Investing in Women, Investing in the Future: Silicon Valley Forum Announces 3rd Annual Women in Tech Festival

SAN JOSE, Calif.--()--Silicon Valley Forum’s Women in Tech Festival returns with “Building the She Economy” a two-day celebration of the achievements of women in STEM. Women from all over the world will come together to be inspired, empowered, and make new and lasting connections. The Festival will kick off on March 24th, 2017, with a pitch competition featuring ten female-founded startups in a diverse range of tech sectors. The winner will be selected by a jury of distinguished investors, including Marlon Nichols from Cross Culture Ventures, Cynthia Ringo, DBL Investors, Renata George, Zenman Fund, and Jing Brewer of Accenture Open Innovation. The following day, March 25th, is filled with inspiring talks, networking opportunities, and workshops.

Silicon Valley Forum is proud to welcome Microsoft as a premier partner, IBM as a gold sponsor, the Canadian Consulate, Accenture, and LiveRamp as Silver Sponsors, and SugarCRM as a Bronze sponsor, as well as numerous in-kind partners.

Hosted at Microsoft’s campus in Mountain View, California, the Women in Tech Festival will feature over 35 of Silicon Valley’s powerful female thought leaders and most impressive women in tech. StyleSeat CEO and founder Melody McCloskey will deliver the opening keynote; other speakers include Andrea Barrica, Co-Founder of InDinero and Partner at 500 Startups; Blendoor CEO Stephanie Lampkin; Abby Maldonado, Director of Diversity at Pinterest, Samaira Mehta, 8 year-old CEO and founder of Coder Bunnyz; and Tessa Lau, CIO & Chief Robot Whisperer at Savioke.

“The Women in Tech Festival is one of our signature programs, and it’s been exciting to watch the program grow exponentially each year,” said Silicon Valley Forum Executive Director Denyse Cardozo. “2017 is all about the economy of women—specifically, the ways in which we all thrive economically by hiring, inspiring, and promoting the achievements of women.”

“Microsoft is happy to back for a second year as the premier partner of The Women in Tech Festival,” said Matt Thompson, GM, Developer Evangelism & Startups. “We have a long-standing commitment to creating and supporting diverse teams, which leads to innovative approaches to questions and ideas. The Women in Tech Festival is right at the center of those values.”

“At IBM, we believe that innovation and inspiration are born out of a diverse workforce. For decades, we've consciously built teams that encourage diverse thinking to help us make the greatest impact for our clients, our colleagues, our communities and the world," said Deborah Magid, Director of Software Strategy at IBM Venture Capital Group. “The Women in Tech Festival embodies this ideology and so much more, and stands as one of today's top organizations to lead the conversation and drive change."

More information:

Held from March 24th - March 25th, 2017, the Women in Tech Festival is an opportunity for all women—as well as men who support the advancement of women—to join together in a supportive, engaging environment for a day of inspiring panel discussions, 10-minute power talks, and productive networking. Attendees will also have the opportunity to choose from a variety of career-motivating workshops during the Festival’s lunch hour. Tickets, demo tables, and more information are all available at the event page.

Connect with the Women in Tech Festival on social media with #SVFWomenTechFest and #SVFWIT17.

About Silicon Valley Forum:

At Silicon Valley Forum, we believe in the transformative power of entrepreneurship. We’ve dedicated the last 33 years to helping people learn how to build a business the Silicon Valley way, using creativity, innovation, and technology to change and improve the world. Whether you’re trying to create a company here or build your own Silicon Valley at home, our events and online portal light the way for you to learn and grow as a 21st century entrepreneur.

We work to create successful events, programs, and conferences that inspire and connect technologists, entrepreneurs, corporates, investors, innovation and startup hubs, and students—in Silicon Valley, throughout the U.S., and globally. We organize over 90 different activities per year, connect with over 20,000 entrepreneurs, corporates, and investors, and work with over 20 countries worldwide.

Our partners include global leaders like Accenture, IBM, K&L Gates LLP, Microsoft, and SAP, as well as leading venture capital firms and service providers. Silicon Valley Forum is a fully independent 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.siliconvalleyforum.com/

Contacts

Silicon Valley Forum
Micaela Youmans, 408-380-7241
Head of Operations and Communications
micaela@siliconvalleyforum.com

Release Summary

Investing in women means investing in the future: Silicon Valley Forum announces 3rd annual Women in Tech Festival, to be held March 24-25, 2017, at Microsoft in Mountain View, CA.

Contacts

Silicon Valley Forum
Micaela Youmans, 408-380-7241
Head of Operations and Communications
micaela@siliconvalleyforum.com