I’m pretty tired of the women in tech ‘debate’. Why? Because I think we fail to appreciate how women are demonstrating their tech involvement in a space they are creating themselves. Women are in tech, in huge numbers – they’re just not seen unless they are in traditional tech roles that involve a cubicle and 9-5 work day, and that shows how limited the debate really is. Let me explain.

I’m proudly a woman in tech. I am a researcher, a PhD student in the ATLAS Institute at CU. I hold an RA appointment in the Dept of Computer Science’s Project EPIC (Empowering People in Crisis), which looks at how social media tools can empower all stakeholders in crises such as natural disasters. I am absolutely behind every woman in a tech field, we need all of them.

I’m also a mum blogger. I own and respect the tag. And that makes me a woman in tech in another sense.

Telling stories is something women are fantastic at. And it’s in the telling stories space where you’re going to find some incredibly tech-savvy women, all demonstrating their expertise. In fact, that’s where a massive number of the women are in tech.

You might look down your nose on ‘moms who blog’. Many, many people do (including some – many – moms who blog). But let me tell you, over the last few months, even though I’m engaged with mom bloggers every day, I’ve been humbled by the number of moms who have extremely good technical, real computing know-how, building not only the technologies but also the brands and relationships of their media enterprises. An enterprise that might begin with a blog, but expands to video and podcast content as well. They are learning what makes great businesses in the tech domain while they have the rubber to the road and are doing it all themselves. These are women with training in some technical areas, either professional training or self-taught. They are networked and engaged. They are entrepreneurial – it takes real guts to create content, put a brand on it and push it out there. And they are accomplished. (Yeah, they are.)

Recently, I was invited and became a member of a local group of social-media-savvy moms. Not all are bloggers, but all are switched on, professional, creative and so darned impressively tech knowledgeable, I’m learning every day from them. (Yes I am. I have so much to learn.)

Most people choose to forget that moms who blog usually had some kind of professional or paid position before becoming mothers. And they were great at that job. So why is it so hard to believe that just because a woman has children she loses her professionalism? Sure, many women become bloggers as a hobby, but most look for something more pretty quickly. They’re surrounded by other successful women who are making something of their blogs, or who would love it if that opportunity arose (it’s there, you just have to embrace it). Nobody will retire on the money they make, but many find a continued realisation of their professional value and worth through their blog.

Yes, dear friend, mom bloggers are women in tech. They might not be in the spaces you speak of, nor do they fit your picture of a power woman in a cubicle blending in with the guys in a technical space that somehow, for some limited reason, you think is valuable. But there are a stack of accomplished women building brilliant companies, brands, dare I call them – startups (yep, I said it). They have networks, and collective intelligence like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

They’re teaching each other. They understand what they’re doing. And if you’re not watching, they’ll use it to take you on.

Related posts:

1. Why women in tech need to stop whining and start to nurture our own
2. Fostering future women in tech begins with the women already there
3. How to create a stir – write about women in startups

I’m a woman in tech and I’m struggling.

I’m not struggling because of my kids, or juggling home and work, or even because I have boobs instead of another single swinging appendage.

I’m struggling, dear friend, with the fact that many women in tech are focused on having little girl temper tantrums about not being represented in the mainstream, and because many men seem to want to aim the discussion around that.

I’m struggling because I’m hearing men say they can’t find women in tech to employ, or to be co-founders with.

I’m struggling because the only people who get any attention in the conversations about women in tech are ‘influential’ men who really have no idea about the truly fantastic parts of being a woman in tech. They only rant about the ‘issues’.

I’m struggling because it’s never been better for women in tech, and the future is amazing – yet all up-coming girls hear is how whining women are ‘fighting’ for acceptance. It’s neither a true representation of what is open to them, nor does it demonstrate the incredible talent that exists out there already. The women who are just doing it.

Focusing on perceived problems does not make someone want to join your parade, or hear you out. So those who whine create silos of pity parties that don’t move us forward.

Grace Hopper Vs Barbie

I recently attended the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Tech. It was fantastic. Why? Because it was a technology conference. A technology conference – that happened to have over 2000 women at it. And the only thing focused on how you looked was the ridiculous Barbie with a pink computer that’s somehow supposed to be bridging the gap.

Carol Bartz at the 2010 Grace Hopper Conference. Pic: Yodel Anecdotal, Flickr Creative Commons.

Seriously? I know Barbie wants to be more like me, but keeping the plastic pert boobs and a pink laptop is not going to cut it. Sorry, Mattel – Barbie is about as believable a computer scientist as Ken would be. I am anti-Barbie, and giving her a laptop is not going to change my opinion. Barbie certainly doesn’t help the Women in Tech issue – I am no more going to turn into Barbie because I’m a computer scientist than she is going to turn into me because she has a laptop. Additionally, she is a commercial product – that a company is making money out of. To highlight her as an icon for Women in Tech is ugly on many fronts. Why don’t we have a Grace Hopper Doll instead? Non representation of Women in Tech is not fixed with misrepresentation.

At the Grace Hopper Conference, there were myriad companies actively interviewing and recruiting smart women. In booths allocated for it. Stacks of them. That’s something I’ve never run across at any other conference. It’s a shame NOBODY (including those so-called ‘male supporters of the cause’) talked about that on blogs or media at all.

Why is it a big deal that women were being recruited?

It’s a big deal because it’s something girls need to know. If you’re a girl and you go into tech, you’ll have myriad job opportunities. Because male computer scientists are, let’s face it, a dime a dozen. There is no doubt the females bring something a little different to the table. (And it’s not a pink computer.)

I’m not going to engage in the ridiculous circular debate on the difference between women and men and whether one sex is better than the other. That’s not the point. Instead, you’ll note I said they’re a little different – and in the interests of creating technology that is created through iterations with alternative, diverse inputs to its production, it’s vital to have a good mix of people on your team.

The companies interviewing women at Grace Hopper saw that. They wanted our resume’s. They sat down and spoke with women and girls looking at a future in tech. Women and girls who were actively pursuing education at higher education institutions, and who had internships and experience. Or who wanted them.

If you’re a girl considering a career in tech, let me tell you, it’s probably the best career move you’ll ever make. The second thing you should do is not only attend small women conferences where the focus on problems are the main subject. Instead, go to the general (yes, male dominated) conferences. Introduce yourself to the startup community. Start putting yourself out there. Find your field and develop your skills, and get vocal. It will be appreciated by almost everyone. And those who don’t like it don’t count.

And forget about Barbie, conferences that create echo chambers of whining, and men who want to lead the discussion instead of be part of the conversation.

Be the change you want to see

If you’re a woman in tech, find some women you’d love to see speak at conferences and recommend them to the organizers. Stop going to women conferences *instead of* general conferences – at the very least, do both. And my challenge to you is to find a woman in tech or up-and-coming girl, to nominate for an award. There are lots out there. Or you know, you should nominate yourself. Tell other women how inspiring you think they are. Reach out and email a woman who has influenced you to be in tech – even if you have never actually met them. Write a blog post, and link to it here on what is fantastic about being a woman in tech.

And get a clue: Yes, there are dickheads out there. But they’re dicks to everyone, all the time. Not just to women.

It’s time. </rant>

Related posts:

1. The invisible Women in Tech
2. Fostering future women in tech begins with the women already there
3. How to create a stir – write about women in startups

A few months after we moved to Boulder, I was informed by sage, experienced people of the wonders of dumpster diving at the end of Spring semester. When all the students go back to their moms and dads for the summer. I heard fanciful stories that instead of giving stuff away or selling it, students just put all their things in the dumpsters, including unused detergent, soap, lightbulbs, etc.

At first I thought eww. Because dumpsters in Australia are so filthy even the most hardened drunk won’t venture into them. And I’m not ‘that’ person.

But as time wore on, and I guess as I saw more and more of the type of behaviour the students here have, I thought it would be worth ‘having a look’. And now we’re moving to a larger place (yay) where nothing other than the house is rented (fail), it’s time I got stuff like bookcases, desks, cutlery, linen and stuff. (Please note: most some of these I would not get from a dumpster. Even I have limits.)

Giving the coathangers a second chance. Life's tough.

So last weekend Elisabeth and I went out. For a drive. Down some alleys. To sight see. (This may or may not be related to the fact that the local newspaper ran a story on how it is illegal to take things from dumpsters. So we were ensuring we weren’t going to do anything illegal – like recycling stuff people were throwing into landfill – because that would be bad. You’re welcome, Boulder sheriffs.)

Coathanger rescue is socially responsible

Funnily enough, on our sightseeing tour of the alleys of Boulder, we came across a mass of coathangers. Just sitting next to a dumpster. That’s totally NOT dumpster diving, and coathangers appear to eat each other in our houses, so we liberated these from the alley. You’re welcome, alley.

Whoops! Elisabeth nearly falling into a dumpster. (Yes, this was posed, officer. But it's okay because it's awesome.)

And then we continued our sightseeing (because you know, it’s a side of Boulder I had not seen yet and as a startup mum I’m always one step away from living in an alley), and before I could warn her of it being directly in her way, and possibly because she was distracted by her constant talking, Elisabeth tripped and nearly fell into a dumpster. It was just craziness – how irresponsible, leaving the dumpster right where anyone could just trip into it. What is this world coming to? I was very worried, so I got up there too – but I didn’t fall in. Because I’m smart. I held onto the edge. And guess what? Insanely, someone had obviously accidentally thrown out about 50 brand new tshirts all still in their folded sizes, 10 XBox front covers (still in packaging), 6 very nice yellow satchels still in their brand new packaging, hundreds of packaged EA sponsored CU Buffs banners and about two billion brand new library bags – all branded EA Sports.

So we liberated this brand new, still in its original packaging stuff. It literally filled my (rental) car boot. Did I already say it was brand new? We kept a few for personal use, and put the rest into a donation bin for abused and neglected children – which is where they should have been put in the first place. You can see about half of it (yes, just half of it) in the featured pic. Jed asked me why I did this. I told him I kind of have an issue with people not recycling, but I have an even bigger issue with things going straight from the factory line into landfill.

I’m sure the person who put them in the dumpster probably was on their way to one of the many donation bins around Boulder, but fell into the dangerously placed dumpster with them, just like Elisabeth did, and needed to let all this brand new stuff go so the person could scramble to safety. That’s totally understandable. (Oh, and there was also a small black coffee table in there. So we liberated that too. It now is in our little loungeroom and holds all our game gear.)

Nice coffee table that someone accidentally left in the same dumpster. (Picture entirely posed, officer. I swear.)

We were invigorated outraged by this experience, so we thought we’d check to see if other dumpsters or things around them looked dangerous. So we could warn people or fix it. Because we are nice people and that’s just how we roll.

Why Craigslist is helping the world be socially responsible

I’d seen an ad in the Free section on Craigslist (which is like the Trading Post for Aussies, but it’s entirely online, and in fact Craigslist exists in Australia but nobody really knows about it) for a couch someone was throwing out, so we used the reliable GPS (rather than the unreliable Elisabeth’s memory for directions to streets – it’s Pearl, then Spruce, then Pine, woman!) to find out whether the couch was liberated or not. It had been so we were happy, thinking of the couch being set free, loved, somewhere. But right near where the couch had been (and totally not in a dumpster because they were too big) were a very nice large IKEA bookcase, and a tv set with remote taped to the top, and a sign that said “Free. Still working well.” (The sign was on the TV, because of course the bookcase didn’t need a sign. It was obvious that it worked. Maybe you don’t need this kind of explanation.) Well, to leave them behind was inhumane. So then the car was full.

Then I came home and got a little itchy which could totally have been my brain working overtime thinking of little things you need a microscope to see that bite a lot and leave you with an illness, which might explain the big headache I had this week. But I had a shower and washed my clothes and now I wasn’t itchy any more. So maybe the headache is an aneurysm after all, because I had that all week. But I don’t have it now. So maybe it’s only an aneurysm from Monday to Friday. I don’t know. I’ll have to think that through a some more.

Where are they now?

The TV. Which is obviously not in a dumpster.

Until we move next month, the tv is sitting on the floor in the middle of our little loungeroom. Which is not ideal, but in another way it kind of is. Because it is in the way of the tv we currently use and the signal from the remote doesn’t read if you’re sitting on the couch. Which of course, you always are if you’re watching tv. But I’m not moving it because it’s fun to watch family members try to make the signal reach the tv without getting off their butts, by waving their arms around and swearing a lot. It’s better than the show they’re trying to tune to. And that crap’s why I know God exists.

By the way, on a serious note: If you are Electronic Arts, then you should know that someone who obviously worked for you, probably in promotions, and lived in Boulder threw a mass load of your branded stuff into landfill. That’s a freaking massive fail. And if you’re that person, you should be banned from living in Boulder. You’re anti-Boulder. And, by the way, so is the ridiculous rule of Boulder authorities that says we can’t recycle other people’s things. It’s anti-everything good. You might want to rethink that.

No related posts.

It’s hard to believe it’s nearly a year since I started as one of the inaugural founders accepted to the Founder Institute. Since then, lots of debate has happened related to these type of accelerator programs and women. (The irony is that while I publicly recognized it a year ago, the debate today is being discussed by men.)

Accelerator programs are interesting animals. Being Boulder based, it was natural for us to apply for TechStars last year. My startup was a finalist for the program but we ended up not going in because our idea was not yet far enough along for it to be on the same type of schedule as other companies they were considering. (As it is, we are still working on our launch – a number of reasons are behind that, but it should happen in the next few weeks.) In any case, we had also applied to the Founder Institute (FI) and after all three of the founders on (what is now) TribeVibe had gone through the interview and the 3-hour long examinations, all three of us were accepted.

My take is that TechStars focuses on the company primarily, while FI truly focuses on founders. TechStars does not interview founders individually but rather as a team, and the company idea needs to be pretty well complete. Instead, the FI exams and interviews are performed separately. Additionally as an early stage accelerator, we each undertook ideation and early stage investigations on at least three ideas (even though we already had one solidly constructed coming in). Finally, for two thirds of the program we were separated into other teams – founders of a single company were not placed together. (I was president of my first group, and Jed was president of his. That was interesting.)

These strategies for me, as a woman with two male co-founders, was really great. It pressured me to do the all the key requirements of the startup, not just what I was comfortable or a ninja in. It gave me input to numerous other companies that was valued. I was a founder, same as every other founder in the program. (To that time by outsiders I had regularly been identified as a founder in name only, married to the actual founder. That all changed with FI.)

Also importantly, I was able to do the program remotely, while my co-founders attended the sessions in person. I have children and this flexibility in the program was more vital even than being given $6K per founder going in (FI gives founders no money at the start).

The only disappointing thing is that there was only one female mentor in the entire program while I was there. Other programs also operate with a great imbalance between male and female advisors/mentors. You’re not going to convince women they’re welcome in programs when the most successful ones are not held up to the same level as the males. The best way of getting more women into your accelerator is not to ask the startup women to sign up – but to demonstrate real commitment by having a roster that includes 50% female speakers and mentors. They really are not that hard to find, and it’s kind of like “if you build it, they will come.” I believe all the accelerators need to do more than simply invite women or say “we welcome everyone to apply” and follow it up by making public the number of women in their programs – on both sides of the table.

As it was, the flexibility in the program, the individual recognition of founders (rather than companies) is, I believe, what led FI to having a far better number of women startup founders as part of its inaugural cohort (although it was still less than 10% of enrolments). As a graduate, I would absolutely recommend FI, particularly to women. Not only have I had a fantastic opportunity with a recognized accelerator and some great mentors, but I have connected with some very strong startup women who were part of my cohort – and been recognized by the men in the program as having talent and ability as a founder in my own right. I am not convinced an accelerator focused on the team would have provided that.

I also personally now hold interest in the warrant pool of quite a few great companies, and have a stack more confidence. In a startup environment full of hip 20-something dudes, that’s a real win.

Thanks to Scott for encouraging me to post on this topic. Scott is about to begin FI Denver this semester. He wrote about the difference between incubators here. Additionally, Chirag Pancholi from my cohort also wrote about FI here.

Related posts:

1. Focusing on founders – the Founder Institute
2. Why women in tech need to stop whining and start to nurture our own
3. How to create a stir – write about women in startups