy dollops of laughter, profanity, honesty and introspection. Some reflections:
-Parenthood. “(My daughter inspires me to) shake things up and change the paradigm, says Amaryllis Fox, CEO of the social-sharing site Mulu. -Advice for younger entrepre
neurs. “To be a great leader, be authentic,” says Ransom. Her company credo is “celebrate humility.”
-Sharing credit. “Women are more team players,” says Minshew. “They spread the credit. I notice lots of guys take all the credit.”
-Assertiveness. “Some are surprised when I call out bulls--- and have a no-nonsense attitude,” says Pooja Sankar, CEO of Piazza, a discussion site for college courses. “Is that uncommon? I don’t know.”
But it took a plaintive question by Maha Ibrahim, general partner at Canaan Partners, a venture-capital firm in Silicon Valley, that transformed the roundtable into a fullblown therapy session. “How many of you are lonely?” she asked. Several hands immediately shot up.
“It was eye-opening, inspiring and thought-provoking,” said Shih, summing up the nature of the unplugged, unfiltered conversation. “There are so few of us, and we rarely meet.”