At Startup Grind we’re constantly asked how we face the challenge of the gender gap in our communities and what we’re doing to make our events more inclusive of women. Startup houses and co-working spaces want to know how they can create an environment more inviting and appealing to women, attendees ask how we get female entrepreneurs to speak, and so on. There is no easy answer to all of this, but what we do know is incredible female entrepreneurs are EVERYWHERE. Still, while women are starting companies at 1.5 times the national average, they are consistently poorly represented in tech, accelerators, co-working spaces and startup events around the world.
Despite the fact that we were able to recognize a fantastic group of women at Startup Grind Global (our annual global conference) this past February, there is no denying it’s difficult for us and for Startup Grind chapter directors around the world to find female entrepreneurs in our communities--both to attend and speak--when the industry is hugely dominated by men.
So for a second year in a row we're facing that challenge head on. As part of that commitment to see change within our brand and our global community, we're dedicating the month of May to our campaign for female entrepreneurship. As of today, we’re proud to announce that over 75% of our chapters will host a female speaker at their events next month. That's 60 events in over 40 countries featuring the stories of super impressive female entrepreneurs. We're working toward making this a regular occurrence, but we've still got work to do.
Come Join Us:
North America
04 May [Vancouver, Canada] Cybele Negris (Webnames.ca)
06 May [Tampa Bay, FL] Jan Mercer Dahms (Plum Alley)
07 May [New York City, NY] Minerva Tantoco (CTO of NYC)
07 May [Philadelphia, PA] Lucinda Duncalfe (Monetate)
11 May [Columbus, OH] Jeni Britton Bauer (Jeni's Ice Cream)
12 May [Phoenix, AZ] Sharon Lechter (Co-author, Rich Dad Poor Dad)
13 May [Houston, TX] Laura Capper (Cap Resources)
13 May [Sacramento, CA] Ari Horie (Women's Startup Lab)
13 May [Silicon Valley, CA] Amy Pressman & Borge Hald (Medallia)
13 May [Toronto, Canada] Dr. Ilse Treurnicht (MaRS Discovery District)
14 May [Denver, CO] Charlotte Genevier (Cotery)
14 May [North Bay, CA] Sandra Hess (DTC Wine Workshops)
14 May [Los Angeles, CA] Monica Dodi (The Women's Venture Capital Fund)
15 May [Monterey Bay, CA] Tara Long (Seagate)
19 May [Chicago, IL] Desiree Vargas Wrigley (GiveForward)
19 May [Burlington, VT] Elisabeth (Liz) Robert (Terry Bicycles)
19 May [Council Bluffs, IA] Diane Hathaway (Savannah Filmore)
19 May [Greenwich, CT] Beth Comstock & Deborah Bussiere (GE & EY)
20 May [Halifax, Canada] Gillian McCrae (GetGifted)
20 May [Madison, WI] Heather Wentler (Doyenne Group)
20 May [Orange County, CA] Olenka & Adam Polak (myLINGO)
21 May [Columbia, SC] Rozalynn Goodwin (GaBBY Bows)
21 May [Utah, UT] Cydni Tetro (3DPlusMe)
21 May [Princeton, NJ] Jessica Durrie (Small World Coffee)
21 May [Lansing, MI] Mary Ellen Sheets (Two Men and a Truck)
21 May [Boise, ID] Fundraising with Michelle Crosby (Wevorce)
26 May [Seattle, WA] Martina Welke Britta Jacobs Co Founders (Zealyst)
26 May [Dallas, TX] Katherine Nelson (Founder of RedKatalyst)
26 May [Detroit, MI] Karen Eschebach (Clever Container)
28 May [San Francisco, CA] Mary Grove (Google for Entrepreneurs)
28 May [Kalamazoo, MI] Erika Block (Local Orbit)
Latin America
13 May [San Luis Potosi, Mexico] NATALIA PEÑUELAS (Florería & Eventos)
19 May [Buenos Aires, Argentina] Gwyneth Ketterer (Columbia Business School)
19 May [São Paulo, Brazil] Ana Merighe (Innoveur)
21 May [Rio de Janeiro, Brazil] Roberta Martiniano (Folga na direção)
21 May [Ensenada, Mexico] Lolita Taub (The F Show)
26 May [Guatemala City, Guatemala] Fiorella Perini (Asoc Guatemala Franquicias)
26 May [Monterrey, Mexico] Blanca Treviño (CEO @ Softtek)
26 May [Mexico City, Mexico] Guadalupe Latapi (Aires de Campo)
28 May [Curitiba, Brazil] Lenia Luz (Empreendedorismo Rosa)
Europe
12 May [Barcelona, Spain] Helena Torras (Abiquo, PaoCapital)
15 May [Edinburgh, United Kingdom] Heidi Roizen (DFJ Venture (Silicon Valley))
18 May [Edinburgh, United Kingdom] Jo Macsween (Macsween of Edinburgh Ltd.)
19 May [Athens, Greece] Xenia Kourtoglou (Focus Bari / e-satisfaction)
19 May [Kyiv, Ukraine] Anna Degtereva (Happy Farm)
19 May [Milano, Italy] Paola Marzario (Brandon)
20 May [Glasgow, United Kingdom] Fiona Godsman (Scottish Institute for Enterprise)
20 May [London, United Kingdom] Divinia Knowles (Mind Candy)
27 May [Aberdeen, United Kingdom] Dr. Deborah O'Neil (NovaBiotics®)
27 May [Oslo, Norway] Lauga Oskarsdottir (CEO UnitedBloggers)
28 May [Skopje, Macedonia] Daniela Milosheska (Bastet Noir)
28 May [Warsaw, Poland] Olga, Karolina, Kinga (Velocicaptor,Zortrax,Experior)
02 June [Berlin, Germany] Verena Pausder (Founder Fox & Sheep)
Africa // Mid East
05 May [Nairobi, Kenya] Isis Nyong'o Madison (Asphalt Ink)
09 May [Kano, Nigeria] Hajiya Fatima Maitama Lawal (Sharada Academy Kano)
20 May [Kuwait City, Kuwait] Farah Al Humaidhi (Pieces by Farah)
25 May [Cape Town, South Africa] Adelaide Potgieter (Mad World / Bromwell Mall)
25 May [Dubai, United Arab Emirates] Clare Woodcraft-Scott (The Emirates Foundation)
25 May [Johannesburg, South Africa] Andrea Rademeyer (Ask Afrika)
26 May [Tel Aviv, Israel] Merav Oren (WMN)
27 May [Lusaka, Zambia] Karen Nakawala (Afro Multi Media Productions)
27 May [Ramallah, Palestine] Samia Jubran Totah (Bisan Systems)
28 May [Dar es Salaam, Tanzania] Nuya Hellen Dausen (Nuya's Essence)
Asia
17 May [Hanoi, Viet Nam] ALENA ARENS (Evangelist, JFDI.asia)
19 May [Manila, Philippines] Natasha Bautista (GrabTaxi Philippines)
17 May [Shenzhen, China] Chenyu Zheng (Sister Apple) (Whisper)
21 May [Shanghai, China] Michelle Garnaut (M on the Bund)
26 May [Hong Kong, China] Maura Thompson (Sassy Media Group)
28 May [Singapore, Singapore] Roshni Mahtani (Tickled Media)
29 May [Chennai, India] Padma Chandrasekaran (Angel Investor)
Oceania
27 May [Melbourne, Australia] Gen George (OneShift)
30 May [Port Louis, Mauritius] Jessyca Joyekurun (Expand Human Resources)
Find Your Event at startupgrind.com