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OVERVIEW

Women-led startups received just 2.3% of VC funding in 2020. Furthermore, only about 12 % of decision makers at VC firms are women. Despite the seismic challenges women face in participating in new value creation, there are female trailblazers who continue to put cracks into the glass ceiling to equal the business playing field.

CommPRO  and FINTECH.TV in collaboration with the Armenian International Women’s Association (“AIWA”) are pleased to present this livestream event that will bring together dynamic women who will share their personal journeys and the skills they deployed to successfully navigate the nexus of technology, entrepreneurship, and gender equity. They will also share how they are paying forward by investing in the future generation of female leaders in growth industries such as fintech, martech and commstech.We’ll tackle key challenges and opportunities women working in tech face today, including:

---What does it take to be a female tech entrepreneur? What are the essential skills needed for success?

---Why are women falling behind in the VC world? What steps can be taken to bridge the gap?

---How can women better support each other on their journeys in the rapidly evolving tech world?

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HOST

Jane King

Host of Daily Download on FINTECH.TV

Jane King is a graduate of Purdue University, with a degree in Communications. Jane began her television career at WLFI-TV in Lafayette where she was an anchor and reporter. During that time, Jane also taught a few classes at Purdue in broadcast journalism. After WLFI, Jane began to specialize in financial and business reporting and went on to cover consumer issues at WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, and the stock market for both CNN and Bloomberg Television. In January 2014, Jane started her own company with a business partner, LilaMax Media LLC, where she provides financial news content from the NASDAQ in Times Square for local television stations around the country including WISH in Indianapolis, KRON TV in San Francisco, KING in Seattle. LilaMax Media recently launched a weekly, 30 minute show that airs on both KRON’s broadcast and streaming. Services. The show focuses on technology and entreprenership. During her career, Jane has covered the dot com bust, the 2008/2009 financial crisis and provided live reports for CNN and local TV stations from the World Trade Center attacks on September 11th, 2001.LilaMax Media was created in January 2014. It’s a multimedia content company delivering consumer/business news to television and internet news organizations. Jane King, along with long time TV syndicator Robert Morris, started LilaMax Media and have grown the company from 12 TV stations to now 72 TV station and 2 internet entities.  LilaMax Media content originates from the NASDAQ Marketsite in Times Square and is provided and updated daily.Jane also executive produces and hosts a weekly show on KRON-TV in San Francisco called “Innovators”. The show features innovative companies in technology, energy, biopharmaceuticals and education. During this show, Jane developed a deep interest in blockchain technology and how it can transform the world’s economy and society.Jane also hosts “New to the Street” weekly show featuring companies on NewsMax TV and hosts the Fintech.TV Daily Download report on blockchain and crypto news.Jane has also hosted and moderated panels for the Global Blockchain Business Council, Blockdown Conference, Malta Artificial Intelligence/Blockchain Conference, TheStreet.com and others.

GUESTS

Ying Cao

Co-Founder

Work in Fintech

Ying Cao is co-founder of Work in Fintech, a blockchain-based professional development platform with a mission to bridge the talent gap in the fast growing Fintech and Web3 world. Prior to starting her own company, Ying spent the last 15 years on wall street and was Head of Digital Product at Barclays in charge of digital transformation and Fintech investments. Being an entrepreneur herself, a founding partner of a EdTech firm which has now successfully raised $300mm for Series C funding, she is a mentor and ambassador for Barclays Open Innovation Platform (Rise) to coach and mentor start-ups for business growth. She is also a SteerCo member in Barclays Diversity and Culture networks and services on the board of Women in Derivatives (WIND), a non-profit organization, driving diversity and inclusion efforts. Ying holds a Master’s Degree in Economics at Yale University and a B.A. in Economics at Peking University in China and was recognized as Inspiring Women of the year by NYC Fintech Women and Excellence in FinTech by Markets Media Group.

Houry Geudelekian

Chair

NGO Committee on the Status of Women, NY (NGO CSW/NY)

Houry Geudelekian was the previous Gender Program Coordinator at NGO Committee on the Status of Women, NY and the UN Coordinator of Unchained At Last, an ECOSOC accredited US based organizations that fights to stop early marriage in the US. She recently ended her term as Co-Chair of Working Group on Girls and Co-Chair of NYC4CEDAW. Born in Beirut, Lebanon into an Armenian family, she moved to New York City in the late 70’s with her husband and together they started a business that grew to over 30 employees and 2000 clientele in the competitive market of Manhattan. Her professional expertise is in Project Management, Marketing and Public Relations with a passion for Human Rights. Houry has been involved with many non-profits and academic institutions, chaired major events and fundraised for special events. In her capacity as UN Coordinator for Armenian Relief Society (2011-2016), she served as Executive Committee member of NGO CSW NY for two terms, Co-Chaired NGO CSW Forum Planning Committee, MC’d two Consultation Days and Chaired Women of Distinction Award for CSW57/58. As a board member of NGO CSW NY she was a founding member of the Cities for CEDAW campaign as well as Beijing Platform for Action+20, working closely with UN Women. She is always actively looking to partner with international organizations to bring gender equality to global attention while mentoring young adults to be inspired and care about Human Rights. She has also facilitated and partnered with UN Member States, UN Women, UNDP to bring about positive change globally through panel discussions and projects.

Marie Lou Papazian

Founding CEO

TUMO Center for Creative Technologies

As TUMO’s founding CEO, Marie Lou Papazian developed the center’s educational program and led the design and construction of its flagship facility. Prior to TUMO, Marie Lou led the Education for Development Foundation linking Armenian students to their global peers through online educational activities. Previously, she was lead construction manager on prominent high-rise buildings in New York City. Marie Lou holds a Master’s Degree in Computing in Education from the Teachers College at Columbia University, as well as degrees in engineering and construction management. In 2019, she received the Ordre des Palmes académiques — a national order bestowed by the French Republic on distinguished academics and figures in the world of culture and education.

Laurel Touby

Managing Partner

Supernode Ventures

Laurel Touby is a former business journalist, exited tech CEO and the founding partner at Supernode Ventures. 

Supernode Ventures is focused on pre-seed/seed stage tech startups across sectors ranging from FinTech and Healthcare to eCommerce and Supply Chain tech. With 15,000+ network connections, Laurel and her team source promising companies on the cusp of hyper-growth. Supernode’s portfolio companies include: Braze (IPOd in 2021), Electric.ai, Credijusto, DeepScribe.ai, Habi.co, Levels Health, New Age Meats and others.

Prior to Supernode Ventures, Laurel founded mediabistro.com, an online pioneer that revolutionized the way people in the media industry do business, connect and communicate. A former business journalist, Laurel remains actively engaged with the media via her popular Tech Media Dinner & Discussion events. She is a sought-after public speaker and hosted her own tech show, “Secrets of Successful Startups“ on CBS Interactive. Following the sale of mediabistro.com, Laurel began angel investing before starting her fund. 

No founder can question the value add of being a Supernode Ventures portfolio company. An inveterate connector, Laurel dips into the network daily to connect portfolio CEOs with potential customers, co-investors and media. 

Knowing Laurel also means being connected to your peers in new and interesting ways, whether you are a Tech CEO (Cereal Entrepreneurs breakfasts), investor (VC Potluck Deal Dinners), tech journalist (Tech Media Dinners), or a potential customer for Supernode’s portfolio companies (CMO/CTO/CIO Dinner events). In this way, Supernode Ventures remains always tapped into amazing deal flow. 

Laurel lives in a loft in the heart of Silicon Alley and is married to Jon Fine, book author and former Editor in Chief of Inc. Magazine.

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