On May 6, the Women in Cloud community joined together as we hosted a premier #WICxFortune100 Lunch and Learn with Microsoft. This series is a networking experience designed to open the doors for leading fortune companies and brands to connect with technology business builders. This intimate learning series offers a space to learn about how to do business with Microsoft, understand their company culture, and get access to decision makers & procurement officers. 

Fortune L&L Session Microsoft

To begin the event, Chaitra Vedullapalli, Co-Founder and President of Women in Cloud (WIC) set the stage delving into the impact of the partnership between Microsoft and WIC, focusing on important topics such as:

  • Driving an Inclusive Digital Economy by accelerating representation of 50% of population (women) that were left out in the $7 Trillion cloud opportunity
  • Cloud Skilling – Providing 1,500 cloud scholarship and First Cloud Center of Excellence
  • Inspire fortune brands and other companies to partner strategically to accelerate Corporate ESG efforts
  • Digital Co-Selling with Microsoft & access to Community PDM
  • Cloud Marketplace – Diversity Lens on The Marketplace
  • Voices for Innovation – Policy Advocacy

Watch Empowering Women in Tech keynote with Charlotte Yarkoni here:

Following Chaitra Vedullapalli’s Opening Remarks, an inspirational Keynote: Empowering Women in Tech was led by Charlotte Yarkoni, President, Commerce + Ecosystems at Microsoft.She shared the impactful statistics that less than 2% of software startups in the USA feature a woman founder, and the Covid-19 pandemic will increase the time it will take to close the digital gender gap by 36 years. As a strong advocate for girls, young women, and women to be in STEM, Charlotte explained how diverse companies generate more innovation and better financial results than non/less diverse organizations.

The attendee chat feed was filling fast as the community quickly resonated with Charlotte. 

These alarming statistics call for change, showing how important workplaces and allies are to creating economic access and opportunities for all. Charlotte showed us how Microsoft values creating a healthy ecosystem for employees, partners, and customers to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Microsoft is committed to creating a culture where diverse perspectives are invited, where inclusive behavior and authenticity are the norm, and everyone is empowered to bring their true self to work. Microsoft has implemented multiple programs to create access for women, such as a program supporting women founders in their end-to-end start-up journey, and a mentoring program to pair women employees at Microsoft with women founders. Through collective action, we can foster women’s talent in tech, which is a critical component to growing women’s presence in technology.

Watch the Inclusive Economic Opportunity Panel here:

Next, we excitedly introduced the Inclusive Economic Opportunity Panel: Talent, Business Development, and Supplier Diversity with moderator Diego Rejtman – GM, Developer Relations at Microsoft, Mazhar Mohammed – CVP, Partner & Seller Experience at Microsoft, Jaci Santos Shibao – Tech and Sales Strategy, GPS Sr Director; WAM ERG Co-Chair at Microsoft, and Shara Holliday – Sr Director, Procurement at Microsoft. 

 

The attendees were heavily engaged in the conversation via the chat, making this panel highly interactive for the audience. The panelists provided numerous words of wisdom to the audience regarding the Microsoft workforce, partnerships, customers, and resources for entrepreneurs to be positioned for supplier diversity opportunities —  giving the attendees a realistic look at how Microsoft values and celebrates a diverse ecosystem. 

A unique component of the #WICxFortune100 Lunch and Learn Series is the Cloud Solution Showcase, where we feature two entrepreneurs and their solutions for the marketplace. This month, Lucy Flores – Elyon International, and Natasha Tetruyeva – eKidz.eu were brought to the stage to bring awareness and education to their companies. 

Watch Elyon International Inc here: 

 

Watch eKidz.eu here: 

Closing out the session, but definitely a community favorite, was the Roundtable Advisor Experience where leaders in Microsoft met face to face (virtually) with attendees and discussed important topics: Leadership & careers, Changemaking for inclusive growth, Women thriving at work, Skilling opportunities, Supplier diversity, Marketplace engagement, and Hiring & culture.

Featuring Microsoft Roundtable Advisors: 

  • Diego Rejtman – GM, Developer Relations
  • Gena Goh – Channel Inclusion and Impact Strategy Lead, Global Partner Solutions
  • Jaci Santos Shibao – Tech and Sales Strategy, Sr Director, Global Partner Solutions; Women at Microsoft ERG Co-Chair, Microsoft
  • Debbie Uttecht – Partner Marketing Lead, Worldwide Learning
  • Joel Gillespie – Program Manager, Supplier Diversity
  • Madiha Khan – Engagement Lead, Commercial Marketplace Services
  • Michelle Shafer – Sr Talent Acquisition Manager, Talent Acquisition 

Watch the Introduction to the Roundtables and the event Closing Remarks to catch a glimpse of this experience.

As the highest registered and attended #WICxFortune100 Lunch and Learn in the series, this event impacted greatly the Women in Cloud community. With outstanding engagement on social media (Tracie Cobian) and in the event chat (Stacy Tatem), WIC encouraged this behavior with gift cards giveaways. 

Useful Resources: 

What if we told you you can access enterprise opportunities via Cloud marketplaces?

Global enterprises will spend more than $7 trillion dollars in the next four years as they struggle to modernize, build a global technology foundation for growth, and support simple, secure, and reliable access to data and services, says the IDC.

The big drivers? The usual suspects like cloud initiatives, big data analytics, and mobility. But, IoT is becoming a major investment focus, and so are automation or AI initiatives. Women In Cloud Cloud Accelerator is established to help you represent and access these opportunities via the new sales engine called Cloud Marketplaces powered by Microsoft, Google, RedHat and AWS.

We are inviting you to learn and explore if you are the right fit for the WIC Accelerator Cohort 7.0 starting Late May 2022.

We invite you to join our Cohort 7.0 Open House on May 6th at 10am PST.

If you or anyone you know might be interested in becoming a part of the Cohort 7.0 Accelerator Program this will be a great opportunity to ask questions about the program before you sign up.

We will be discussing the following:

  • Co-Sell Cloud Accelerator with Hyperscalers To Win Enterprise Opportunities

  • Program Outline & What to Expect

  • Opportunities for Access

  • Perfecting Your Solution on a Marketplace

  • Building Co-Sell Go To Market Plan

  • Accelerator Benefits

  • Open Q&A

Please register for the event HERE.

If you know other female tech entrepreneurs who might be interested please pass the event invite along.

Co-Sell Cloud Accelerator with Hyperscalers : Program Benefits At A Glance

  •  3 Month Dedicated Accelerator starting May 2022
  • 3 years of access to all the enterprise opportunities to get you access to customers and investors

  • Monthly roundtables & Community connections

  • Speaker slots on industry and community events

  • Expedited Warm Introductions To Advisors, Investors & Buyers

  • Access To Cloud Hyperscaler Partnerships

  • Invitations to participate in digital GTM offerings from Hyperscalers

  • Get your ready to participate in Cloud marketplaces

  • Dedicated Digital Learning Hub

  • Access to Cloud Hyperscaler programs and cloud credits

Website: Cloud Accelerator

We look forward to seeing you soon on May6th.

Note: This is a U.S.-only program.

Microsoft has developed the Partner Fund Program to help provide working capital to existing Microsoft Partners. You’re invited to apply for this program as you seek to grow your business.

As a Microsoft Partner, Microsoft is committed to your success. Whether you’re seeking to scale your business, improve your Microsoft capability, or put yourself on a more profitable path, this fund is for you. Review the loan information and eligibility requirements below, then fill out the form to nominate your company. Upon completion of the form, they’ll contact you to discuss your submission in detail.

About the Partner Capital Fund loan program:

  • Partner can apply for loans ranging from $25,000 to $500,000.
  • Loans maintain terms of less than 60 months.
  • No or low interest will be charged for payment terms (Microsoft will cover all or most of the interest costs).
  • Eligibility is based upon financial and other information provided.

Partner Capital Fund eligibility requirements:

  • Partner must be based in the U.S.
  • Partner must be enrolled and active in the Microsoft Partner Network.
  • Eligible businesses who are partners include those who are:
    • Offering consulting services that utilize Microsoft products OR
    • Building on a Microsoft platform to build their own business OR
    • Developing app using Microsoft products OR
    • Creating IP using Microsoft products (i.e., organizations who are willing to build unique technology on the Microsoft platform).
  • Partner must be in good standing (i.e., no disputed accounts receivable greater than or equal to 60 days).
  • Partner must have less than $7M in annualized revenue.
  • Partner must have ability to provide three years of financial statements (reviewed or audited) or provide three years of federal tax returns.
  • Startup organizations must provide a five-year projection or business plan.
  • Additional items may be requested from Microsoft’s banking partner.
  • Partner must self-certify responses.
  • Commitment to allocate forecasted spend on Microsoft products or services reviewed as a percentage of the loan. Details to be provided during review process.

You’re invited to nominate your company to receive working capital support through the Microsoft Partner Capital Fund. Whether you’re seeking to scale your business, improve your Microsoft capability, or put yourself on a more profitable path, this program is for you.

To nominate your company, review the loan information and complete the form within the link below. The Microsoft team will review your submission and contact you to discuss in detail.

By submitting this form, you are indicating that you are interested in having access to credit with the Partner Capital Fund for the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) that Microsoft’s banking partner offers. Participation in the Partner Capital Fund program is subject to Microsoft’s program terms. Credit review and approval is subject to the program terms set forth by the banking institution providing the credit. Your personal information will be shared with banking partners and processed by Microsoft as per their privacy policy.

Apply Today!

You can learn more at Microsoft Lunch and Learn on May6th, 2022. Save Your Spot

 

 

We are excited to announce our upcoming Lunch and Learn session with Microsoft as part of the Women In Cloud partnerships with some of the most prominent Fortune 100 companies to accelerate gender inclusion and equity for women in the tech industry. WICxFortune100 Lunch and Learn Session with Microsoft is set for May 6, 2022.

On May 6th, you will learn how to take advantage of the opportunity that is all around us. Charlotte Yarkoni, President, Commerce + Ecosystems at Microsoft will be speaking at an event along with many senior executives.

 

This event that will offer you insights into:

  • Microsoft’s current strategy in the AI, Cloud, Edge and Intelligent Apps Marketplaces
  • Learn about Partner Investment Fund, Community Partner Development Manager and Buildfor2030 Campaign
  • How to partner with Microsoft, support your existing relationship with Microsoft, or become a partner for the first time (or any time)

Seating is limited so RSVP so signup today!

Learn more about Microsoft Partnership

The Women in Cloud and Fortune 100 Lunch and Learn Series is here again. 

This time, we’re excited to have Salesforce Ventures teach us the ins and outs of corporate venture investing. Whether you’re looking to raise funding from the corporate ecosystem, or just interested in learning more about investment strategies, this event is for you.

The event will take place on Friday, April 22, 2022 from 10a – 11a PT / 1p – 2p ET.  

During the event, we’ll cover topics like:

  • The Basics of Investing and How Corporate VC is different
  • Understand Deal Structures
  • How to prepare for your pitch
  • Conducting due diligence, risks, and closing the deal
  • Articulating the return on investment

In addition to these topics, we’ll also be able to ask the panelists our questions about the industry. 

Attendance for this event is entirely free— and only a quick application is required. 

100 limited spots available.  Apply early.

We look forward to seeing you there! 

Learn more here: https://www.womenincloud.com/wicxfortune100-lunch-learn-series/