CNN/Fortune: Inside the connected world of female web mogulsFemale web entrepreneurs are increasingly turning to each other for funding tips and business advice, marking the beginnings of a new chapter for women in e-commerce. By Pamela Ryckman, contributor |
June 16, 2011 |
...This networking trend, which extends far beyond New York, is a testament to what entrepreneur Sara Holoubek identifies as a series of coordinated efforts to raise the profile of competent, motivated female founders.
Last fall, partly in response to the persistent dearth of women on Silicon Alley Insider's list of New York's 100 "Coolest Tech People," Holoubek canvassed her colleagues and friends to list the smartest, most capable women they know. She then published A Field Guide to the Female Founders, Influencers and Deal Makers of the New York Tech and Media Scene. And in November, she invited women on the list to her Tribeca apartment to share ideas. Though Holoubek's crowd skews older than Calliope Group's, its goals are the same: creating companies and making money.
"It's not agenda-based. It's someone saying 'you need to meet this person' and that person happens to be another talented woman. Then as people are looking for speakers, or to hire someone or do a deal, women come to mind because they're already in the network," Holoubek says.