Surprisingly, 93% of investor money goes to startups founded by men - a number that has barely moved in 10 years. Our friends at Women Who Tech recently alerted us to this stat, and we find it both shocking and unfortunate. At UpScored, we’re big advocates for the progression of women in technology, as well as diversity in all workplaces.
Last week, we had the opportunity to attend Grand Central Tech’s 2XinTech: Female Founders Conference. The all-day event brought together a tremendous community of female founders, creators, innovators, and executives. Kara Swisher MC’d the event (she is both brilliant and unabashedly hilarious!), and founders like Alexandra Wilson (GlamSquad & Gilt) and Hayley Barna (Birchbox) talked about the opportunities and challenges of entrepreneurship. You can find a full recap of the event and more info on GCT here.
On a related note, we’re excited to announce that on November 9th, we’ll be pitching at the Women Startup Challenge NYC as one of 10 finalists, which will be hosted by Women Who Tech at Microsoft in Times Square. Our CEO and Co-Founder, Elise Runde Voss, will be telling UpScored’s story to a panel of rock-star investors including Susan Lyne of BBG Ventures, Joanne Wilson, Victoria Song of Flybridge and So She Did, Kathryn Finney of digitalundivided (DID), and Lisa Stone of Blogher. The event is in partnership with Craig Newmark of craigslist and craigconnects.
Amy Vernon recently wrote Finding and Funding the Next Generation of Female Founders in Inc. which highlights the vision behind Women Who Tech and the Women Startup Challenge.
Events like GCT’s 2XinTech and the Women Startup Challenge are a catalyst for change, and we couldn’t be more excited to be a part of these initiatives. Our mission at UpScored is to make the job search process a more rewarding experience - and a core pillar of this mission is to embrace diversity.
We hope to see you next week at Microsoft for Women Startup Challenge NYC!
-The UpScored Team