Women in Cloud (WIC) has partnered with M12 – Microsoft’s Venture Capital Fund to launch #empowHERaccess is an annual digital advocacy campaign by Women in Cloud to generate greater economic access for women in technology. 

Campaign pillars include the following:

Last year WIC released the inaugural COVID-19 Impact Report, focused on the disruptions women in technology entrepreneurs & founders were facing, and anticipating, in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report predicted that, through 2020, COVID-19 would become a major obstacle for women in tech. Leveraging the 2020 insights from the research, WIC delivered targeted programming aimed to increase economic access for tech entrepreneurs founders and to build their business skills.  

Complete the #EmpowHERaccess COVID-19 Impact Survey

A year later, we are only beginning to truly understand the impact that COVID-19 has had on women in tech. Leveraging the 2020 insights from the research, Women in Cloud delivered targeted programming aimed to create access to business development opportunities for tech entrepreneurs & founders to get economic relief and recovery for continued success.   

Calling all Female Tech Founders and Entrepreneurs!

We would like to hear from you. Tell us how the pandemic has affected your business, and how we can help you, by completing our survey by June 30, 2021.

We are inviting you to represent your business, your voice, and the impact of the pandemic to produce the insights needed to develop valuable programming and solutions to relieve your business. 

Learn more: https://www.womenincloud.com/empowheraccess-campaign/

#empowHERaccess

The Women in Cloud team is immensely happy to announce Cohort 5.0 after four successful cohorts which is designed to give access for female technology founders to win enterprise cloud opportunities. We launched the 5.0 cohort on Feb 26, 2021 with 17 companies from 4 countries. Lets welcome them to the WiC Cohort of Successful Female Tech Founders.

Women In Cloud’s Microsoft Cloud Accelerator is designed as an immersive 6-month program to assist women-led tech companies to build stronger together co-sell plan with Microsoft and their distribution channels . This program is expertly designed to help women tech entrepreneurs win enterprise opportunities, get access to Azure credits, an advisor community, and a global stage to showcase your business.

The 5.0 Cohort Immersive Kickoff session held on on Friday, February 26, 2020. The first session featured curated speakers, Chaitra Vedullapalli, Co-Founder and President of WiC; Kim Smith, Global VP, Cloud Innovation Services of IBM; Brea Starmer, Founder/President, Executive Consultant, Lions + Tigers, Digital Enterprise, IT & Digital of Boeing; Ellen Feaheny, Founder & CEO of AlohaCloud Digital Networks; Martha Montoya, CEO of agTools, Inc.; and Patti Dobrowolski, CEO & Creative Activator of Up Your Creative Genius. The speakers consisted of founders, industry leaders and previous cohort entrepreneurs who set the tone for the new class about the current industry landscape, how to vision their cloud businesses, along with deliverables and takeaways by the end of 6 months. 

This kickoff focused on helping founders develop their future vision and this experience was led by with Patti Dobrowolski, 3 Times TEDx speaker and inspired the founders to design their co-sell plan.

Here is output of what a vision of equitable equity and access looks like for women founders.

Women In Cloud Accelerator

The cohort 5.0 will be digital accelerator with built in benefits including azure credits, listing on marketplaces, participating in global UN focused campaigns, bi-weekly office hours, monthly live chats with industry leaders, and continued access to industry stages, has elevated our programming to an unmatched scale.

Going digital has let us expand our horizon and open this program to people from around the world rather than just a region. Cohort 5.0 boasts a diverse participation of companies from the United States, Canada, India and United Kingdom.
This year’s WiC Microsoft Cloud Accelerator is more than just an effort to make economic contributions to the system by empowering entrepreneurs. It is about embracing the new normal and moving forward with a sense of community. It is about adopting self-empowerment and finding comfort in knowing where to turn for support with a community at your side. Most importantly, it is about collective growth and learning.

Presenting the Women in Cloud Microsoft Cloud Accelerator Cohort 5.0:

  • Jacqueline G Schafer, Clearbrief
  • Pradnya Desh, Advocat Technologies
  • Rachel Hankerson, International PROOF Systems, LLC
  • Sonal Malavia, Cloud 9 Infosystems
  • Sinmi Adeoye-Esene, Daniola Corporation
  • Cheryl Ingram, Inclusology
  • Sherisse Hawkins, PageDip
  • Sophia Stone, Indie Tech Ltd.
  • Sanjana Govil, Unseen Insight
  • Steph Locke, Nightingale HQ
  • Padma Subramanian, Fyrii.ai
  • Kerry Schrader, Mixtroz,LLC
  • Agnes Lan, Kinderdrop Inc.
  • Sonali Jha, Cunomial Technologies Private Limited
  • Bhavya Aggarwal, zipBoard Tech

This year, Global Affairs Canada underwrote 50% of the accelerator fees for two Canadian companies that were approved to participate in the 5.0 cohort. Their previous generous support has allowed 8 of our 4.0 entrepreneurs to have the opportunity to scale their businesses to become co-sell and co-market ready with enterprise partners.

Economic Access is the tide that lifts all boats. Together we rise.

Interested in joining the 6.0 cohort? Applications are open now: Click here to learn more

Women In Cloud is proud to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 11-12, 2021 with a virtual event experience to challenge economic exclusion. This will be hosted in the REMO networking platform. 

Book your Spot Today:

  • Thursday, March 11, 2021 at 3 – 5pm PST: Get Access to #CloudJobs Recruitment Lounge. It is open and free for all to participate. Register & Learn more at: https://wicxiwd2021-cloudjobs.eventbrite.com 
  • Friday, March 12, 2021 at 10am – 3pm PST: Get Connected with Industry Leaders & learn world class pitching skills. Register & Learn more at: https://wicxiwd2021.eventbrite.com/ (10% off Code: WIC10)

Summit Schedule:

Three opportunities:

  1. Sponsor a corporate pass : Purchase Women in Cloud Corporate Pass Package for $549 today, surprise 5 of your employees with access and be part of our #ChooseToChallenge social campaign
  2. Become an advisor/mentor to facilitate a mentoring table and meet cloud entrepreneurs. Complete your profile
  3. Submit Your resume & meet your future employers: https://womenincloud.submittable.com/submit/185452/cloudjobs-recruitment-lounge-candidate-profiles (plus get free ticket to March12 celebrations)

This event is global, but space is limited so please register ASAP!

REGISTER HERE (10% off Code: WIC10)

We hope to see you there!

“No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.”– Alfred North Whitehead

After the harsh year 2020 has put the world through, our society needs healing. More than ever before, we need to show gratitude and appreciate all the positives we hold close to our hearts. What are you thankful, and grateful for? Who do you want to say ‘Bravo, you did it!’ to?

I know my answer. I am thankful for the 25,000 women in the Women in Cloud community; I am grateful for the 100M women we can collectively impact through our work. And I want to say Kudos to all the women and men of this global network!

Why? According to Forbes, the TrustRadius survey revealed that women in tech are 1.6x more likely than men to be laid-off or furloughed. They found that 8% of female respondents had lost their jobs, as opposed to 5% of male respondents. This was consistent with results of a much larger survey of the general US population conducted by Langer Research, which found that 37% of women vs. 28% of men across industries have been laid-off due to coronavirus. TrustRadius speculates that more women have been let go because, according to the Harvard Business Review, they generally have less seniority than men.

Within our community, the Women in Cloud Covid-19 Impact Survey reported that the average loss of revenue in the next 24 months, across 57 women-led companies, expanding 16 industries, is $500k – $1M per company. An additional $1M – $5M per company is expected in opportunity loss in the next three years.

The global pandemic and social injustice impacted women in the most severe and unpredictable manner. But what happened next?

Well, we didn’t give up! Despite the tough times, we banded together. We built a 100M Global Network of Women with organizations like UN Women and Microsoft Alumni Network. We carried 2 cohorts through the Women in Cloud Microsoft Cloud Accelerator, ONLINE. And now, we are hosting the first 100% virtual three-day Women in Cloud Digital Summit 2021

Despite the harsh realities, women and men of the technology industry chose the mission; $1B in economic access and opportunities by 2030 for female tech entrepreneurs, leaders, and changemakers. This makes me immensely proud to call Women in Cloud my community. 

So kudos to everyone who continues to support the Women in Cloud mission and contribute to UN SDG 2030. Kudos to all the men who are dedicated to changing the technology landscape for a domino effect. And kudos to all the women who fight daily for their spot at the table.

Join me to give Kudos to women and men all around the world who are affecting real change.

Click here for the KudoBoard and share your gratitude, kudos, or thoughts!

I have faced unimaginable challenges as a female minority Engineer, Inventor, and Small Business Owner, but maintained the right attitude and stayed-the-course that led me to victory. I have been ignored, rejected, and pushed into the rubble of non-existence, but I maintained an exhilarating presence in the community as I continued to polish my skills and expertise, to remain relevant to the new trends of technology. My inspiration ignited during the 2020 Microsoft Inspire Conference as I attentively listened to the motivational presentation of Gavriella Schuster.  I was truly inspired to learn how she faced her challenges and embraced her victories.  I immediately connected with Gavriella Schuster through the online portal, after her presentation, of which she in-turn introduced me to Chaitra Vedullapalli and the Women In Cloud community. Since my membership with Women In Cloud, I have been extremely elated to be among such an elite group of women in tech.

The Women in Cloud community opened the door wide open for me to participate, collaborate, and contribute to the growth of women in the technology industry. With this opportunity, I hope to make the following achievements:

  1. I desire to break down the barriers that many Women in Cloud may experience with regards to rejection; non-inclusiveness; prejudging their ability to deliver robust solutions; and not receiving adequate resources to deliver exceptional products and services that would validate their value and worth. While this problem is bad among many women in tech, statistics prove that the problem is worse among female minorities in tech.
  2. I hope to show the Women In Cloud how they can remain valuable, even when faced with fierce opposition.
  3. I desire to empower and inspire our youth to embrace innovation, along with obtaining a heart and passion that is needed to maintain value and competitive advantage.
  4. I desire to partner with Women in Cloud to make a notable investment in the less fortunate communities that hold great value. Talented and smart women have been buried by the system due to lack of resources, opportunities, and the prejudging of their ability to deliver exceptional products and services. I hope to change the image with how many women in tech are seen and embraced as second class citizens, to being embraced as valuable, profitable,  and key players to the team. 

Furthermore, I would like to collaborate with Women in Cloud and push for policy advancement in the following directions; 

  1. Representation: A policy that would yield percentages in lieu of ratios, meaning that a percentage of women are required to occupy various roles and leadership positions within organizations.
  2. Equal Access: A policy that would ensure that women receive the same resources as men to build their businesses and products.
  3. Mentorship: A policy that would encourage men and women of great power and leadership to mentor at least one woman per quarter, allowing them to sit on boards of successful companies, to learn how to operate a successful business.

I think every single person needs to be given a fair chance to explore technology. Collective Power means to unify different skills, abilities, and resources, to achieve that common goal; inclusion and economic opportunity.  But how do you stay at the top of your game?

I invite you to attend my talk at the Women in Cloud Digital Summit 2021 if you can identify any of the following:

  • Rejection
  • Your contribution to the team/project was not taken seriously
  • You were talked over / You were not heard
  • Your suggestion/recommendation was not considered
  • You were made to feel like you didn’t belong to the group or department
  • A male team member took your idea and made it seem as though he conceived the idea
  • You were given the menial work rather than the tech work 
  • You like being a woman, but you are a beast (force to be reckoned with) when it comes to tech
  • How to achieve your goal(s) when surrounded by male chauvinist men
  • How to be great in tech  and not make the men feel inferior to you
  • How to deliver an exceptional product/service as a collective team
  • Haven’t experienced any of the items that are listed, but would like to sit in my session to hear what I have to say

Through this talk, I want to educate and help women navigate the roadblocks to increase their value and worth. The three key takeaways would be;

  • Learn how to embrace the culture, without losing your identity
  • Learn to deliver greatness, without intimidating your peers with your abilities
  • Learn ways to be a team player and recognize the team for their contributions

While many women have faced horrific challenges, we are also women who will embrace great victories. This session will help you get one step closer to your victory.

“Soon after the completion of Disney World, someone said, ‘Isn’t it too bad that Walt Disney did not live to see this?’ Mike Vance, Creative Director of Disney Studios replied, ‘He did see it. That’s why it’s here’. Vision is seeing the invisible” – Johnathan Swift

Your vision will drive you. Come join me at the Women in Cloud Digital Summit 2021; bring your vision and unlock access to achieve that vision through collective power. 

Book Your Spot today with a 15% discount, and get on board to witness the Collective Power of Women in the technology industry from around the world! 

I highly recommend the following Interactive Experiences for you to participate in and expand your network: 

  1. 28 January: Learn about Tech Industry at their opening plenary with Former Prime Minister of Canada, Rt Honorable Kim Campbell and Corporate Vice President Gavriella Schuster 
  2. 28 January: Explore Cloud Jobs at #CloudJobs Fair & Recruitment Lounge
  3. 28 January: Meet Black Founders
  4. 29 January: Master your pitch at #RockYourPitch Experience
  5. 29 January: Get access to mentorship from Cloud Industry leaders
  6. 30 January: Get your kids to participate in Youth Mentorship Circle
  7. 30 January: Make New Friends at Scavenger Hunt 

Also, join WIC Digital Network to be part of the global economic access movement.