All tagged Women in Tech
A veteran of Silicon Valley for 25 years, Rachel Chalmers is certainly at home in the world of tech—though her first home is continents away. As the Head of Corporate Services at AlchemistX, the Corporate Services division of Alchemist Accelerator, some of the world’s most innovative companies rely on her insights when charting their paths. Listen as she discusses how enterprises can stay curious, how to fight burnout, and what she means by saying she prefers gardening over strip-mining.
Shireen Mitchell is well aware of the issues facing minority women in the tech industry. Founder of Stop Online Violence Against Women, she fights to protect women from unrelenting sexism and harassment online. In part 2 of our time with Shireen, hear her insights on topics from ineffective social media abuse policies and diversity hiring practices to the marks of true allyship and the prevalence of disinformation.
Born and raised in 1980s Harlem, Shireen Mitchell is an award-winning woman of color in tech. Her story is filled with overcoming a number of challenges—the same ones she helps other women overcome. And she’s not done. In this first of two episodes, you’ll hear Shireen share candid insights on what women are still facing in tech today, revisit the early days of building BBS boards, and recall stories from her childhood that positioned her to be where she is today.
After leaving a career in tech to focus on being a mom, Hint Water’s Kara Goldin probably didn’t envision starting a new company just a few years later—especially in an industry she had no experience with. But as always, her curiosity and willingness to take risks won out. And it worked. In this episode, Kara recalls her early career adventures in NYC, what prompted her move to Silicon Valley in the 90s, and why being curious and trusting your gut can often be more valuable than straight experience.
When Heidi Williams entered the tech world in the 90s, she was mostly focused on developing the latest offerings from a major software company. If only things would’ve remained that simple. In this episode, Heidi recounts her experiences learning the industry’s business side in the most difficult circumstances, what it’s like to have a flagship product killed off practically overnight, and tips on navigating through substantial changes in a tech company.
Lack of diversity and representation has always been an issue in the world of tech—which led Michigan-based entrepreneur Jenifer Daniels to create Colorstock, a hub for original stock photos featuring people of color. Jenifer discusses launching her business and how its immediate success eventually created some unforeseen dilemmas. She also offers advice and encouragement to women and people of color entering any industry still struggling with inclusivity.
We honor Women's History Month in our newest clips episode. On the lookout for inspiration and strength during this uncertain time, this episode shares clips from 9 of our women and non-binary guests, sharing their experiences entering the workforce, times they’ve encountered bias, and their moments of uncertainty as well as resolve.
Is the hype surrounding the "Learn to Code" movement worth it? Let's look at this academically. Dr. Kate Miltner is a technology and society researcher examining the ways that tech, identity, and structural power intersect. Coming from a background in tech and advertising, Dr. Miltner conducts ethnographic research that digs into things we’re so close to, we may not even take notice. She’s taken a closer look at memes as cultural artifacts, and is now examining coding boot camps and whether the hype around learning to code is really the solution many think it is.
Listen in on this compilation of stories from the five brilliant black women in tech who have been guests on the podcast. We have welcomed scientists, developers, founders, researchers, and authors. In this, our first clips show, hear our favorite cuts from Jacqueline Harper, Sian Morson, Dr. Tiffani Bright, Paula Buchanan, and Dr. Roshawnna Novellus.
April Wensel has a powerful message for engineers about how to improve your own lives as well as the lives of your coworkers and the users you serve. April is the founder of Compassionate Coding, an organization that teaches emotional intelligence to software dev teams. If you’re already nodding, you’ll love this episode. If you don’t think it’s a problem, just listen to April’s perspective. She tells us two reasons why people resist becoming more compassionate—and one thing she sees that gives her hope.
Dr. Roshawnna Novellus is the founder and CEO of EnrichHER, a platform that allows investors to lend directly to any woman-led business across the country. EnrichHER is built off of Roshawnna’s desire to equip women with the financing, confidence, and community support they need as business-owners. Hear how Roshawnna fights the biases that surround women in a way that earns her this empowering song for her episode title.
Elisa Camahort Page was in the trenches as blogging and social influence unfolded in the early ‘00s. As one of the co-founders of women’s media company BlogHer, one of the first places for women to spread their wings online, Elisa shares what makes for an ideal team of founders and advice for how to reach the next level in your career.
Aurélie Pols is an expert on ethical data uses. In this episode, we explore the historical precedents that have brought us to a turning point where companies need to decide whether to prioritize protecting the individual’s rights or skirt data privacy laws for the sake of convenience and cash. Listen to her thoughts on GDPR and CCPA, and how the EU and America approach data protection differently.
Jacqueline Harper has the kind of story that is rarely told and exactly what we’re trying to bring to light with this podcast. A black female programmer in the 1970s, she was asked to go home from her IBM job when she became pregnant with her first child. She then pushed herself to learn programming while also raising her family. Hear this remarkable woman’s story from the world of mid-century tech.
Laura Yecies has an extensive career in Silicon Valley and has been the CEO of two venture-backed startups, currently of SyncThink, a brain health platform focused on eye-tracking technology. Laura offers advice for managers, supportive words for females in tech, and wisdom for married couples trying to nurture two careers at once.
Dr. Tiffani Bright, PhD is the Biomedical Informatician at IBM Watson Health. She describes arriving at this fascinating field which sits at the intersection of several disciplines (mathematics, health/biology, and social science), and in particular how she is looking at Artificial Intelligence as a tool for improving healthcare delivery in the future.
Author, coach, speaker, and advocate for inclusive workplaces, Karen Catlin shares stories from her career in Silicon Valley at Adobe and Macromedia, as well as more about her work to encourage us all to be better allies in the workplace.
Sian Morson is a start-up founder, a published author, a film producer, creator of a genius beauty app, and an incredibly down-to-earth interviewee. She’s been on both sides of the investor/start-up founder relationship, and is an entrepreneur whose persistence and need to solve nagging problems has served her remarkably well.
Mar Hicks, Associate Professor of History at Illinois Institute of Technology, drops in to talk about the history of technology and how algorithmic bias has evolved over the years. They discuss topics from how women were purposefully excluded from the tech industry to how transgender algorithmic bias began in the 70’s. Mar shares insights about bias in tech that you have probably experienced but might have only given a passing thought.
Sherry Wei, founder of Aviatrix Systems, talks with Melinda Byerley about how she bootstrapped her company into a $25 million venture-funded startup. Her tips about not giving up too early, putting time into your business, and the role “dumb luck” plays in life and business are refreshing and inspirational.
