Tech in the Right Direction

What Venture Capital look like for Women in Technology

Melisa Widner joins Jennifer Didier to talk about Venture Capital for Women in Technology.
Melissa Widner from Lighter Capital talks to us about the evolution of the Venture capital space for Women Entrepreneurs. 
Melissa Widner is the CEO of Lighter Capital, the pioneer and leading provider of revenue based financing to SAAS companies. She has a deep understanding of the entrepreneur's journey and the importance of growth capital. Previously, she was the Managing Director of NAB Ventures, the venture capital arm of National Australia Bank, where she invested in and served as a director for several global fintech companies, including Lighter Capital.As CEO, she led two companies to successful acquisitions that provided over a 10X return to investors. She co-founded and was the CEO of Silicon Valley enterprise software company, 7Software (acquired by Concur Technologies NASDAQ: CNQR, acquired by SAP).Melissa served as a general partner at SeaPoint ventures, a US based venture capital firm focused on mobile technologies and SaaS enterprise software solutions. She is an active angel investor who served on the board of US based Alliance of Angels, one of the longest running and most active angel groups in the world. She was a lecturer in the subjects of Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship at University of Washington’s MBA program.In 2009, Melissa relocated to Sydney with her Australian husband. She is the co-founder and chair of Heads Over Heels, an organization that works with women entrepreneurs leading high growth companies. She served on the boards of AIC (The Australian Investment Council--formerly AVCAL), and currently serves on the board of the Shore Foundation and Heads Over Heels. She is the proud mother of four boys.
Find Melissa at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissawidner/
 
 

How Changing Perspectives Can Lead to Success

This week's guest is Tiffani Bova, a Global Growth Evangelist at Salesforce and the author of Growth IQ: Get Smarter About the Choices that Will Make Or Break Your Business, a Wallstreet Journal Bestseller. Tiffani was also named to Thinkers50 2019 Global Ranking of Management Thinkers and one of the "Most Powerful and Influential Women in California." These are just a few of the accolades Tiffani has acquired throughout her years in the tech industry.
 
Tiffani's current focus is on helping drive customer success within their vast customer ecosystem. She helps companies not only grow bigger but also better with new business strategies and technology. She credits working in sales to her unique perspective on the challenges facing companies and the solutions she creates to solve them. She works alongside sales and customer success teams worldwide to drive change and build them into successful enterprises. She is sharing this experience in her podcast, "What's Next!" to give others a perspective on improving themselves and their business.
 
Thank you for listening; we hope Tiffani's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career. If you would like to learn more about Tiffani and her accomplishments, visit her podcast site: https://www.tiffanibova.com/whats-next-podcast/
 
Learn more about her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Growth-IQ-Smarter-Choices-Business/dp/0525534407

Mentors Who Make a Difference: W/ Curtis Preston

Listen as Jennifer Didier and W. Curtis Preston talk about the importance of backing up your technology. Mr. Preston is an advocate for women and he encourages women to join his team. 
W. Curtis Preston Bio:
W. Curtis Preston (AKA Mr. Backup) has specialized in designing data protection systems since 1993, and has designed such systems for some of the largest organizations in the world. His lively prose and wry, real-world approach has made him a popular author and speaker. He has written four O'Reilly books, the latest of which is Modern Data Protection, published in 2021. He is also the host of BackupCentral.com and its Restore it All podcast. He is now the Chief Technical Evangelist for Druva, the only at-scale SaaS provider of data protection.

What Men Can Do to Make a Difference for Women in Tech

This week's guest is Eva Helén, the CEO of EQ Inspiration, Board Director at Vasion, and the Author of Women in Tech - a Book for Guys. Eva is a seasoned business executive and an experienced board member. She has over 20 years of experience in high tech, international business, strategy, operations, and finance. In addition, she has refined her expertise in developing shareholder value in high-growth companies, advising on business development and human capital.
Today we talk about Eva's early years in Silicon Valley and how it led her to become a Co-Founder, CEO, Board Member, Speaker, and Author. We also discuss the significant role men can play in growing women's presence in the tech industry and the steps they can take to become more inclusive. This idea is at the center of Eva's book, Women in Tech - a Book for Guys. Listen to today's episode and learn more about Eva and her incredible story.
Learn more about EQ Inspiration and Women in Tech - a Book for Guys here: https://eqinspiration.com/product/women-in-tech-a-book-for-guys/
Learn more about Vasion here: https://www.vasion.com/
Thank you - we hope Eva's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.

How-To Overcome Obstacles and Find Your Purpose

This week's guest is Kate Roberts, the founder of Maverick Collective, The Ikigai Company, and Katmondo Lifestyle. Kate is a global social entrepreneur, philanthropist, investor, artist, women's advocate, and public speaker. As a serial entrepreneur, Kate has used her influence and platform to find opportunities and gaps in world health, specifically women's health, to put together teams and address these issues. Kate has most recently worked with PSI, Melinda Gates, and HRH (The Crown princess of Norway) to fund Maverick Collective, a $100M groundbreaking philanthropic initiative led by women for women, which has been innovating and scaling women-focused public health solutions across 60 developing countries.
Kate is truly a difference-maker through the work she is doing in women's healthcare, and she is essential for making real change throughout the world. Thanks for listening, and we hope that Kate's story inspires everyone to be a part of the global programs that are making a significant difference in the world of women's health.
Get involved with Kate’s organizations here:
Maverick Collective
PSI

How-to Establish Yourself as a Woman Leader in Tech

This week's guest is Nauren Batjargal, the Co-Founder and COO of erxes Inc, an open-source growth marketing platform that focuses on being a single tool for the Growth Marketing Lifecycle. They currently have over 1 million downloads in over 100 countries and are in the process of raising even more capital for further growth.
Today we talk about Nauren's career journey and how she moved up the ranks within the financial tech industry and how this led her to co-found erxes. We also cover how women can establish themselves as leaders within an organization.
You can learn more about erxes Inc. here: https://erxes.io/
Thank you for listening; we hope Nauren's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.

Building a Business from the Ground-Up

This week's guest is Denise Cagan, a graduate of James Madison University, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Quality Systems Development. Denise never thought she would be a business owner, but as time went on, she found that her skillset coincided with her ideas and so she started her first business in 2001, followed with another in 2011. Her newest business is DCA Virtual Business Support, a company that supports small businesses with marketing and administrative tasks.
Denise credits her hard work for getting her to where she is today. She views work ethic as monumental for getting any job done and advancing your career. This hard work philosophy has been the foundation for how Denise has built her company into what it is today.
Thank you for listening; we hope Denise's story helps inspire the next generation of women entrepreneurs. If you would like to learn more about Denise and her company, visit her site: https://dcavirtual.com/
Find Denise on LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denisecagan/

MENtors that Make a Difference Featuring Michael Ashford

Our next guest on MENtors that Make a Difference is Michael Ashford, the Director of Marketing at The Receptionist. Started in 2013, The Receptionist paved the way as the first-ever visitor management company. They are now in over 4k+ locations and 36 countries worldwide. You can learn more about The Receptionist here: https://thereceptionist.com/
Today we talk about Michael's career journey and how his different experiences working in a wide variety of roles helped shape his business skillset. We also talk about the positive shifts that are taking place for women in tech and how gender stereotypes are being broken to create change.
Thank you for listening; we hope Michael's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldashford/