Announcing the finalists for the inaugural Women In Cloud #CloudInnovateHER Pitch Challenge

Women In Cloud is pleased to announce the 5 finalists for the Inaugural #CloudInnovateHER Pitch Challenge. This pitch challenge aims to help women tech entrepreneurs across the global market develop, showcase, and win enterprise customers.

As demands in enterprise tech grow, the need for products and services that address these unique challenges increases. Enterprise tech is one of the fastest-growing and most influential sectors of the tech industry with enterprise software spending expected to reach $457 billion this year, but the numbers indicate that women are largely being left out of that economic opportunity. That’s why WiC is generating new ways like the #CloudInnovateHER Pitch Challenge for women tech entrepreneurs to get better access to funding, education, and a supportive community.

Having received many inspiring and innovative solution nominations, we want to thank all nominees for participating in the first-ever partner pitch challenge.  Solutions are evaluated for Solutions will be evaluated for originality, market feasibility, and use of cloud and AI solutions. The nomination review panel consisted of business leaders within the Women in Cloud community.

Special congratulations to our five finalists that will be pitching their solutions at Women In Cloud Summit  on Saturday, January 25th (5:30 – 6:45pm PST) in Redmond, Washington.

  • SheWorks! is disrupting gender unemployment by connecting the dots between talent, online education, and remote jobs to economically empower women from around the globe with flexible work opportunities and closing the talent supply and demand gap for companies.
  • Rainbow Secure Password: An extremely Secure digital vault with Cloud Storage and Encryption tools powered by Rainbow Password Technology
  • Automaton: Atomatest is automated testing for millions of business users managing cloud technology application stacks!
  • Addlane is a visual vendor portal that connects global businesses throughout the supply chain
  • AppFusions’ AlohaCloud is a “swiss-army knife” platform for expediting IT modernization & digital transformation initiatives, allowing companies to leapfrog 2020 strategic efforts, lower risks of failure, deploy within weeks, drive value-up cost savings, profits, innovation to compound growth forward.

Join us at Women In Cloud Summit on Saturday, Jan 25 at 5:30 pm PST to see the finalists take the stage to pitch their ideas to a specially curated panel of business and technical judges from the community: Colleen O’Brien, Jeana Jorgensen, Erin Papworth, Margaret Dawson, and Wendy Garcia

Final remarks will be made by Gretchen O’Hara, US Vice President of the US One Commercial Partner.

Congratulations, finalists! See you at #womenincloud #shesoars

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Shari Burk: Inclusive Diversity Is A Wise Business Strategy For The Courageous

One of our company’s core values is ‘belonging’, because it fosters exceptional organizations and individuals. Our collective purpose is to help every tribe know their battle cry. This means knowing what makes your organization unique, how you’re making the world a better place, where you’re going, and what your strategy will be to effectively get you there. Women in Cloud has created a fabulous opportunity to express both. It is a natural fit for us.

Statistics show that women-led companies tend to outperform male-dominated ones, promoting women as a rational choice for a stronger economy. I’m passionate about creating a stronger economy, which is why I’m partnering with more women in technology and the men who support them through Women in Cloud.

This January, at the Women in Cloud Summit 2020, I have been invited as a speaker to talk about ‘How to Support Female Founders.’ I am excited and thrilled to make this presentation. I wanted to share some of the key takeaways the audience can expect from my talk, which are:

  • We must master your own biases.
  • The lack of inclusive diversity has been a strong undercurrent for many centuries, rooting it out is not for the faint of heart.
  • We must be courageous and honest with ourselves about our own shortcomings. If we pretend they’re not there — if we hide our biases from ourselves — if they go unexposed and are simply covered over, those shortcomings will continue to cloud our judgment and accidentally spill into behavior. We will unknowingly deny someone access or underestimate them.

I believe women are one of the crucial elements that will ensure a functional and sustainable economy in the future. Economic inclusion means that anyone who’s willing to work hard enough can better their lives and the lives of others. Ideally, no one will be held back by the spoken or unspoken biases of those who control access and opportunity. Collective action can be powerful. I challenge the courageous to master personal bias first, which will continue to evolve the culture in significant ways.

All this means my organization has a shot at making the world a better place even though it was founded by a woman, which traditionally would mean lack of access to male-dominated decision-makers. Our breakthrough software makes strategic planning and execution simple, rapid, and without ambiguity that cause frustration and waste. Imagine if the world lost this solution. It would mean we would all continue to lose billions of dollars and hours to traditional strategic planning methods.

The opportunity given to me by WIC is what I intend to help other women achieve. Purchase tickets today, come join me and the Women in Cloud in this journey and unlock your chance to make the best out of an opportunity of a lifetime. 

To get more information visit the summit website, and don’t forget to apply the 20% discount code: JOINME@WIC

See you there! 

Take action by joining our online network to get engaged today!

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Margaret Dawson: Empowering And Learning From Women In Cloud

Economic inclusion and collective action to me is about women empowering women through intentional and consistent support in order to achieve a level playing field. In doing so, we can drive a significant upward movement in the number of women overall and women leaders specifically in technology and business. 

I believe women leaders should be given more economic access, various opportunities to present their ideas, and respect in any field they might be in. As a woman, I think these are the changes we should all fight for  on a daily basis. 

I am a businesswoman who has built products and brands in cloud computing since the beginning of the market based in Seattle. When I heard about Women in Cloud, I knew I had to get on board. It was a perfect fit! I’m also part of several other tech organisations and communities, and it is always a learning process, which is why I could not resist. 

At the Women in Cloud Summit 2020, I will be involved in two categories. 

In the Business Track, I’ll be joining a best practices discussion on access to investments, customers, and talent. I hope to share real world examples and give the attendees actions they can take to improve their business prospects in these areas or drive an initiative forward. 

I will focus on what has worked, and importantly, what I’ve learned from failed attempts. I will also be judging the #CloudInnovateHER Pitch Challenge. I cannot wait to hear the ideas and technology innovations proposed by the women in this challenge. In this case, I hope the people involved walk away encouraged and supported for their ideas. 

My involvement with Women in Cloud and the summit is truly my passion both personally and professionally. I get a thrill meeting and learning from other smart, talented women in technology, and then inspiring and mentoring other women in tech who aspire to take on new challenges or build their career in tech. 

I am looking forward to once again bump into former colleagues, clients and friends from previous jobs I have had in the Seattle area, such as Microsoft. I also look forward to meeting new, amazing women and men in the cloud computing industry to see how we might be able to help each other. Purchase tickets today and come join us in our mission.

To get more information visit the summit website, and don’t forget to apply the 20% discount code: JOINME@WIC

See you there! 

Take action by joining our online network to get engaged today!

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Eileen Scully: Let’s Create Together A Workplace That Works For Everyone

If there are women who feel left behind in their careers, women who cannot see a future that includes them, women who want more and want to work for managers and companies that value them and invest in them – those are the women I want to talk with while at Women in Cloud Summit 2020. We are truly stronger when we all take responsibility for ensuring the success of everyone around us. This applies to workplaces and the greater world in which we all want to co-exist. No one is going to create that for you – we need everyone to participate and move forward together. Women in Cloud as a community ensures this and helps everybody involved reach their success.

Having spent the first 20+ years of my career in technology, I know all too well the challenges women face in that space, and I want to use my current position and platform to accelerate their success. It’s simple. By working together to amplify the work of the women around us, by sharing our power with each other and lifting each other along the way, we will all benefit. So often, we leave it to someone else to move us forward. I believe Women in Cloud is a community designed to do exactly that. I want to challenge all women to take that upon ourselves and contribute in whatever way we can to helping every other woman around us succeed. And it’s very possible!

My consulting work and my book are wholly focused on the ways women can work within their organizations and industries to clear a path for others to more easily achieve success. This summit, I will focus on exactly that as a speaker. I want every woman who hears my talk or meet me at the summit to leave with new perspectives and tactical ideas on how they can start to create a workplace that works for everyone.

I am extremely thrilled to witness the coming together of professionals from all over the world for the Women in Cloud Summit 2020. Events like this, which bring together different people and help create access and connect is the key to new age learning and business. Come meet me at the summit. Purchase ticketstoday!

To get more information visit the summit website, and don’t forget to apply the 20% discount code: JOINME@WIC

See you there! 

Take action by joining our online network to get engaged today!

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Rebecca Jones: Better Together – Partnering for Growth

I am excited to announce that I will be facilitating an executive roundtable at this year’s Women in Cloud Summit 2020, the third annual summit hosted by the Women in Cloud community. 

In my session, we’ll delve into how to forge successful partner relationships, and how individuals can use their leadership and networking chops to build a successful cloud business. 

In today’s business ecosystem, market-leading cloud solutions are most often the result of two, three, four, or even more partners coming together to fill a customer need that any single organization would find difficult to fulfill on their own. 

I’ve had the opportunity to help organizations of many sizes define their joint solutions, land their message and value prop, and develop and execute a joint plan that drives market traction and growth. My goal is for participants to take away practical strategies and gain a better understanding of what to look for in a right-fit GTM partner so their cloud partnerships—and in turn, their organizations—can thrive and grow.

Women in Cloud is dedicated to creating more opportunities for women in the tech space, which aligns with my support for greater diversity in our industry overall. Throughout the course of my career, I have learned that the art of possibility is well within reach. It’s a perspective that I carry more deeply today than ever before. I’m passionate about using my experience to support women in leadership and women entrepreneurs at whatever stage they are at in their journey.

At this year’s summit, I look forward to talking with other entrepreneurs and business leaders who are using the cloud to bring their visions to life. Growth in the tech industry is a collective effort, and Women in Cloud focuses on ensuring equal opportunities to everybody who is a part of this effort. Together we can build partnerships that ensure more women are given an opportunity to ideate, experiment, and excel. 

Purchase tickets and join me this January in Redmond. To get more information visit the summit website, and don’t forget to apply the 20% discount code: JOINME@WIC

See you there! Take action by joining our online network to get engaged today!

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