A San Francisco-based tech reporter hosted one of the most provocative panel discussions at the event. “Moving Past Male, Pale, and Stale: Increasing Diversity in VC” as a session title needs no further description. The panelists, Charles Hudson (Precursor Ventures), Jamison Hill (Base10), and Janine Sickmeyer (Overlooked Ventures) represented BIPOC and women in tech. When asked why there was still less than 10% representation of women writing cheques – and half of that people of color – Hudson had the most succinct response, “It’s a math problem. VC is a small ecosystem and it’s difficult to break into the network.”

Although male founders outnumbered those of other genders, there was representation by non-males. Not all female founders, or those who identify as women, exhibiting at the show are featured below. Some women in tech were not at their booths when Grit Daily News was present, and hence, could not be interviewed.

Boosting productivity

Nylas, a company specializing in productivity software, was rolling out new branding and a significantly larger booth space. The company’s founder, Christine Spang, proudly commented, “It’s been nine years and we’ve grown into some new branding and this new space.” By connecting data across communications channels, their IT solution keeps the focus on security and privacy. Spang was adamant, “We’re not selling data,” which is a clear differentiator versus some others in the field.

“e-Communications data is an untapped data source,” she said, “If you can connect it to your business processes via seamless integration, you can move those conversations into a first-party data experience with transparent permissions, which offers the personalization that people are looking for.” When asked what the primary industry applications of the communications APIs were, Spang shared that her team’s expertise in third-party certifications, like Gmail, helps their customers navigate several areas. These include developing CRMs, recruiting tools, and solutions in real estate. She emphasized, “But application can be much broader and really apply to any industry.”

Embracing a diversity framework

Jordana Matsos (hirequity Recruitment Agency Inc.) offered some insights into the bias that women and members of the LGBTQIA+ community face around recruiting. They’ve essentially flipped the switch as a recruiting company by focusing on their candidates, rather than on clients. “We train our candidates to get them fully prepared for their interviews in the job placements we source.” Matsos added, “If they’re not a good fit for one job, we find them another client.”

“I was in corporate for 20 years,” she opined, “and I continue to work with corporations, but many don’t have a diversity framework. We do! And we’re HR PCA certified.” That framework is particularly important for the diverse sales and marketing talent that her organization represents.

When asked about her message to clients and how they can overcome the staffing shortage and be more attractive to candidates, she was candid. “If there’s one thing that you need to do as a company, that’s train your new staff. Plus, you need to onboard them properly. Embrace diversity so that your company benefits from fresh thinking.”

Matsos then offered a few examples of the ”colorful” (that’s code for wholly inappropriate) comments that clients said using offensive terminology for diverse candidates to categorize them. Some clients have even specified the physical characteristics that they want – or don’t want – in their diverse candidates. Indeed, there’s an opportunity for some training on both sides here.

Enabling global mobility

Nomad Coliving is is the first Canadian co-living space. Its founder, Maria Kinoshita, has capitalized on the new mode of working that makes “home wherever your laptop is.” With 16 guest suites, entrepreneurs can network as well as collaborate. Shared core spaces help reduce environmental impact and embrace the increasingly popular lifestyle of digital nomads. Kinoshita said, “We’ve even sparked a few marriages!”

DECUREMED is a telemedicine company specializing in immigrant’s care. Dewi Kreckman recognized the need for immigrants to have access to affordable healthcare, medical records, 24/7 support, and a list of providers that catered to their local community. And, as many immigrants do not have credit cards or health insurance when they arrive in the USA, the platform enables alternative payment approaches such as digital wallets.

Designed for women

Innovation isn’t limited to B2B SaaS companies. Apricotton bras are the only ones that grow as girls grow. The flexible sizing and adjustability features enable tweens to teens to progress through puberty without the waste and expense of buying numerous bras that quickly become ill-fitting as girls age. Jessica Miao is the company’s founder.

Claire Ongcangco (Parlon) offers beauty and wellness services on a single platform. The contents have been curated for residents of the Philippines. Buyers can discover, book, and purchase salon and wellness deals.

Monday Girl is an all-in-one networking platform that helps professional women get started in their careers through mentorship, community, and education. Istiana Bestari is the company’s founder. Bestari highlighted how the company was originally founded as an events-planning service, “But COVID required us to pivot.” The company is now growing, particularly with membership from the FinTech and marketing communities.

Lifestyles and life cycles

Aurelie Biehler (Memoria) handles the difficult decisions required after a loved one has passed. Through a combination of on-demand services, such as floral displays, and consulting, the end-to-end platform enables bereaved families to make funeral arrangements. “Our marketplace contains curated vendors,” she said, “we aim to make the death experience a little better for grieving families.”

Lauralee Guthrie founded Mindku to help people manage all the stress they’re experiencing in the workplace. The company name is drawn from Hawaiian culture where “ku” means stillness. Guthrie’s platform is integrated with Microsoft® Teams and Slack so that employees can tune into moments of mindfulness and meditation as they need to.

Vegpal is a vegan social media app connecting people with similar interests. Find someone to dine with or find a place to dine. Their platform has been designed for live interaction and participation at events.

Artificial Intelligence applications

Here’s a social media app that has been designed to protect public-facing staff and brands. Artificial Intelligence is applied to help detect and counter online hate-speech and aggression. Jacqueline Comer, the founder of areto labs, pointed out that, “Social media is a workplace for many people, and it’s becoming increasingly toxic. Companies need to protect their staff from this toxicity.”

The post Women in Tech at Collision Conference appeared first on Grit Daily News.

Regardless of the time period or what conflicts the world endured, sports has always prevailed as a universal unifier. 

The numbers glaring across the scoreboards, ecstatic fans in a warm embrace, the blazing horns in the background. This visual encompasses what comes to mind when we think of the term, sports.

As one of the most coveted industries in the world, sports organizations have to regularly adapt to meet the growing demands of the increasingly technology-savvy fanbase. The past five years have witnessed a spike in venture capital investments in sports tech.

Technology can capture historical moments, such as the milliseconds before and after an athlete scores the championship goal. Experiential data like scoring a goal or the pompous VIP amenities are hard to describe with just words and photos.

Meanwhile, the income of a sports league, such as the New York Yankees, is dependent on three things: sponsorships, attendance, and merchandise. Sponsorships in sports teams accounted for 70% of the $15B total spent on sponsorships in 2016. However, did you know that up until the last five years, many of the biggest brands in sports were still pitching seven-figure deals within the confines of PowerPoint?

One technology has changed the whole game – revolutionizing how deals are being done in the boardrooms.

Its name: Digideck by Sportsdigita .

The founder of Sportsdigita is a powerful leader with several years of experience in both the financial industry and in professional sports leagues.

Angelina Lawton, the founder, and CEO of Sportsdigita got her vision for what is now known as Digideck during her time with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.

“I saw these huge corporate brands coming into meetings and all we had were linear PowerPoints to try and impress them. I knew there had to be a better way.”

Today, Sportsdigita is the solution trusted by over 400 sports teams and enterprise brands around the globe. It combines personalization features, real-time analytics, and immersive technology to create beautiful and personalized presentations for any company.

Illustrating the numbers in a creative way

Visualizing data can help tremendously in how we understand it. Interactive tools drive engagement and increase value for the creator in the long run. Propping up your hard-earned statistics in a way that can capture a buyer’s attention is crucial, especially in a market as dynamic as sports. “In the financial industry, it was hard to bring the numbers, charts, and graphs to life,” Angelina comments. However, when I got into the NHL, the environment drastically changed to one that was dynamic and from there I saw a natural progression of how technology could be utilized to enhance the experience.”

Companies can easily plug their facts and figures into Digideck which can produce interactive graphs and real-time analytics. Digideck allows sellers to communicate directly with buyers at their convenience, which leads to better engagement and greater potential for more booked meetings.

Creating immersive experiences for maximum revenue

Research has shown that when people have better experiences with a product, they are more likely to spend more. With the dawn of the metaverse, many brands are pivoting towards using AR/VR technologies to boost their product interactions with customers.

Digideck allows companies to showcase their offerings, taking the buyer on an immersive journey through video technology and elegant interactive cursor buttons. Imagine getting a 360° view of what the President’s Suite looks like in your local sports arena, instead of just a flat photo. The experience sells itself.

Seamless distribution for efficiency 

With traditional presentations, you have to add a number of links that take you to other pages. The amount of times the user has to oscillate between the presentation and other weblinks is distracting and subtracts from the overall experience.

With Digideck, everything is integrated into the deck which removes friction and increases attention span. The deck can be distributed to every stakeholder in one link and can be viewed at the buyer’s convenience. This signals respect for people’s time— not strapping them down to a 30-minute pitch meeting for something they might have no interest in. Digideck empowers the buyer to make their own decisions by presenting the data in an appealing and easy-to-understand manner.

Conclusion

As technology and the world evolves, sports has to evolve with it. While much of the focus recently has been centered around the fan experience and athletic improvement, a crucial element that has been quietly revolutionalized is the end-to-end sales process. The adage goes, “People won’t remember what you’ve said, but they’ll always remember how you made them feel.” Presentation is simply an area that can’t be missed, and stellar technologies like Digideck can help companies build an elusive and irresistible brand that sells.

The post Game-Changing Technology: How Angelina Lawton Revolutionized the Sports Industry appeared first on Grit Daily News.

She quickly became a bright star and developed the iconic campaign, “Discover the Secret of the Big O.” This campaign drove sales to upwards of $2 billion in revenue and helped Overstock.com become a top 25 e-Tailer by traffic, and was named one of “America’s 100 Most Trustworthy Companies.”

Stormy has now transitioned from her traditional corporate career into life as an entrepreneur as she recently launched Mother Ruggers, a new jacquard rug brand for those seeking to add a lux touch to the floor designs of their homes.

Stormy had this to share during a recent interview with Grit Daily.

Were there any unique challenges that you had to face as a woman working to gain promotion in the workplace, if so what were they?

Stormy Simon: I entered into the workforce in the early 90’s. I worked through the evolution of work equality between men and women. My biggest challenge was staying in a male dominated room, and learning my place while closely considering every work I say in order to be strategic. The second part, which always makes everything more difficult, is being my own worst critic. Because questions often start when a female gets promoted, I had a chip on my shoulder to prove I did this on my own, with my own merit and with my own mind. Learning I didn’t have to fit into the boys club, I just had to know how to play the game.

Tell us more about your career at Overstock.com and what caused the company to appoint you as President of the organization?

Stormy Simon: I started with Overstock in 2001, Overstock was founded in 1999. It literally started for me because I “raised my hand.”

I honestly didn’t think I would be at the company very long, as I was hired as a temp. I think that made me a bit fearless. Within the first 90 days, I was in a room with the CEO and three other department heads. The CEO was talking to my bosses and said “Whose head can I put on the chopping block to make sure this gets done?” Nobody did anything. The other I raised my hand. I said you could put my head on the chopping block.

I felt compelled. It turns out I led the department to $20 million … in turn giving me the confidence to ask for the next department, which was PR. Then the next department was music and video in which I helped build up to $150 million. I continued to build each department. In 2007 I became CMO – at this point I was fully knowledgeable in almost every department within Overstock. In 2009 we became extremely profitable (12 months of $1 billion).

In 2011 I went into operations and built out our partner care program and created the award winning movement -”people care”. I took our vendors from 4k to 10k vendors, so the next natural step was to become president. When I became president I didn’t look at it as losing any of my prior positions. I took all of the experience in all the departments with me. Today I still feel the same way. My experience was like drinking from a firehose. I took it all in, I grew, the company grew, and now I am ready for my next big step … my own venture, entrepreneurship.

What accomplishments were you most proud of during your time at Overstock?

Stormy Simon: There were so many milestones at Overstock. The accomplishments I was most proud of were; Building out the commercial start to finish for the big O campaign, bringing the company to $250 million  – $500 million in 18 months.

My next biggest accomplishment within the company was bringing customer service from being outsourced to in-house. In structuring out this award-winning customer service department I not only reduced costs but won multiple awards for the company. Two more accomplishments that stick out in my mind are the award we won when I was CMO for the best shopping app, accomplishing 12 months of $1 billion. Last, but not least, while I was president Overstock was named one of the top 100 most trustworthy companies in America (chosen by Forbes).

You have now transitioned from the traditional corporate environment to being an entrepreneur? What inspired you to want to be a business owner?

Stormy Simon: In transitioning from the corporate environment into entrepreneurship I find this is my biggest accomplishment and challenge of all. It is now time to do something I personally am passionate about and to bank on myself this time! Banking on yourself is the hardest thing I would ever have to do – I was ready to step outside of my comfort zone. It took me a lot to get me to make the shift – but it all boils down to the perfect “Stormy Storm” the product, the person I get to work with, and all of my expertise and experience up to this point preparing me to build something of my own. What inspires me is the passion, the excitement to work again, to build a business, something to devote my heart to. I never wanted to do something twice. I feel this is a new way women will do business. We consider this to be a family-style business – and we will run it like one – and we will welcome our family employees – and build it to greatness.

Can you tell us more about the type of products in your new rug company and when the brand will launch?

Stormy Simon: Mother Ruggers products will be available in stores by the summer of 2022. We work exclusively with a boutique manufacturer in Turkey creating luxury and affordable rugs. Simon Yildirim is our designer for our luxury line which offers various Jacquard woven collections.

All rugs include incredible warranties of up to 10 years. Our machine washable rugs come in a fashionable tote bag – easy to sell and receive. If you can dream it we can weave it …..

Orlena USA distributes the Mother Ruggers collections with retail pricing beginning at $175 – $300 which include:

The Raggaroos Children Collection – Machine Washable, hand-drawn, and printed on velvet and hand finished with a semi nonslip fabric, making it safe for your little ones! Bright fun and colorful designs for newborns to 12 years old. When it gets dirty, just wash it! Two-year defective warranty with proper care.

The Dream Weaver Collection –  the option to create your own exclusive designs and textiles MSRP s start at $499 – $2400. All collections are Machine Washable.

The Rugger Collection – A one-step machine washable anti-slip Jacquard-woven rug with a 3 year warranty.

The Outdoor Pattie-O Collection – Three price points and the best quality outdoor rug available, especially the Jardin. 2 & 3-year warranty with proper care. Great for high traffic areas like the patio – front door, and even outdoors. Imagine an indoor/ outdoor rug – that looks indoor but is built for outdoor use.

The Outdoor Ruggaroo Collection- for kids – made on velvet so it stays clean – made for children in mind.

The Shenny Chic Collection – Jacquard woven styles that reflect your personality.

The Simon Leadren Collection – 10-year warranty – 4 different designs – exclusive – by the actually drawn designs.

What advice would you give other women who are looking to transition from their 9-to-5 to becoming an entrepreneur?

Stormy Simon: If you are a woman looking to transition from your 9-5 and become an entrepreneur I would give this advice: Don’t make the move before you are ready. If you are asking how do I know if I am ready? I would say you want to make the move when you can afford to fail at least once.

Remember, you are not starting over. You are only packing your bag and moving forward, taking every skill and accomplishment, and leaving nothing behind. And always remember don’t succeed out of ego, if you have to throw in the towel,  start over it’s always a better move, as no success comes from one’s ego.

What’s the greatest fear you’ve had to overcome to get where you are today?  

Stormy Simon: The greatest fear I have had to overcome was the fear of failure. I overcame this fear by raising my hand and taking a chance in myself, by leveraging that fear and using it for fuel. I have let go of the fear of failure and the fear to raise my hand … but now instead of for others … It is my turn to raise my hand for me and Mother Ruggers. On to bigger and better fears to fuel my journey of Entrepreneurship.

The post Stormy Simon, Former President of Overstock.com, Launches Her Own New Brand appeared first on Grit Daily News.

Women entrepreneurs today come from all walks of life and now hold top corporate positions in the new ventures, while outpacing their male counterparts in some of these areas.

Women-owned new business enterprises are playing a prominent role in the society. They are a source of inspiration for other women, which in turn generates many more employment opportunities for women. Not only have their prominent ventures strengthened the women entrepreneurship ecosystem, some venture capitalists have made a conscious decision to invest in them. They use tools for businesses by checking sites like Top10 to ensure higher productivity and better time management.

The consistent development of the start-up system has enabled more and more women to chase their entrepreneurial dream to drive their new ventures. Women have proven leadership skills and now dominate the new age industries, like electronic manufacturing, where because of the high precision work involved and increased productivity levels they have garnered more than 50% of the employee workforce. This attitude also emphasizes the importance of women in modern start-ups because of their business skills.

Moreover, there are hundreds of women entrepreneurs engaged in start-ups in today’s world that have proved they can do everything perfectly on their own and that no amount of sheer force can prevent them from going forward. Over the last twenty years, women-owned start-ups have amplified by as much as 74%, which gives an idea of how these new businesses have empowered them to be their own boss and demand a salary they rightly deserve.

That said, even after years of efforts to create equality between men and women on the start-up front, both socially and economically, the gap between them is still quite large. This is the sole reason women have begun to start new businesses on their own in order to create more job creation for other women, which in turn helps reduce the gender gap in the workforce of their business. After all, when women become successful in any new field it inspires the next generation to emulate their success.

The rise in female-dominated start-ups has increased, as the woman of today is well equipped with all the necessary tools and techniques to help them stay ahead of their competitors. For instance, despite the female start-up founders in Africa being among the most underfunded, they are the driving force in some of the most exciting changes in the continent.

The list of this year highlights women innovators to make robots for waste collection in Cameroon, addressing insurance-related issues in Kenya or tackling freight logistical challenges in Ghana. Despite the coronavirus hit, which became paramount for the survival of their business, the resilient ones lent a hand towards digital entrepreneurship to drive its economy towards recovery.

In an undeveloped country, women are not encouraged to think big, but despite that, there are some who have scaled new heights in a conservative environment. These are the wonder girls who are inspiring other women to take the path of start-up entrepreneurship, in spite of all the challenges and struggles.

The post The Global Rise of Women Entrepreneurs In the Startup Era appeared first on Grit Daily News.

There are thousands of materials and books on the subject, yet the world is still ridden with the same problems.

The disparity amongst humans, corruption, environmental destruction, and countries at war are nowhere closer to being resolved. 

One problem appears to be that leadership is hierarchical and separates the decision-making powers between regular people, and the few at the top. This discourages people from taking responsibility and making impactful choices because they feel stifled from the decision-making system.

To combat this, the focus must be pivoted towards seeing how we can improve access to the economy, and accelerate cultural impact as a collective. This may be our only sustainable solution of giving hope to the future of leadership.

Leadership is a journey. One where you must lead yourself before you lead others. To Kiri-Maree Moore, CEO and Founder of Decision Velocity Global known as a Global Advisor, Strategist & Investor – International Speaker,  “becoming obsessed with patterns” was her way of connecting awareness in leadership culture and helping leaders across the globe take ownership of their decisions.

An old approach to leadership was to emphasize having one person at the top. The new approach is where humanity recognizes “if every one of us does their one percent, then together we can shift the dial forward from problem to solution, ” Kiri-Maree states. The kind of cultural impact where we add value, not take away

This article discusses how when we disrupt old patterns, take a new approach, and view leadership through a “humanity as stakeholders” lens, it can create space to serve a new generation of global leaders.

Humanity as Stakeholders

Humanity means you and I, where the stakeholder is a measure of value. Looking at leadership using “humanity as stakeholders” as a lens means when you make a decision, you either add value to the human race or subtract from it. Kiri-Maree believes if we were all to do this then it would help to shift the dial in the right direction.

Things like conditioning, restrictive social norms, and distrust through biases must be eliminated. Permission at the table needs to become a non-negotiable where every human has a seat. All distinctions are welcome where you add value and are able to give voice to the change needed across the global leadership landscape.

This is exactly what Kiri-Maree means when she holds a vision of hope for the future of leadership. “The old approach has got us this far but the new approach will narrow the gap between where we are and where we need to be,” Kiri-Maree affirms.

Humans need to be proactive about rewiring old patterns in their brains, to make better decisions and to form effective behaviors that help shift humanity forward. This needs to begin in a leadership culture where leaders know the power of a leader who evolves.

Instead of defaulting back to the old approach based on the archaic principles of leadership, where leaders are stuck in a hierachy, we use the new approach which creates space for new conversations, different questions, and where we learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.  “Patterns help us be more effective, to disrupt old systems and processes that are not working anymore”, Kiri-Maree says.

It’s a science and an art to rewire our brains. To achieve effective and sustainable solutions, we have to master the muscle of Human Intelligence (HI) and disrupt the patterns that are no longer serving us.

Exercising the Muscle of Human Intelligence (HI)

Technology continues to advance and time is moving at a fast pace. Leaders need more than ever to know how to make the right decisions, fast. Learning the secret advantage of exercising the muscle of HI is no longer just an option, but is essential for any leader.  Human Intelligence is as simple as the data you gather from the environment and what you choose to do with the data.  

Like any muscle, when the brain is underutilized— it atrophies, becoming less effective over time. Unfortunately, if leadership continues down the same pathway, it prevents from building a culture where it is encouraged to think for yourself, do things differently, and lead. It all begins with awareness, recognizing patterns, understanding the opportunities, and the willingness to make shifts to adopt better solutions. 

Away with the Old Approach, onto the New Approach

Instead of shielding everyday people from making what has been known as top-level, executive decisions—why constrain these abilities to a few around the table. Rather, a new approach gives the opportunity for different leaders to come to the table, navigate decisions through a different lens and add their value to help give impact to the final decision. If we stick to having the same people around the table with the same patterns of thinking, we will always end up with the same outcome. This shift is crucial for evolution.

Moving away from a competitive, zero-sum mindset requires us as individuals to see the problem beyond our own limiting lens. Learning from others, either within our own industry or outside of it, gives us the perspective and skills needed to make better decisions and take action to move humanity forward in a better direction.

Kiri-Maree has always done everything with her vision in mind. Her vision involves helping people across the globe to know there is always a solution to any problem if you are willing to find it. To her, to equip people with access to resources and strategies allows every human the opportunity to have a voice at the table. 

Conclusion 

All in all, leadership that shifts humanity in a forward movement requires the need for a new approach. Assessing our decisions through the lens of humanity as stakeholders creates the space for a new culture of innovation, where leadership can pioneer a new pathway to bring sustainable solutions.

This environment should empower leaders being able to make smart decisions, be able to exercise the muscle of HI,and to add value to humanity going forward.

Find what requires us to build out an ecosystem that offers value on a universal scale. The more value we can add to humanity, and others; the closer we will become to narrowing the gap between problems and solutions as a society.

The post The Future Of Leadership: Humanity As Stakeholders appeared first on Grit Daily News.

Now, she represents a marginalized demographic dedicating her life to solving racial and gender equity in the field where she once felt alienated. “It’s just a space I love to be in,” she said. “Some people deem code as being pretty pictures and numbers and now we’re changing lives.”

Robinson is one of Google’s top 50 Black Founders, recipient of the Cloud Solution of the Year by M12 (Microsoft’s venture capital fund) and Women in Cloud, named Top 10 Under 40 and Top CEO by Mississippi Business Journal, a SheEO Venture semi-finalist, Databird’s “Rising Star,” a military wife, a mother, a Black Woman.

However, she is more than a name for February Black History Month or a name for March Women’s History Month.

Her name is Sheffie Robinson. She is the only Black woman that she knows of working in AI workforce development.

Robinson’s startup, Shamrck is an AI solutions company that is revolutionizing workforce development in underserved and minority communities. “Everything we do looks at success from a social lens –  cause and effect. How many lives can we change? How can we change the world with our technology?” she said.

“How many lives can we change?”

Robinson has always been social-impact driven. Even since childhood, Robinson could be found combining sociological theory with technology. This tech CEO/Founders’ whole life changed the day her mother brought home one of the first computers.

“At 12 years old, AOL was the thing. My Mom couldn’t afford AOL! We ran out of time on the free disks. So I remembered all the MS Docks commands from Oregon Trail, went into the back, and hacked my way into AOL. I realized I can do so many different things with code. It’s fun for me to see how much I can create with lines of words. It just snowballed from there,” said Sheffie Robinson.

Robinson has accumulated 23 years of experience in software engineering, spending seven years in the tech workforce as a freelance software engineer. Seven years masking a hidden talent as a mere hobby; “I have been building software since 1999 and I’m completely self-taught. I had a passion for finding ways to provide technical solutions for the underserved and I still possess that passion,” she said.

Although Robinson had work experience in technology, the lack of diverse representation in leadership throughout the industry discouraged the now, award winning innovator. In 2014, Robinson’s husband suggested she turn her side hustle into a career. In 2015, Shamrck was founded. Yet, not with the purpose of its work now. However, 95% of Robinson’s consumers were female or minority. 

“How can we change the world with our technology?“

Obtaining a Sociology degree from Thomas Edison State University, in Trenton, NJ, in 2020 amidst the commencement of a global pandemic, with a son entering his senior year of high school, Robinson had an insiders perspective of the pitfalls of COVID-level learning.

Shamrck’s business plan pivoted. Studying to be a mechanical engineer, her son’s high school didn’t offer the correct class for his high level course requirements. Robinson went to the local community college and school board. Resulting in a created a class for her son and the six other students they found with the same issue.

“It was like, wow, how many parents don’t know they can advocate for their kids this way? And how many schools don’t know they need these programs or have the resources behind them. How can we effect the future workforce in a way that gets them what they need not necessarily what we think they need. What are you going to college for? You’re not? What assistance do you get from there? Influencing diversity and equity in the workforce has to go back further than teaching college students and adults, otherwise, the next generation will have the same issues,” Sheffie Robinson said.

“Our goal is to make a community impact.”

Children in Hawaii believe in order to get a good job, they have to leave their home and family to receive proper training. However, Shamrck is repairing and impacting an entire island of overlooked people. The AI workforce development startup is currently integrated in a large high school in Hawaii stimulating economic development, solving long-stemming issues, and providing resources to students all without them having to leave the island.

Repurposing and expanding its preexisting AI functionality, Shamrck is standardizing education, creating metrics and facilitating benchmarks as it relates to current industry standards. Robinson changes lives and impacts communities, many of which are underrepresented and marginalized. Having personal experience in an industry lacking diversity, Robinson is first-handedly shaping the future for the better.

Yet, she’s as humble as she is heroic. “The work is more important than I even thought. People are recognizing. It’s just a highlight to the problem and the effort that is necessary to solve it. To me, that just means I gotta keep going. Were at the very beginning. We haven’t even touched a smidget of the capability of what the platform is or can do,” said Sheffie Robinson in response to her many awards and accolades.

The post Sheffie Robinson, Founder and CEO of Shamrck, Wants More Black Women in AI appeared first on Grit Daily News.

Diane’s inspiration is her father, a Korean immigrant who spoke sparse English but worked night and day to support his family. The family of four lived in a one bedroom apartment and had to rely on an unreliable car, which taught Diane two lessons at a young age. First, nothing comes without working for it, and second, to never underestimate what she could accomplish if she worked harder than the competition.

We asked Diane Yoo about the links between winning beauty pageants and winning in business.

Competing in beauty pageants is not what most people view as the beginning of a business career. What did you learn competing in pageants that remains relevant to you as a businesswoman?

Diane Yoo: Competing in beauty pageants helped uncover a self realization that I operated with the mentality of an entrepreneur. Purely competitive, independent, and a self-starter, pageants further propelled my appetite as I traveled to globally compete. Like Squid Games, titleholders are sent to compete with entirely new groups of people, in hopes to win big. When dealing with the cream of the crop beauties across multiple countries and regions, my inner self morphed into a savvy fighter that outperformed and, at any point, swiftly outmaneuvered. Most ironically, it is not the most beautiful who wins beauty pageants. It’s the uncanny ability to win over people under the facade of glittery lights. It’s more about portraying the mentality of a champion and that you already conquered the competition. This is how judges quickly sift through the talented beauty holders in the industry.

Likewise, in business, you must learn how to be quick, pivot and innovate. No matter how lonely it gets at the top, you are constantly learning how to survive and then thrive. I honed my skills for over a decade by repeatedly going head-to-head with the global beauty elites, in addition to adeptly absorbing cultural differences. These powerhouse women did not win by chance or beauty, they were killer professionals.

The world of beauty pageants is exhilarating and extraordinary, filled with the most jaw-dropping, gorgeous women who have been perfected to compete in lifestyle and beauty. Just as some women use this as a platform for their next step in life or career, I juiced the industry to grow stronger. As a business woman, I utilized soft skills, EQ intelligence, quickly honed in on my competitors, networked with dizzying charm to influence key decision makers and ultimately close the deal – or, in the beauty world, clench the victorious title.

Any person, given the choice, would choose to be good looking rather than plain, but  is there a stigma for women that comes with beauty?

Diane Yoo: Yes. There is a stigma with gorgeous, beautiful women. It’s an unspoken bias potentially derived from a place of insecurity or, sadly, judgment. More upsetting, some women even feel they have to be more conservative or play down beauty in order to be accepted. This stigma cuts across identities, countries, and genders. Even women-to-women, some have such insecurities that they tear down others just based on external appearances. Such women simply don’t like it if others are more beautiful than them. It grates on their insecurity.

On the other hand, beauty can be utilized for our success. A prime example are the growth rates of models on Instagram. In today’s virtual society, we have a new genre of the “digital entrepreneur”. As some of the highest growing Instagram accounts are models, they can monetize their accounts into an empire.

What skills did you acquire in pageants, and what did you learn about the fashion industry, that you can apply as a VC?

Diane Yoo: Meticulously understand your industry, move swiftly and strategically to achieve your ultimate goal. Never lose sight of what you want because ultimately, you are responsible for driving your own success.

In pageantry and modeling, one needs a thick skin to survive. You are told that your nose is too big, you are too fat, that your walk is wonky – the feedback is endless. Likewise, when fundraising in venture capital, you need to hear hundreds of “no’s” before you get a “yes”. In both instances, ask (yourself) if you are cut out for repetitious rejection.

What challenges did you face when transitioning from beauty queen to businesswomen?

Diane Yoo: I didn’t view this as a transition. Beauty was not my driving mentality. I utilized my soft skills, intelligence, wit, and leadership to maneuver through the fiercely male dominated world of business and finance.

What motivated you to make the transition from fashion to venture capital?

Diane Yoo: It is not about fashion. It’s who you are at the core. I identify as an entrepreneur and come from a strong lineage of entrepreneurs. I saw first hand what hard work ethic was. My father was an immigrant. He spoke little English and juggled three shifts to simply survive and provide for his family. There were days when our car did not work while we lived in a one bedroom apartment for a family of four. My father’s work ethic was what I aspired to at a young age and I knew life was not handed to me. When I was a child, he would inspire diligence as we would run the neighborhood at the crack of dawn before he left for work.

I became an entrepreneur over a decade ago and applied the same hard work ethic, competitive nature, and fastidiously learned about the business industry nuances. Fundraising as a woman and person of color, there can be unspoken bias such as, “can this woman really build a billion dollar empire?” Soon after earning an MBA from Rice University, I dove into the finance world. I voraciously taught myself about fund operations, investing, and learned about being an asset manager. Time after time, I found myself working from the bottom as an entrepreneur only to climb higher, as I did in my pageant days, to become the top 1% in the nation as an Asian female fund founder.

The post Diane Yoo Tells How Winning Beauty Pageants Revealed to Her That She Is a Born Entrepreneur appeared first on Grit Daily News.

At the time of the development of the additive and the launch of their then startup, Jin and her co-founders were still in college. None of them were wholly prepared for the challenges of startup life. Nor did they have any awareness of how the importance of their additive would skyrocket in the wake of the pandemic. Their growth was accelerated by a fortuitous news article which was read by a local fire station. The fire fighter who read about Kinnos’ additive immediately recognized its potential application to augment cleaning protocols. That encounter spurred the team forward. And, as they say, the rest is history.

The entrepreneurial experience

In the podcast, Jin reflects on her journey thus far and what she’d tell her younger self. “My first piece of advice to myself is to have confidence and learn about something you are passionate about. Don’t underestimate how much you can learn on your own if you just care about something. One of the most frustrating aspects of this job is people doubting my capabilities because of my name or how I look.”

Everything around a startup begins by building a community. You need other founders who can walk you back from the proverbial ledge on the days where nothing’s going right. And you need influencers and champions of your idea who can open doors for you.

As a female founder, vulnerability is common. Jin says, “As a woman, I overcompensate worrying about whether or not people like me. This points to a larger fact about startups, the media has overdone it, all the glamorizing about living in the office, grinding 24/7, contributes to the ‘founder myth’ with the stress of comparison. But comparison is the thief of all joy. I wasted so much time doubting myself. I’ve learned that you can be a lot happier if you’re not the one always tearing yourself down.”

Other bits of hard-earned advice

When asked how she came into this business, Jin, said, “I came in very little life and little work experience. I’ve learned that it’s really important to build a company with allies and people who believe in you and understand the difficulties of being a minority in this space. I wouldn’t sugar-coat the trials and tribulations. It’s hard to be the only minority in any space.”

Given the rise of the horrific and racist attacks anchored in Asian hate, Grit Daily asked Jin what her personal experience has been. “I walk around NYC and I think, ‘Is this my city? Do people want me here?’ Yet I was born and raised here. To improve the situation around Asian hate, we need to increase the amount of awareness: once you know something, you care about something.”

Listen to Katherine Jin’s experiences as a co-founder of Kinnos here. Do so by tuning into our Grit Daily Like a Boss podcast anywhere that content is streamed.

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As it turned out, when the covid-19 pandemic cancelled concerts – and all other large public gatherings – Sarah Figueroa pivoted the company strategy to a more digital offering but, perhaps more fundamentally, she changed the focus from connecting fans with each other to additionally connecting fans with their favorite artists. On Geojam’s app, fans can win points for engaging with friends and the music they love. Fans who accumulate the most points win the opportunity for live interactions with their favorite artists. Fans are currently competing for a FaceTime call with Dylan Matthew and to play video games with Gray, among other friendly competitions featured on the Geojam app. The company had a successful 2020, even managing to raise funds while pivoting, and appears set to resume its live concert strategy as music venues reopen.

We asked Sarah Figueroa about pivoting during the pandemic, raising funds, and mixing digital and analog strategies when that is the right combination.

GD: What was your pre-pandemic vision for Geojam?

Sarah Figueroa: Before COVID, our vision was similar to what it still is today, which is to connect people through music, but the way we saw that materializing was certainly through in-person events before the pandemic hit. We were planning a nationwide college campus tour and were going to have a significant presence at music festivals all over the country, which of course, were put on hold. Given these changes, we had to pivot to a more digital strategy, which has actually grown our platform in ways we could have never predicted.

GD: How did the pandemic change things for Geojam?

Sarah Figueroa: We were in a situation where we had to shut down our in-person growth strategies, which forced us to take a hard look at our platform and our growth model. We started to focus not just on exposure but instead on building a sound, digital-first app that drove value in several ways for both artists and streamers. We quickly realized that we already had multiple offerings in place that artists could tap into to increase things like fan engagement, revenue opportunities, and streaming numbers – all digitally. These digital opportunities were highly sought after by these artists in 2020, given that live events were on the shelf. Throughout the pandemic, we continued to build on digital-first ideas – this included our Jam Shop, which allows users to engage with the app for points they can redeem on unique items/experiences, and our incredible Emerging Artist program, which gives up-and-coming music talent exposure on our app to reach new audiences. Leading with a digital-first approach in 2020 allowed us to scale more efficiently while reaching broader audiences in a more impactful, pandemic-friendly way.

GD: You have a seed round coming up, right? How did you fundraise and pivot simultaneously?

Sarah Figueroa: Yes, we’re in the process of fundraising now, and my cofounders and I are always looking for partners and investors that can help grow Geojam. During the pandemic, since we had to take a close look at our model and execution strategies, investment certainly took a bit of a back seat to the usability and relevance of our product in what was then a new normal. Once we started to see engagement at scale, we knew our slightly tweaked platform had the goods to take off. At that point, we began to re-engage investors and have impactful conversations about the company’s future. Simultaneously, we saw massive interest from incredible artists like Machine Gun Kelly and 24kGoldn, who wanted to work with us. The participation of these popular artists on our platform has undoubtedly helped draw interest in the company at many different levels. We’re so excited to see how things continue to progress now that we have even more support.

GD: What are the rewards for fans who stream and participate on Geojam, and how do they earn them?

Sarah Figueroa: Our goal is to connect people through music. This means that we’re trying to have people engage with artists, share music with friends, and make the streaming experience rewarding and unique, which in turn gets others on the platform interested, and there’s a bit of a flywheel effect. Rewards are earned through the Jam Shop, where users can rack up points through engaging with friends and music on the app. Points can be redeemed for things like experiences, products, and merchandise.

GD: Tell us about the billboards of Machine Gun Kelly? How does a medium as analog as a billboard fit in with Geojam?

Sarah Figueroa: At Geojam, we are always thinking, what is going to get our fans excited? What is going to create a moment that they remember for the rest of their lives? In the middle of the pandemic, you couldn’t meet up in person. So we thought to ourselves, what can we do that’s unique but still safe? Then we said, OK, what if we let fans from around the world compete for the chance to be on a billboard with Machine Gun Kelly in Los Angeles? His fans on Geojam loved the idea and went crazy for this opportunity. Whether it’s a billboard, private jet, or the smallest thing like owning an artists’ denim jacket, it has to create a unique, authentic experience for that artists’ fanbase. Figuring out what that authentic experience is has for sure become a specialty of ours.

GD: What do you foresee for Geojam, and the music industry generally, now that the economy is reopening? 

Sarah Figueroa: The state of the music industry is as strong as ever. Artists have lots of new music they are waiting to release. The live touring business will rebound to historic proportions by next year, and Geojam is helping accelerate connectivity and awareness for artists and fans more than ever before. Music is the most widely consumed form of media, and with Geojam, the world now has a platform to connect with their favorite artists, friends, and fans just like them.

The post Founder Sarah Figueroa Tells How Geojam Thrives by Connecting People Through Music appeared first on Grit Daily News.

Women are underrepresented and excluded

Despite women making up half of the worldwide population, they are grossly underrepresented in the workforce. It is reckoned that if as many women as men had well-paid jobs, the global economy would increase by $160tn overnight.

However, in many countries, women are excluded from participating in the economy for a number of regulatory, and cultural reasons. One of the main issues is the prevailing influence of patriarchal norms. This pervasive mindset elevates the man as the head of the home; the main breadwinner and the king of his castle. In many parts of the world, women are seen as only being good for housekeeping and child-rearing.

Leah Steele, holistic wealth strategist, and thought leader feels strongly that women need to recognize their innate right to be wealthy. “You came here with wealth and abundance codes imprinted in your DNA. They’re already available to you. This isn’t something that you need to go in search of or something that someone else needs to give you. You already have access. You just have to make a decision to open up to remember them.”

Even in the ‘developed’ world, gender discrimination remains. The US-made pay discrimination an offense back in 1963 but, decades later, employers still discriminate against women by offering them lower salaries, passing them over for promotion, and threatening to let them go if they fall pregnant.

Women can create vast wealth

Despite the ingrained misconceptions, many studies show comprehensively that women have the ability to not only lead at the highest, corporate levels but to excel, delivering above-average returns in even the largest multinationals. A study from Latin America shows that businesses run by women outstrip businesses run by men—with 20% higher revenues—despite the fact that females receive less than half of the initial investment. Moreover, women are gaining wealth at a faster rate than any other time in history. Estimates suggest that women currently own 32% of the world’s wealth and are adding $5 trillion annually to the figure. Steele says, “You have to put the work in to get the reward. You have to show up and take inspired action. You have to do that over and over again. It isn’t easy; if it were, everyone would be doing it!

Signs of change

So, perhaps it’s high time that women began to get the visibility that they deserve. In the US, Kamala Harris has become the nation’s first woman Vice President. The Secretary of the treasury role— normally occupied by men—has been filled by Janet Yellen. In her previous role, as chair of the central banking Federal Reserve System, she was famously vocal on issues relating to women and the economy:

“Evidence suggests that many women remain unable to achieve their goals. If these obstacles persist, we will squander the potential of many of our citizens and incur a substantial loss to the productive capacity of our economy at a time when the aging of the population and weak productivity growth are already weighing on economic growth.”

In many private companies, women are also coming to the fore. Jane Fraser, CEO of the renowned City Group, is the first woman to head up the institution. Her contemporary, Stacy Cunningham, is chief at the New York Stock Exchange—the ultimate symbol of US financial might.

What are the next steps?

Whilst women continue to face many real economic challenges worldwide, perhaps the biggest challenge is in changing their own thinking. In traditional relationships, women often take a laid-back approach to money, allowing their male partners to take all the financial decisions. However, it’s worth bearing a vital piece of information in mind: females generally live longer than males and also divorce rates are on the up. statistically speaking, around 80% of women will have to manage their own finances at some point in life. 

Steele asks, “Is what you are doing is serving you? You can choose to go down a spiral of fear or you can empower yourself; reclaim your power from the ‘fear factory’.” Women should be encouraged to make sound financial decisions that benefit them. When it comes to educational and work choices, they should not be constrained by what they think others want them to do. In short, women should have the confidence to step out on their own and become the economic leaders of tomorrow.

The post Women and Wealth: The Changing Face of Women in the Economy appeared first on Grit Daily News.