I entered the Boston startup scene about six months ago, and I’ve hit up a plethora of events. But the one I look forward most to each month is Girls in Tech (GiT). Girls in Tech has chapters in major cities across the world. Their events range from panels, workshops and conferences, to straight-up networking. At VOX in Boston yesterday, it was a pure-play networking event that brought in a great group of women, despite this purported vacation-week-of-the-summer.
If you’re in a similar boat to the one I was in six months ago and haven’t been to GiT before, you might be wondering what to expect. Here’s a countdown to the best things GiT brings to the local ecosystem, followed by a sneak preview of upcoming events they’re planning:
#3 Phenomenal women. Each GiT event I’ve been to has brought in a set of confident, approachable and savvy businesswomen. I had the opportunity to speak with a bunch of exceptional ladies that I’ve never seen or met at other startup events in Boston last night — ladies ike Kristin Smith from Minnesota, who just moved to Boston to expand Datalink’s services in the northeast and Kristin Zajac, an MIT Sloan graduate who’s making a career move from research and consulting into high tech marketing. These women share one thing in common: They’re phenomenal leaders. You can expect free and genuine experience-based mentoring at these events because of the caliber of women who attend.
#2 Diverse minds. GiT events boast not only a phenomenal set of women, but a truly diverse set, as well: demographics, careers, and perspectives alike. It’s priceless to be able to share experiences and gain advice in a conversation with a forty-something-year-old branching off to start her own legal practice and a twenty-something-year-old with her first internship at an IT infrastructure company. Not everyone is the same age or in the same industry or does the same function — you have everyone from founders to developers to lawyers to digital marketers. The perspectives you gain are extraordinarily valuable because of these diverse minds.
#1 Real conversation. Networking isn’t centered around the companies these women work for – Compete, CBS, and ZipCar were represented last night, to name a few. Conversations are fundamentally about the women in attendance: Where they’ve been in their careers, what they’ve learned, what advice they can provide and reap, what connections they can facilitate, what challenges they’re facing, and where they want to go in the future. Networking is fundamentally different at these events because of these conversations. When the personal connection comes first, a foundation is laid for making a genuine business connection — be it immediately, or a year down the road. These conversations are refreshing and, more important, they’re real.
Here are a few photos from the crowd last night to give you a sense of how the GiT networking events go down:
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Last night’s event was sponsored by Channel Maven Consulting. If you’re looking to sponsor one of the upcoming GiT events in Boston or missed yesterday’s, there are some great ones coming up:
- August: Networking event in Framingham, Mass. (They’re switching it up from downtown Boston to draw even more new faces.) The event will take place on the 10th or 12th of the month (still TBD). GiT will be asking for small contributions at this event to support upcoming innovators through the Science Club for Girls.
- September: This will be a GiT panel event focused on startupers looking to raise capital: “Women and their start-ups: When and how to gain funding,” it’s called. The panel will feature two VCs, two entrepreneurs who have received funding, and an attorney who has seen both sides of the interaction. Location and date are still TBD.
- October: GiT is organizing a full-day workshop for entrepreneurs and executives to help them accelerate their careers. Current speakers include Bonnie Marcus, Jamie Eslinger, and Heather Margolis.
To stay in the know about Girls in Tech Boston, be sure to join the GiT Boston Facebook group, join the LinkedIn group, follow them on Twitter or simply Email Heather Margolis, GiT Boston’s organizer.
