Female Founders Event Is a WIN-Win
In the fall of 2015, four Carroll School seniors began meeting to discuss an all-too-familiar refrain: where are all the girls? Troubled by the dearth of females at tech and entrepreneurship events, they wished for more opportunities for women to learn about the industry. So instead of complaining, they did something about it.
And just like that, the聽聽(WIN) was born.
Three years later, the club鈥檚 president, Hannah Say 鈥�18, reflected on the success of WIN.
鈥淭he four women who started WIN were all graduating that year,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y friend Arev Doursounian [Morrissey 鈥�17] and I wanted to be part of the leadership. We wanted to figure out how we could be a meaningful part of the 糖心vlog直播平台 ecosystem instead of just making things pink.鈥�
Way beyond making things pink
Through Say and Doursounian鈥檚 efforts, WIN became a Shea Center initiative, which gave it instant credibility, connections, and a budget. Positioning the club as a network and resource for students interested in tech, entrepreneurship, and leadership, the team began to brainstorm ideas for events.
鈥淔or the first speaker we hosted, only five people showed up,鈥� Say said. The guest speaker was Ashley Reid, CEO and founder of聽, an online/mobile tool that connects patients with support resources. Despite the low turnout, 鈥渋t was a great event, because she rolled with the punches and made it a roundtable.鈥�
In the less than three years since, WIN has built out a nine-member board and signed up more than 200 club members, mainly undergrads studying technology and business.
Now in addition to the speaker series, WIN holds skills workshops鈥攐ften for 20 to 40 people鈥攍ike the InDesign training in April led by Michele Snow, art director for聽Boston聽magazine; they host discussion groups; and they spread the word about campus events.
Mission-driven and value-added
The professed mission of WIN is to foster and grow the number of women passionate about a successful and fulfilling career working at the intersection of business and technology.
鈥淲e're enabling women to put skills on their r茅sum茅 [that] employers are looking for,鈥� said Say.
The value extends to networking events, which aren鈥檛 鈥渏ust idle chit-chat,鈥� as Say puts it. An event with聽Google鈥檚 HR director, for instance, featured聽r茅sum茅 reviews and a window into job opportunities. More than 50 people attended.
Female Founders & WIN鈥檚 future
WIN鈥檚 events now number six in the fall and seven in the spring, culminating with the annual Female Founders event. This year鈥檚 affair drew more than 80 guests and brought back Ashley Reid for a panel discussion with Janet Comenos, CEO/co-founder of聽聽(a data-driven celebrity endorsers agency), and Alice Lewis, CEO/founder of聽聽(a 鈥渇lower-focused鈥� lifestyle brand for women).
Say points to a common thread in the event鈥檚 main takeaway: 鈥淲hile female founders may follow different paths, they鈥檙e continually inspired by the problem they鈥檙e trying to solve. And they really want to make an impact.鈥�
That mirrors what鈥檚 happening with WIN. More women on campus are getting involved and 鈥渁necdotally, we鈥檙e definitely having an impact,鈥� Say reported.
So as the finance and computer science major prepared to graduate and pass the mantle onto WIN鈥檚 VP, Lauren Michelson 鈥�19, Say was leaving the Heights on a high note.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited about the work WIN has done and the growth of the club,鈥� she said. 鈥淧eople didn鈥檛 think another club for women in business was needed. WIN proves there is a space.鈥�