Founder Journey: Funding, Community & Never Giving Up

From leading within the trenches (quite literally) to taking charge from the top, Dalia Feldheim is the ultimate force for good and an exemplar of modern leadership.   A Senior Executive with over 20 years of experience leading iconic and award-winning campaigns such as #LikeAGirl, Dalia has graced C-Suites and stages with an illustrious career that has empowered so many women to do the same — particularly from her passion for passion.   Hear about:   Why your first boss will have the biggest impact on your career. How our brains are wired to listen for negativity five times louder than positivity. Why you should focus on your strengths instead of your opportunities. The moment that Dalia realized that she was in the business of empowering women. Why the act of trying something new pushed her to get out of a toxic work environment.   Connect with Dalia Feldheim:   Connect on LinkedIn  Website Instagram   And for more inspiring conversations with women in tech, follow the Girls in Tech podcast and connect with us on our social channels:   Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook   If this episode hit the right notes for you, please leave us a review.

Meet Dr Swatee Singh, Chief Data and AI Officer at TIAA, and a big deal to the back-end of a Fortune 100 financial services company. Thanks to a rich and complex career journey across machine learning and data science, Dr Swatee’s guiding principles highlighted a pivotal question whenever an opportunity presented itself: Who would I be working with? A question that has influenced monumental moves in her life.   Hear about: How a career starting in breast cancer research can transfer to techniques in machine learning and AI. Taking data within enterprises and turning it into revenue and business value. Why specialising in a skill isn’t limiting, but often transferable across multiple industries. What you can do in a room to make sure all voices are heard. This is a timely conversation if you’re ruminating on specialising in a niche area of tech, but also for anybody interested in how a leader actively makes room for more women at a table with up-and-comers waiting in the wings. Connect with Swatee Singh on LinkedIn And for more inspiring conversations with women in tech, follow the Girls in Tech podcast and connect with us on our social channels:   Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook   If this episode hit the right notes for you, please leave us a review.

Meet Shelli Pavone, CEO and Co-Founder of Inlightened, a MedTech company that leverages data and technology to connect diverse healthcare professionals and providers. She’s passionate about bringing greater diversity to the healthcare industry. In this episode, we delve into Shelli’s career journey, from pursuing psychology, to working in pharmaceutical sales, to building her own MedTech company – plus lessons learned along the way. Hear about: The importance of listening to feedback and building a thick skin so you can really take it onboard. Why we need more minorities involved in clinical trials, and more medical providers with diverse perspectives. The benefit of naivety when starting a business. The challenges of building a tech product from the ground up, and how you can overlook simple things like including an unsubscribe option! The importance of building a network and finding other people who work in STEM. This is a great episode to listen to if you’re starting out your career in STEM, or planning a career transition in the future. Our discussion with Shelli will give you some interesting points to mull over, while bolstering your confidence and love of innovation. Connect with Shelli Pavone: Connect on LinkedIn  Follow on Twitter Visit the Inlightened website And if you’d like to hear more inspiring conversations with women in tech, be sure to follow the Girls in Tech podcast and connect with us on our social channels: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook If you loved this episode, please leave us a review and let us know!

Meet String Nguyen, Founder and CEO of multi-million dollar NFT brand Chubbiverse. In this episode, we delve into String’s passion for creativity, community and (importantly) fried chicken. Having started her career working for fast food chain KFC, she’s happy to share how the allure of entrepreneurship led her to create NFTs and carve out a space in the Web3 space. Tune in for String’s top tips on creativity, productivity, finding your voice, overcoming imposter syndrome, and how to let your inner child direct your career path. Plus more! This is a great episode to listen to if you’re passionate about Web3, content creation, blockchain, and how to be authentic in your career. Connect with String Nguyen: Visit String’s website Read String’s blog Follow String on Twitter Connect with String on LinkedIn And if you’d like to hear more inspiring conversations with women in tech, be sure to follow the Girls in Tech podcast and connect with us on our social channels: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook If you loved this episode, please leave us a review and let us know!

Meet Marva Bailer, female tech leader, author, speaker and DEI advocate. She may have started her working life as an aerobics instructor, then moving into sales – but by never saying no, she’s worked her way into executive level positions in tech without holding an official degree in the field! In this episode, we delve into Marva’s passion for self-learning; her belief that your unique perspective is what makes you valuable; her incredible battle with breast cancer; and much more. Tune in for exciting details of Marva’s career, interspersed with useful advice for anyone starting out in tech. Connect with Marva Bailer: Visit Marva’s website Follow Marva on Instagram Follow Marva on Twitter Follow Marva on LinkedIn And if you’d like to hear more inspiring conversations with women in tech, be sure to follow the Girls in Tech podcast and connect with us on our social channels: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook If you loved this episode, please leave us a review and let us know!

Meet Brandi Riggins, the Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Guidewire Software. Brandi manages 4,200 employees in over 26 countries while being a full time mom – so as you can imagine, organization and time management are at the core of her life.  Learn how Brandi makes it all work, how she refuses to hide her kids from her colleagues, and how she’s forged a successful tech career as an African-American woman.   Connect with Brandi Riggins: Follow Brandi on LinkedIn   And if you’d like to hear more inspiring conversations with women in tech, be sure to follow the Girls in Tech podcast and connect with us on our social channels: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook If you loved this episode, please leave us a review and let us know!

Meet Sandy Carter: THE top female pioneer in the Web3 space. As the Senior Vice President and Channel Chief at Unstoppable Domains (with previous roles including General Manager at IBM, and Vice President at AWS), she’s the ideal woman to share her secrets to success, tips for managing a busy schedule, and passion for innovation in the tech space.  Tune in for advice on pivoting careers; the power of failure; and why asking questions helps you do your job better. Connect with Sandy Carter: Check out Unstoppable Domains Follow Sandy on LinkedIn Follow Sandy on Twitter Follow Sandy on Medium And if you’d like to hear more inspiring conversations with women in tech, be sure to follow the Girls in Tech podcast and connect with us on our social channels: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook If you loved this episode, please leave us a review and let us know!

Meet 21-year-old space enthusiast, undergraduate student, and aspiring astronaut Alyssa Carson. This busy lady studies astrobiology, flies aircraft, scuba dives, skydives, and presents talks around the world encouraging girls to pursue STEM careers.    So how does she do it all? In this episode, we discuss time management; how to break down career milestones into smaller, more attainable tasks; trying different things before deciding on a specific direction or specialization; and much more.   Plus, learn all about Alyssa’s dream to be one of the first humans on Mars – within the next decade!   Connect with Alyssa Carson:   Visit Alyssa’s website Follow Alyssa on Instagram Follow Alyssa on Facebook Follow Alyssa on Twitter Follow Alyssa on LinkedIn   And if you’d like to hear more inspiring conversations with women in tech, be sure to follow the Girls in Tech podcast and connect with us on our social channels:   Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook   If you loved this episode, please leave us a review and let us know!

Rebecca Clyde is a public speaker, LatinX founder, and entrepreneur. She is the co-founder and CEO of Botco.ai, a company that helps healthcare providers improve their engagement with patients through a HIPAA-compliant, AI-powered chat solution. She is a highly-regarded marketing leader and public speaker who has received several accolades. In 2020, she was included in the List of Most Influential Women in Arizona, while she was named the “Most Admired Leader” by the Phoenix Business Journal in 2018. In addition to her work leading Botco.ai, Rebecca serves as Board Member for Mentors International, an organization that seeks to end generational poverty through mentoring and vocational training. Rebecca joins me today to share her journey as a woman of color in entrepreneurship and technology. She describes her beginnings in the tech industry and explains how communities like Girls in Tech allowed her to connect with her co-founder. She shares her vision for healthcare around the world and discusses how Botco.ai seeks to transform the way the healthcare industry serves consumers for the better. She also highlights the different challenges women face in venture capitalism and underscores the power of believing in your idea. “It’s all about creating a space where people can come together, collaborate, share ideas, and grow and mentor each other. That’s how the magic happens.” - Rebecca Clyde This week on Girls in Tech: How Rebecca’s childhood upbringing gave her an appreciation for discovery and curiosity Her journey in tech and her road to becoming the co-founder of Botco.ai How Rebecca took her business training from college and applied it to the engineering realm A meeting of minds and how Girls in Tech allowed Rebecca to connect with her future co-founder The Botco.ai origin story and how they serve the healthcare industry Rebecca’s passion for AI and what she envisions for healthcare and the world How AI can impact healthcare and how the tech industry can help consumers be more comfortable with using it The “snowball” effect in AI and technology and the difference between companies in the “pre-seed” and “seed” stages The consumerization of healthcare and how COVID-19 forced the industry to adopt technology The double standards Rebecca faced in the venture capital community and the challenges of being a Latinx female founder in the tech industry Rebecca’s advice for other founders at the early stages of their businesses The power of cultivating a community Connect with Rebecca Clyde: ai ai on LinkedIn ai on Instagram ai on Facebook ai on Twitter Rebecca Clyde on LinkedIn Inspiring Girls in Tech...One Conversation at a Time Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Girls in Tech. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeartRadio Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners, like you. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. For more exclusive content and information, visit our website.

Girls in Tech board member Sandy Carter is a thought leader in technology market entry and the digital business revolution. She is Vice President of Public Sector Partners and Programs for Amazon Web Services, where she designs and evolves partner models to intensify partner innovation. In addition to her work at AWS, Sandy is an international keynote speaker and author who has written the best-selling books The New Language of Business, The New Language of Marketing, and Get Bold. Highly regarded as one of the most influential and powerful women in technology, Sandy has received various accolades, including the Franz Edelman Laureate for Analytics Innovation, and has been recognized as one of Forbes’ 2016 Digital Influencers and Onalytica’s Top 100 for Cloud and IoT. Sandy joins me today to highlight the power of expressing yourself and sharing your ideas to the world to change history. She reveals the skills people need to grow in the technology industry and discusses the power of curiosity and asking questions. She explains why women need to prepare for, spot, and seize growth opportunities and describes why women need to support each other. She also shares her journey as a changemaker in the tech industry and underscores the value of having people who support you in changing the world. “If you have all these ideas and don’t express them, you wouldn’t be able to change history. Finding your voice empowers you to create change.” - Sandy Carter This week on Girls in Tech: The powerful moment of finding your voice and expressing it Sandy’s journey to becoming a changemaker in tech and her role at Amazon Web Services How technology is changing businesses and industries How Amazon Web Services supports small businesses on a global scale The important role of small businesses in the public sector How the public sector saw the power of cloud computing in the midst of COVID-19 Technology’s transformative power in the world How Amazon Web Services partners with local cultures to serve needs that are different from the needs of the western world The skills individuals need to prosper in technology The power of curiosity and why people need to hone their problem-solving skills How to keep your curiosity alive What it takes to work on a global scale and make the world a better place Preparing for growth opportunities and managing the imposter syndrome The difference between a mentor and a sponsor The role of mothers in Sandy’s life and how their lessons impacted her Why women need to help each other Resources Mentioned: The Creator’s Code: The Six Essential Skills of Extraordinary Entrepreneurs by Amy Wilkinson Connect with Sandy Carter: Sandy Carter Book: Extreme Innovation: 3 Superpowers for Purpose and Profit Book: Get Bold: Using Social Media to Create a New Type of Social Business Book: The New Language of Marketing 2.0: How to Use ANGELS to Energize Your Market Book: The New Language of Business: Soa & Web 2.0 Sandy Carter on LinkedIn Sandy Carter on Facebook Sandy Carter on Twitter Inspiring Girls in Tech...One Conversation at a Time Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Girls in Tech. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners, like you. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. For more exclusive content and information, visit our website.