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Making it – women entrepreneurs reveal their secrets of success
Making it- by Lou Gimson and Allison Mitchell
Steph Cutler was a successful fashion designer, designing amongst others for Ted Baker, until one holiday she realised one of her eyes wasn’t functioning well. The devastating news was confirmed later that day; she was to lose her vision. Not one to panic, she went travelling, taking pictures she knew one day she would no longer be able to see . On the first day of a new job designing for NEXT, disaster struck and she realised she could no longer function normally. Eliminating ‘can’t’ from her vocabulary, she decided to turn her weakness into a strength and set up a training business for the visually impaired. Now living by the adage – ‘If in life you are dealt lemons, make lemonade’ – she runs a very successful training venture.
Steph is one of eight female entrepreneurs that are considered to have ‘made it’ and who share their experiences and insights in this book. Read more
Innovate Europe! Who is Europe’s (including Israel) top startup?
We have been covering a couple of cross atlantic ’searching for the next big thing’ in the last couple of month. European companies and investors going to the US and vice-versa. And here is another golden one: Innovate!Europe is looking for Europe’s (including Israel) top startup. And we have partnered with them as media partner.
From March 30th – April 8th, Innovate!Europe is hosting Going Global workshops and Networking Meet-ups in Europe and Israel (see below or check the calendar). In the workshops and meetups, you get feedback on your company’s competitive value proposition and market opportunity, and help with pitching skills you need to effectively compete for partners and funding. Even if the workshops are fully booked, there is a great opportunity to join one of the Networking Meet-ups. If you are an entrepreneur, an investor, journalist or other member of the entrepreneurial community, just email an RSVP.
Start-ups attending prior workshops have raved about the experience. Conor O’Neill of LouderVoice, called it “pure gold” and said it was “the most impressive start-up workshop I have ever encountered.” Via Vator TV you can see video’s of the companies participating. Bambi Francisco, Founder and CEO, Vator.tv is one of the mentors of the programme.
This is the European schedule:
30 MARCH Bern, Switzerland (co-hosted by Orrick and CTI Startup)
- Going Global workshop from 9:30 to 17:30
- Networking Meet-up at 18:00 – RSVP required
1 APRIL Tel Aviv, Israel (co-hosted by Orrick)
- Going Global workshop from 9:30 to 17:30
- Networking Meet-up at 18:30 – RSVP required
3 APRIL Berlin, Germany (co-hosted by Orrick and SAP)
- Going Global workshop from 9:30 to 17:30
- Networking Meet-up at 18:00- RSVP required
6 APRIL Paris, France (co-hosted by Orrick)
- Going Global workshop from 9:30: to 17:30
- Networking Meet-up at 18:30 – RSVP required
8 APRIL London, UK (co-hosted by Orrick)
- Going Global workshop from 9:30 to 17:30
- Networking Meet-up at 18:00 – RSVP required
If you want to follow the competition, learn about the competitors and connect with other members of the ecosystem, subscribe to the blog or join the Innovate!Europe’s Facebook and LinkedIn groups.
Innovate!Europe is a unique partnership of European and American companies and government agencies, produced by Innovate Ventures s.l.r. and Guidewire Group, Inc., the company founded by Chris Shipley and Mike Sigal, with the generous support of event partners including Zaragoza City of Knowledge Foundation, Informatica El Corte Ingles, and Gobierno de Aragon, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, Plug & Play Tech Center, Microsoft, SAP, Enterprise Ireland, UKTI and Switzerland’s CTI Startup.
During the unique program, startups receive mentoring, promotion and critical introductions while competing for an exclusive spot at Guidewire STUDIO, an in-residence business accelerator in the heart of Silicon Valley valued at over $30,000.
Questions for start-ups: Balineum
Sarah Watson, Co-founder of Balineum
“Making everything to make your bathroom beautiful” is Balineum’s mission. The company, using the name Balineum because it is Latin for bathhouse, sells design and linens and accessories for the bathroom through their site.
A few months on from her pitch at thenextwomen Pitching and Funding event, where Sarah braved a panel of angels and investors to convince them of Balineum’s uniqueness in its market and need for funding, Sarah is ready to go out to find investment. Now that she has recovered from winning the audience prize for Best Pitch, we asked co-founder Sarah where she stands now.
How did you come up with the idea of setting up Balineum?
Like almost every other business that has started in the world it was because I couldn’t find a solution to a problem and saw a gap. I moved to London from New York and needed a shower curtain for my new flat and was astounded that I couldn’t find one that I liked. I had also bought some towels when living the US that I just loved, and was amazed that I couldn’t find them here (despite being made in Turkey). I knew that these products existed elsewhere in the world and just thought this can be done better in Europe – I know it can – and I’m going to try to do it better.
What is your unique selling point? Read more
Career Barbie (now 50) is on a Mission and Advocates Girl Power
As Barbie celebrates its 50th birtday in March 2009 with spectacular events and her own mansion, it can be said that Barbie is more of a trendsetter and career woman than many people might think. Barbie openly advocates girl power. Even though Barbie first appeared in the now-famous black-and-white striped swimsuit and signature ponytail, a Barbie with a career has always been part of the product range. Indeed, Barbie has had more than 108 inspirational careers, such as Fashion Designer (1960), Career Girl (1963), Surgeon (1973), Working Woman (1993) and Producer (2005). Barbie encourages girls to imagine themselves in and “try on” different careers and personalities.
Interestingly, Barbie is ahead of our time with producing a Presidential Candidate, of African American descent (see photo) already in 2004: many years before such became a reality for, let’s say the male version of Barbie, Ken. By the way, the website let it be known that Barbie is independent (non partisan) as a presidential candidate. Also, Barbie’s seems to encourage women in technology. The website states in this respect: Barbie once said, “Math class is hard!” but has since amended her stance to, “Math is hard, but not impossible!”
Barbie indeed has a mission: “For girls, play is a vital part of growing up and role play leads to real play. Barbie leads by example, inspiring girls to live out their dreams and encouraging them to aspire to be anything.”
The New Fashionistas on the Web
You’d never know the world is facing a recession if these sites are anything to go by: cocosa.com, atelier mayer.com and schway.net, they are all new fashion sites looking to keep you out of the shops and onto your computer!
Here’s the round-up:
Atelier-mayer.com
Vintage site Atelier Mayer
Vintage wear is nothing new to us, having reviewed designer-vintage and , however Atelier mayer had a virtual dressing room well-worth a visit. ATELIER-MAYER.COM is inspired by the late Klaudia Mayer, an Austrian haute couture tailor whose atelier was originally founded in 1927. The company has now updated Madame Mayer’s heritage to the 21st century in the form of a luxury online boutique. Read more
Marketing to Women: The Nike App on Iphone
The Nike trainer application on my iPhone is an interesting app especially made for women. You can check the app on the Nike website (which by the way is rather slow, if it ever loads). The program shows several exercises ( limited to fitness studio / aerobics like workouts,as presumably the biggest sport among women) and a sports calendar. In addition, there is the possibility to invite buddies and compete with others. Very web 2.0 indeed.
Nike Women Page and app
It’s no surprise that Nike especially targets women with this ad, as they know by now that women are a very interesting target group. According to this study, only the US market for women’s athletic apparel was worth $23 billion in 2000. No doubt the figures will be higher now. Its such an appealing market also because athletical apparel needs to be more in line with fashion, so that even more fashion brands have entered this segment of the market.
Anyway, with gadgets as the Nike app there is no excuse anymore to start your running schedule.
Founder Ila Panik Gains Momentum for Social Enterprise for Girls U4U and Girlation
Momentum is coming for Ila Panik, Founder and CEO of U4U, a social enterprise that wants to develop leadership ability in girls aged 11-18, first in the UK, then next year in the US and thereafter Europe and ultimately globally. She is ambitious, fresh from London Business School with an MBA and a prior career in corporate social responsibility and organisational sustainability strategy. With mentor advice in the M.A.D. Programme from founder of Club Asia Radio, Sumerah Ahmad, she is busy creating a team, getting funding, submitting the business plan to the Global Social Venture Competition and simultaneously putting together their launch event: Girlation. And yesterday, she won the first prize in the Freshideas Event for Business with a Social Conscience.
Panik envisions fostering a better world through developing healthy, happy, confident and capable young ladies to lead the business world, their families and their communities toward a brighter future. Following through with ideas expressed by Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen and others regarding the potential to change a culture by educating and supporting girls, U4U wants to developing leadership ability in girls aged 11-18 on a holistic platform expressed through 4 pillars: fitness (I), kindness (us), culture (all of us) and environment (us all w/environmental consciousness).
Her passion and professionality can be read from her blog:
I am starting to realise the responsibilities of an entrepreneur are like a river…never stopping! I need to learn to build dams!
That said, I feel very like we have made a ton of progress and a lot of really exciting things are about to happen.
-we have completed a very strong business plan and financial model. the beauty of this is in being able to apply for business plan competitions, send info to potential investors, and have completed a lot of strategy Read more
Female Internet Hero leads Ambitious Online Women’s Network in Brasil
Andiara Petterle, Brasilian Female Internet Hero
In our search for Female Internet Heroes, we have come across Andiara Petterle, CEO of Bolsa de Mulher, the largest online women’s communications group in Brasil, with around 7 million members and users per month. It’s not only a social network, but also a producer of content, supplier of services, e-commerce, internet and mobile relationship tools. Educated in Brasil, USA and British Columbia. Andiara was responsible for Bolsa de Mulher’s repositioning.
Bolsa de Mulher belongs to the Ideiasnet corporation, and was built-up by acquisitions of portals in astrology and self-knowledge and nutrition and well-being. It also bought out Feminice, a teen portal, previously competing with the social network. More recently, the company acquired celebrity portal TeContei. The objective is for the company to reach all segments of the women’s universe.
“Our audience is extremely relevant. We have around ten times the number of subscribers of the biggest women’s magazines in Brazil. We comprise a company focused on knowing women, and developing effective solutions for experience exchange, thus making their lives easier and happier”, says Andiara Petterle, who is a frequent lecturer at digital media, women’s consumption, and media convergence events.
The company positions itself with business models for the sale of on-line advertising, e-commerce, and mobile. In the Bolsa de Mulher social network, advertisers find segmented channels such as the Bolsa TV – an interactive TV channel; Universidade Feminina – a pioneering e-learning initiative with around 100 thousand enrollments; the Bolsa de Bebê – with exclusive content for mothers and pregnant women; as well as tools like the Mostre Seu Estilo – a fashion community, and the Make UP – an interactive beauty tool, and for gastronomy-lovers Bolsa Gourmet, a meeting and information exchange point among the country’s greatest chefs and users. Read more
News; Going Local and Hyperlocal
hyperlocal news
Local papers often play a central role in local communities; functioning as a medium to complain though about local issues, a forum for discussion on local issues and of course a news source on local events. However, as proved last week’s disappearing of the Seattle P-I, to be replaced by a stripped down internet version, local papers have not been spared by the internet. Therefore it is promising to see that there are still media that believe in the power of ‘local’. In fact, going local and even hyperlocal appears a real trend; sites bringing the news of your postcode or neighbourhood have sprung up in the past months.
This month, The Local launched, a new initiative from The New York Times. Read more
TheNextWomen launches Female Heroes database
Find Marissa Mayer, Martha Lane Fox, Natalie Massanet and Kathy Sierra in our database
As 1678 bloggers across the world will be honouring Ada Lovelace, the world’s first female computer programmer, by writing about women in technology, we have taken the opportunity to make our database of female internet heroes available online.
Our list features hundreds of women and companies that operate in the online world. So find your founders, leaders and investors in there.
As we intend to map all the women in the online world, we will be adding names as we go along. So if you are or know a female internet hero that deserves a place on our list, feel free to let us know! Read more
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