Gillian Muessig: The Capitalization Stack – How to Fund your Startup Without Losing your Company

Women continue to receive low single digit percentages of venture capital nationwide and worldwide. Yet, women startup leaders consistently return ~35% higher ROI to their funds. While just 0.06% of all companies will ever receive venture capital funding, these companies are the cream of the crop. Yet 80% of every venture capital funded company fails within five years. Clearly, venture capital funding is not the right match for many high potential startups.

I joined the Women in Cloud to help women better understand the broader funding options available to them so they build brilliant companies, hold onto the optimal percentage of their equity, and thrive. I believe there is a huge economic push women will contribute to, if shown the direction and given an opportunity. I am extremely passionate about equity and parity in access to the opportunities of business entrepreneurship. 

Money is power. We may not like that equation, but we had better deal with it! Until women have the advantages of their male colleagues in entrepreneurship, we have not achieved our goals. 

On January 25, at the Women in Cloud Summit 2020, I will be speaking on a business track panel at 11:45am, as well as meeting attendees at the Meet the Speaker Table and possibly a roundtable (look for it and sign up!) to investors about the powerful data behind the financial advantages of investing in women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs about how to capitalize early stage startups beyond conventional equity investment models. 

We do not use one piece of software; we use an IT stack. Likewise, do not think, “I must exchange equity for cash.” Think instead about your complete capitalization stack. Understanding the full suite of options available to you as a founder will increase your chances of surviving and thriving in business.

Purchase tickets here and join us on January 25th. Our collective forces and resources can increase access to technology careers and entrepreneurship for women; indeed. We ‘vote’ with our dollars. Where and how we invest our own capital makes the difference between putting up with the status quo and actually making change happen.

To get more information visit the summit website, and apply this 20% discount code: JOINME@WIC

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

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Dawn-Marie Elder: What I Learned About Digital Transformation Biking Through Laos and Cambodia

As corporate citizens ‘Digital Transformation’ is part of our daily lexicon. But what does it mean? Who does it benefit and how? A recent sabbatical to Southeast Asia made me question the approach I, and many others, take to tackling large scale digital transformation projects. I biked, hiked and kayaked my way around Laos and Cambodia with my PC locked away in the hotel safe. Ironically rather than lifting the veil of technology dependence, my digital detox plunged me into the world of digital innovation. Innovation enabled by technology but born out of necessity. It was the purest and most successful digital transformation I’d witnessed.

At the Women in Cloud Summit 2020 I’d like to share with others the insights and best practice I learned from that trip. I left Asia understanding that large digital transformation projects often miss a key component in their planning – understanding individual-level motivation. I’ll use my time at the Summit to open a dialogue about:

  • The power of human motivation to achieve successful Digital Transformations
  • How to harness digital transformation to improve lives

I would like attendees of my session to leave with the understanding that Digital Transformation is simply the continued evolution of life. It’s our job as leaders to make sure that the digital transformation projects we initiate are used to understand and empower. Whether that is end-user empowerment, employee empowerment, female empowerment or economic empowerment, is for the individual to decide. As the current leaders in the ongoing technology evolution, history will not judge us kindly if we forget the human. Not only is human buy-in essential to make any digital transformations work, but we have a moral obligation as innovators to use tech for good. 

Collective action is the first step to ensuring empowerment in any form. It means harnessing the power of a group of like-minded individuals to benefit the majority; creating opportunities for the individuals within that group to benefit the collective. Most importantly it means understanding the base motivation of individuals to create greater opportunity and success for all by ensuring root level buy-in.

This January, I’m looking forward to connecting with powerful leaders and entrepreneurs who recognize the change is an evolution – not an event or demand – which drives technology innovation, adoption and sales. I’m looking forward to meeting innovators who are challenging the status quo, and delegates and speakers who challenge my own thinking.

Purchase tickets for the summit and experience the best of technology through a community that is changing the idea of women empowerment. 

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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Cindy Gross: Anti-bullying Cultures are the Foundation for Tech Success

Women in Cloud leads the way towards tech success stories with collaboration, relationship building, and healthy working environments. We build better technology when we lead with human needs and infuse those needs throughout our work cultures and the products we produce. At the Women in Cloud Summit 2020, I am excited to engage our  community in a discussion about how to ‘Reclaim Your Voice: Heal + Thrive after facing bullies or harassers.’

Bullies try to steal our voices, our power, our passion. If you’ve been bullied or harassed, start by knowing: this is trauma but we can forge and nurture paths to reclaim our lives, our work, our passion, and our voice. We can learn to talk about our experiences in ways that feel safe and lead to new opportunities at work and beyond. We can understand how the trauma may affect our thoughts and decisions then redirect that in a healthier way. We thrive and reclaim our voices when we invest in community, self-compassion, and belonging cultures. Together we can lead technology companies to create anti-bullying workplaces as the foundation for success. I call this Befriending Dragons – taking the scary challenges in life and making them approachable, friendly, and do-able.

This summit brings together so many different people across technology and related industries. It is the hub for ideas to manifest and grow into realities with expert guidance. This year I look forward to meeting folks already invested in the idea that Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion is great for businesses, people who are ready to plan next steps that work for their company. 

As leaders in the technology industry, we must recognize and act with the understanding that economic and business policies must lead with intersectional equity – the idea that problems manifest differently for different people and we must build varied ways forward with more resources expended for those most disadvantaged now.

The summit excites me because it gives me an opportunity to share my thoughts and also learn from other leaders’ experiences. Women in Cloud is a community which has a place for everybody who dreams about changing our industry and our society for the better, and I think that is a collective action we should all be a part of. 

Purchase tickets today and join us this January to celebrate ideas, community and women of the future. I’ll see you there!

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!

You can learn more about Cindy Gross and her company Befriending Dragons on her site: http://BefriendingDragons.com/About

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Cathy Light: Women are Unstoppable – My Journey From Managing Professional Services Firm to Building Cloud Business with Microsoft

Women in Cloud has opened my eyes to a whole new world – the Cloud World. The support and education from Women in Cloud, Microsoft, and Channel Partners about what it takes to be a successful software company has been the greatest gift to me and my team. 

While overwhelming at times, guiding us through this process to achieve a successful GTM launch will jump start our success to get our much-needed DEInamics™ tool into the marketplace. Microsoft’s diversity initiative to help women evolve their software companies through the Women in the Cloud program is truly a game changer to create more equity in the global marketplace.

It was recommended by a colleague we should apply for the Women in Cloud 2019 Accelerator Program. We were one of just a handful of companies selected for this prestigious recognition for our new software product, DEInamics™. This has been one of the highlights of my entrepreneurial career. 

The Women in Cloud network has been key to guiding us through the requirements for a successful SaaS go-to-market launch. The collective insights, sharing lessons learned, resources, and the tremendous support has been overwhelming. There is no doubt the amazing Microsoft Community and Women In Cloud Network will make all the difference to our early-stage success.

This year as a graduating member, I am also a proud speaker at the Women in Cloud Summit 2020. I will focus on one of the hottest topics in corporate America today: Measuring What Matters – True Business Impact and ROI for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Most people are unaware there is a business case for diversity and that it should be measured. The fact that every CEO wants financial numbers proving diversity initiatives are improving business results is often unknown. But, ‘Are leaders being held accountable?’ is the question I will answer at the summit. Some of the key takeaways from the talk are,

  •   How do we begin to change without a data point?
  •   Learn how to integrate measurement into our initiatives for success
  •   Our 5-Step Process to Meaningful DEI Growth

Since there is so much to learn and conquer, I hope to share my best resources and take away every piece of information possible to utilize it for our growth as a company and community. I believe at heart, Women in Cloud is a solution to several problems of our generation. If leaders go beyond talk to real alignment with positive behavior changes that drive cultural shifts, through mindful, selfless and compassionate actions, companies can set a strong foundation for diversity, equity and inclusion where business + workplace acceleration can grow and thrive.

“Better Companies for a Brighter World”, is something I thrive on and is our company’s endearment. It comes from unleashing the talents of people and creating equitable opportunities – for everyone! Purchase ticketstoday, and join us this January to ensure collective action for a brighter world. 

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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Amy Protexter: Building Meaningful Connections at the Women in Cloud Summit

If you reflect on your own career journey, it’s likely there was a person or moment that changed the course of your path for the better. Maybe, it was a coworker who gave you sage advice or encouragement at the right moment, a former colleague that urged you into a new role, or even an individual who gave you tough criticism. Our paths are not walked in isolation. 

At Insight, we pride ourselves in being a company that builds meaningful connections — it’s the guiding principle for the people we interact with and the work we do. Personally, making a positive impact on one person’s career journey is a tremendous honor and joy. Through Women in Cloud, I hope that by sharing my own life and professional experiences, I can create meaningful connections and embolden women in their own life journey.

I think it’s important to support fellow women in their career paths — particularly in an industry that has, historically, been dominated by men. Today, women are finding their voice in technology, and that’s worth celebrating. I love communities like Women in Cloud because they grant me the opportunity to learn from, be inspired by, and share wisdom with fascinating women leaders. 

This year, at the Women in Cloud Summit 2020 in January, I will be visiting as an enthusiastic learner, but also a speaker who is there to share her thoughts and contribute to the collective success of the group.

My topic for the summit this year will be ‘High Performance Culture: Managing Multiple Generations.’ I will focus on how to support and ensure all teammates are working in an optimal environment, why trust and respect among all teammates is crucial and how meaningful results increase when you can achieve this kind of team culture. 

I love meeting people who have gone through dynamic and unexpected career paths. I myself have been a marketing leader in government, insurance, healthcare, education and technology.  It’s fascinating to see how individuals can take seemingly unlike skills and experiences and apply one to the other in creative, powerful ways. If your career has taken surprising twists and turns, seek me out at the summit. Let us chat, learn and contribute to each other’s growth. 

The Women in Cloud movement is amazing and empowering, and the growth and interest in this group continues to grow exponentially. I’m personally very excited to be part of the Summit once again and can’t wait to experience the same energy and fellowship last year’s event generated. It was definitely ‘fuel’ to help me get started in one of the most dynamic years of my career.  

Technology is at the forefront of any transformation, and every business is a technology business. At Insight, we are proud to live our core business values of Hunger, Heart and Harmony every day as we help our clients both manage their technology today, and transform to secure their futures. We’re all about helping our clients ‘run smarter’ and I think at the heart of Women in Cloud, it’s about running smarter, together. 

I look forward to meeting you at the Women in Cloud Summit 2020, and let us contribute for a women-led industry. We deserve to be at the forefront of change! Purchase tickets and 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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