SILICON VALLEY FORUM and IBM PRESENT:

WOMEN IN TECH FESTIVAL 2019

FIFTH ANNIVERSARY

May 23-24, 2019 | COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM, MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA

#SVFWIT19 #SVFWomenTechFest

GET TICKETS BEFORE THEY’RE GONE!

About the Women in Tech Festival

Welcome to the Fifth Anniversary of Silicon Valley Forum’s Women in Tech Festival! This annual event celebrates women in STEM, business, and leadership who work to inspire, engage, and empower other women. The Women in Tech Festival invites all women and female-identifying individuals (as well as anyone who supports the advancement of women and believes in the importance of diversity) to join together for two full days of inspiring talks, startup pitches, thought-provoking discussions, and educational workshops.

At the Women in Tech Festival, you’ll create lasting connections and exchange ideas in a welcoming, supportive and fun environment. Get my ticket

Want to volunteer at the 2019 Women in Tech Festival? Click here to lend a hand!

Rachel Reinitz
IBM Fellow and CTO,
IBM Cloud Garage

Read all about it!

Making Diversity and Inclusion Real
Blog Post by IBM Cloud Garage CTO Rachel Reinitz

Read more about IBM’s commitment to diversity and inclusion – and why we’re proud partners on the 2019 Women in Tech Festival! Rachel will also be leading a lunchtime workshop during Day 2 of the Festival – stop by registration Friday morning to sign up.

WATCH VIDEO

Video Talks

Watch all the talks from #SVFWIT18 under 'Videos'

Tanya Soman – The Importance of the Female Investor Perspective

Tanya Soman, Venture Partner at 500 Startups provides insights on what it means to be a female investor and why it is important to have more female investors.

Power Talk – Why Cultural Intelligence is Critical to Next-Gen Leadership

Yingying Li, Founder of Yingfluence is giving a power talk on ‘Why Cultural Intelligence is Critical to Next-Gen Leadership’ and what cultural

Female Founder Pitch – Caroline Lepron, Cookitoo

Caroline Lepron, Cofounder of Cookitoo. Cookitoo is an online marketplace where food professionals can list, search and book unused kitchen space in their area.

The Importance of Male Allies to Advance & Retain Women in Tech

Men play a significant role in improving conditions for women in technology, so enlisting men’s participation is vital for change efforts. This panel will

Female Founder Pitch – SunHee An, Lilly Cover

SunHee An, CEO & Founder of Lilly Cover. Lillycover is a healthcare platform that develops skincare device that help diagnose your skin.

Power Talk – Launch Your Business Through Equity Crowdfunding

Caroline Hofmann, COO, Republic is giving a power talk on ‘Launching Your Business Through Equity Crowdfunding’.

Female Founder Pitch – Megan Mokri, Byte Foods

Megan Mokri, CEO and Founder of Byte Foods. Byte is reinventing workplace eating through connected refrigerators, RFID technology and deliciously

Power Talk – The Changing Face of Venture Capital

Megan Holston-Alexander, Senior Associate at Unusual Ventures is giving a power talk on ‘The Changing Face of Venture Capital’

2019 Keynote Speakers

More to be announced!

Kara Goldin Founder and CEO, hint

Alaina Percival CEO, Women Who Code

Julian Guthrie NYT Best Selling Author, Alpha Girls

Heidi Zak CoFounder and Co-CEO, ThirdLove

2019 Speakers

More to be announced!

Denyse Cardozo CEO, Silicon Valley Forum

Denyse drives the goals and strategy for Silicon Valley Forum, with continued growth into international markets and innovation. She has coached hundreds of startups through the SVF pitch nights and programs.

Bá Minuzzi CoFounder & GP, Babel Ventures

Deborah Magid Dir. Software Strategy, IBM Venture Capital Group

Deborah Magid represents IBM’s $25 B software business in the company’s Venture Capital Group. Her expertise spans several industries, and she brings insight from the venture community to the development of IBM’s growth strategies.

Kristi Bradford Field Technology Architect, In-Q-Tel

Iyore N. Olaye Product Manager and Engineer, Bird

Tracy Young CoFounder and CEO, PlanGrid

Cack Wilhelm Partner, Accomplice

Shauntel Garvey General Partner, Reach Capital

Mauria Finley Founder and CEO, Allume

Debbie Brackeen Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer, CSAA Insurance Group

Purnima Kochikar Director, Google Play, Apps and Games

Purnima has over 20 years of experience leading application development, marketing and technical-engineering management for startups and leading mobile companies.

Kira Noodleman Senior Associate and Investor, Bee Partners

Hayley Leibson CoFounder and COO, LunchClub

Ashie Bhandiwad Founder and CEO, StemChef

Micki Krimmel Founder and CEO, Superfit Hero

Maria Soloveychik CoFounder and CEO, SyntheX

Y-Vonne Hutchinson CoFounder, Project Include; CEO, ReadySet

Tara Chklovksi Founder and CEO, Iridescent

Kai Morton Student and Computer Programmer

Nina Achadajian Principal, Index Ventures / Founder, HIVE Ventures

Diane Wu CoFounder and CEO, Trace Genomics

Olya Irzak CoFounder and CEO, Frost Methane Labs

Inhi Cho Suh General Manager, IBM Watson Customer Engagement

Pree Walia Founder and CEO, Preemadonna

Preetha Parthasarathy Partner, SAP.iO Fund

Claire Lee Head of Early Stage Client Acquisition, Silicon Valley Bank

Chandra Mitchell General Counsel, Yamaha Motor Ventures Laboratory Silicon Valley

Brittiney Jones Principal Diversity Program Manager, Oracle North America

Kim Polese Chairman and CoFounder, CrowdSmart

Connie Guglielmo VP and Editor in Chief, CNET

Liv Erickson Social VR, Mozilla

Fiona Brophy Partner, Perkins Coie

Karina Cabrera Bell Founding Partner, OpenAccess

Nikita Sudan Data Scientist, Walmart Labs

Lili Gangas Chief Technology Community Officer at Kapor Center

Alicia Marie Phillips Ecommerce Manager, Ghirardelli Chocolate

Chloe Rogers Founder and CEO, CommunityX

Claire Tomkins Founder and CEO, Future Family

Andrea Barrica Founder and CEO, O.school

Vy Tran Founder and CEO, Wonder Hoodie

Tameka Vasquez Associate Director of Marketing, Eigen Technologies

Maria Alegre Co-Founder, Chartboost

Iba Masood CoFounder and CEO, TARA.AI

2019 Startup Judges

Natalie Dillon Senior Associate, Maveron

Alyson DeNardo Partner, M Ventures

Xi-Er Dang: Pitch Session Moderator Product Marketing Manager, Chartboost

Xi-Er is passionate about creating educative content for our online Startupedia initiative. She is a tech wizard who possesses the talent and passion for targeted messaging and nurturing a growing community with the goal of driving new business to the organization. Xi-Er has a deep fondness for food, photography, and salsa dancing. Yes, we all think she should be the next contestant on Dancing with the Stars!

Jomayra Herrera Manager, Venture Investing

2019 Pitching Female Founders

Sumi Shan The Dunya Project

Karina Vidal Citiskopes

Susie Kim Pluto Money, Inc.

Alina Adams Artveoli

Shakeia Kegler GovLia

Valentina Morigi Tensive

Riana Lynn Journey Foods, Inc.

Elsie Amoako Mommy Monitor

Ikram Mansori Curah, Inc.

So-Young Kang Gnowbe

Workshop Leaders

Pasha Cook – Workshop: Brand Yourself Like a Champion Founder and CEO, Pasha Cook and Associates

Workshop: Brand Yourself Like A Champion

Rachel Reinitz – Workshop: VCs Are People Too: Strengthening Your Pitch With User Stories CTO and Founder, IBM Cloud Garage

Domitilla Caputo – Workshop: How To Survive & Thrive As The Only Woman On Your Team Program Manager, SAP.iO Foundry

Catherine Gacad – Workshop: Productivity Tactics and How to Set Yourself Up for Success SVP Partnerships, Wells Fargo

Aanan Contractor – Workshop: How Women Can Win at Negotiation VP, Technology, Walmart Labs

2019 Agenda

subject to change

SHOW/HIDE AGENDA

Day One – May 23rd, 2019

12:15 – 1:00 pm
Registration and networking

1:00 – 1:05 pm
Welcoming Remarks – Denyse Cardozo, CEO, Silicon Valley Forum

1:05 – 1:10 pm
Opening Remarks – Rachel Reinitz, CTO and Founder, IBM Cloud Garage

1:10 – 1:30 pm
Opening Keynote – Julian Guthrie, Best Selling Author, Alpha Girls

1:30 – 2:00 pm
Fireside Chat with Kara Goldin, Founder and CEO of Hint Water
Interviewed by: Connie Guglielmo, Editor in Chief, CNET

2:00 – 2:40 pm
Panel Discussion: Capital Gains – The Female Funders
Meet five fierce investors who are committed to changing the ratio and setting the example for the rest of the industry.

Panelists:

Shauntel Garvey, Founder, Reach Capital
Ba Minuzzi, Founder, Babel Ventures
Cack Wilhelm, Partner, Accomplice VC
Nina Archadjian, Principal, Index Ventures
Preetha Parthasarathy, Partner, SAP.io fund
Moderator: Fiona Brophy, Partner, Perkins Coie

2:40 – 2:45 pm
Introduction of Startup Judges

Aly DeNardo, Partner, M Ventures
Megan Holston Alexander, Principal Unusual Ventures
Natalie Dillon, Principal, Maveron
Moderator: Xi-Er Dang, Product Marketing Manager, Chartboost

2:45 – 3:35 pm
Pitch Session #1

Startup 1: Valentina Morigi – Tensive
Startup 2: Elsie Amoako – Mommy Monitor
Startup 3: So-Young Kang – Gnowbe
Startup 4: Sumi Shan – The Dunya Project
Startup 5: Alina Adams – ArtVeoli

3:35 – 4:00 pm
Short Break, Refreshments, and Networking

4:00 – 4:50 pm
Pitch Session #2

Startup 6: Riana Lynn – Journey Foods
Startup 7: Susie Kim – Pluto Money
Startup 8: Shakeia Kegler – GovLia
Startup 9: Ikram Mansori- Curah App
Startup 10: Karina Vidal – CitiSkopes

4:50 – 5:30 pm
Panel Discussion: She Started It – The Female Founders
Hear the stories of four women-led companies whose innovative products are shaking up the tech world!

Panelists:

Mauria Finley, Founder and CEO, Allume
Vy Tran, Founder and CEO, Wonder Hoodie
Shannon Spanhake, Founder and CEO, Cleo
Tracy Young, CoFounder and CEO, PlanGrid
Moderator: Deborah Magid, Director of Software Strategy, IBM Venture Capital Group

5:30 – 5:45 pm
Power Talk: The Power of Persistence

Pree Walia, Cofounder and CEO, Preemadonna
2018 Women in Tech Festival Winner

5:45 – 5:50 pm
Winners announced – trophy and prize presentation

5:50 – 5:55 pm
Wrap-up remarks with Denyse

6:00 – 7:30 pm
Champagne Networking Hour and conclusion – see you tomorrow!

Day Two – May 24th, 2019

8:30 – 9:30 am
Registration and Networking

9:30 – 9:40 am
Opening Remarks: Denyse Cardozo, CEO, Silicon Valley Forum

9:40 – 10:00 am
Opening Keynote – Alaina Percival, CEO, Women Who Code

10:00 – 10:35 am
Panel Discussion: Breaking Bad: The Bro-conomy and taking our seat at the table
Despite positive gains in the conversation around equality, the reality is still pretty grim: tech companies are still struggling to meet diversity initiatives, and the pay gap is stuck; California recently signed into law a requirement for public Boards to have at least one (yes, just one!) woman representative–proof-positive that high-level female representation is falling short. Our expert panelists will discuss the current state of women’s seat at the table, and the work still to be done to bring us even closer to a truly equal future.

Panelists:

Claire Lee, Head of Early Stage Group, SVB
Y-vonne Hutchinson, CoFounder, Project Include and CEO, ReadySet
Chandra Mitchell, General Counsel, Yamaha Motor Ventures
Kim Polese, Chairman and CoFounder, Crowdsmart
Moderator: Debra Brackeen, CSO, CSAA Insurance

10:35 – 10:50 am
Tara Chklovski, Founder & CEO, Iridescent Learning
The Importance of Motivating Girls as Technology Leaders

10:50 – 11:05 am
Purnima Kochikar, Director, Google Apps & Play
Amplify: Simple Tips to Win by Supporting Others

11:05 – 11:20 am
Nikita Sudan, Data Scientist, Walmart Labs
How to Listen BETTER!

11:20 – 11:35 am
Alicia Phillips, eCommerce Mgr, Ghirardelli
Sorry, Not Sorry: Tips for Being Assertive at the Office

11:35 AM – 12:15 pm
Panel Discussion: The Next-Factor: Millennial Women in Tech
Millennial women are leading the charge into the next generation of female tech representation, with a sharp eye on inclusivity, social good, and the inherent value of creativity–while eschewing traditional roles and expectations. Our panelists will disclose the ups and downs and in-betweens of life as a new leader in tech, and their predictions for the years to come.

Panelists:

Chloe Rogers, Founder and CEO, CommuntyX
Kristi Bradford, Field Technology Architect, In-Q-Tel
Hayley Leibson, Forbes contributor and CoFounder, Lunch Club
Brittiney Jones, Principal Diversity Manager, Oracle and Founder, Chicago Youth Opportunities Initiative
Iyore Olaye, Product Manager and Engineer, Bird
Moderator: Lili Gangas, CTCO, Kapor Center

12:15 – 2:00 pm
Lunch, Workshops, Demo Hall, Brella Networking

Lunch workshops are first-come, first-serve; signups will be available on Friday at registration.

Workshops:

How to Brand Yourself Like a Champion
Led by: Pasha Cook, Founder and CEO, Pasha Cook and Associates
VCs Are People Too: Strengthening Your Pitch With User Stories
Led by: Rachel Reitnitz, CTO and Founder, IBM Cloud Garage
How To Survive & Thrive As The Only Woman On Your Team
Led by: Domitilla Caputo, Program Manager, SAP.io Foundry
Productivity Tactics and How to Set Yourself Up for Success
Led by: Catherine Gacad, SVP Partnerships, Wells Fargo
How Women Can Win at Negotiation
Led by: Aanan Contractor, VP of Technology, Walmart Labs

2:00 – 2:15 pm
Kai Morton, Student & Computer Programmer
How Girls are Shaping a Better Tomorrow

2:15 – 2:30 pm
Tameka Vasquez, Assoc. Director of Marketing, Eigen Technologies
Your Diversity is Worth More than Your Data Point

2:30 – 2:45 pm
Micki Krimmel, Founder & CEO, Superfit Hero
From Roller Derby to (Mini) Fashion Mogul: Finding Success in Niche Communities

2:45 – 3:00 pm
Inhi Cho Suh, GM, IBM Watson
Foster a Culture of Inclusion by Example

3:00 – 3:40 pm
Panel Discussion: The Big Bang: Women Changing the World
Huge breakthroughs in science, tech, and business development are on the crest of wide-scale implementation–during this panel, you’ll meet the four incredible women who are building the powerful engines that are already changing our world.

Panelists: