Winners were chosen from among 79 applicants and the process included a popular vote to narrow the field to the top 10, and then Venture Capital judges chose the top five. The top five were given the opportunity to present their company in front of the audience of more than 300 motivated, creative women in technology at the first-ever Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference, which also included a panel of experienced investors who provided valuable advice and feedback. In addition, the top five were awarded with complimentary legal services from Cooley, Godward & Kronish LLP.
"Our goal was to support and recognize women innovators by using the excitement around Girls in Tech's first-ever annual conference. With almost 80 companies participating through Vator.tv, it's clear female entrepreneurs are an important part of the innovation ecosystem," said Catalyst Competition co-organizer, Arden Pennell, who also served as the Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference program director. "This was a huge opportunity to recognize some of the amazing contributions women have made to the tech industry, and the competition allowed us to highlight these companies on a very public and influential stage."
The top five companies honored at the conference include:
• AccessDNA:
• BakeSpace:
• MyLawsuit:
• GreenSherpa:
• Marriage.com:
The Catalyst Conference focused on career development of women working in high-tech. Held on Janaury 26, 2010, the event brought together more than 300 innovative women together for a series of inspiring keynotes from female leaders in the industry, as well as workshops led by experts in innovation and collaboration. As a premier female-only event, the Catalyst Conference provided women with concrete technology and business tools for their careers, from advancement in their current position to launching a new venture.
About Girls in Tech
Girls in Tech is a social network enterprise focused on the engagement, education and empowerment of like-minded, professional, intelligent and influential women in technology. Founded in February 2007 by Adriana Gascoigne, Girls in Tech offers a variety of resources and tools for women to supplement and further enhance their professional careers and aspirations in technology, including educational workshops and lectures, networking functions, round table discussions, conferences, social engagements, and recruitment events. Visit us at www.girlsintech.net.
About Vator.TV
Vator (short for innovator) is a leading platform for entrepreneurs and innovators to effectively broadcast to and communicate with the entrepreneur and innovator community while at the same time reach the broad audience across the social Web through Vator's syndication. Vator.tv has more than 30,000 members and high-tech companies, using the service to effectively communicate with their partners, investors, media and customers. VatorNews is Vator's video business network on entrepreneurship and innovation with 200-plus contributors.
