Six years ago when Buyosphere CEO Tara Hunt first traveled to Austin for South By Southwest, it was strictly a t-shirt and ponytail affair. “I used to be the lone girl in a sea of geeky dudes,” she remembers. Image was of no concern, and gender, when there was no one to measure herself against, was irrelevant. Then, as the years went by and more and more women began attending the festival, Hunt says something happened. “All of a sudden I began to think of myself as a girl again, and once I did that and looked around I realized that, as a woman, there was really nothing for me.”
But times, they are a changing.
This Friday marks the opening of South By SouthWest Interactive 2012, the annual mind-meld of some of the country’s brightest techies, media somebodies and entrepreneurs in Austin, Texas. But between all of the panels on social media, the buzz on the “future of Foursquare” and taking your startup “to the cloud,” it’s easy to see that a rising tide of women’s programming is taking shape. SXSW officials say diversity has become a bigger concern as nearly one out of every three registrants to the festival are women, and it shows. By my count, there are more than 50 panels and programs intended for women on the official schedule, with dozens more buzzing behind the scenes.
Meghan McCain, an unlikely voice on the new web celeb speaks Saturday
Still, with an on-the-rise ratio of nearly 30% women, while I'm spending Saturday in the Startup Village with the Skirts at South By crowd, the lady curmudgeon in me wants to argue that creating women’s programming is possibly more a part of the problem than a part of the solution. Last year, as a part of Interactive I spoke on a panel titled “Where Are The Women In Startups” that was attended by roughly 30 women, and, not surprisingly, not a single man. Across the hall was a similarly themed conversation with a like audience makeup. I couldn’t help but think this was a problem. Are we making progress or painting ourselves into (yet another) pink ghetto?
Hunt says no. Firmly, definitively no. “Look, gender neutral events inevitably become male-driven events,” she says. “There are more men than women, making them louder and more confident. Their relationships and networks are already strong and inclusive, and as the minority that’s hard to break into.” She—and many others—believe that women’s focused content and conversations are the places for women to develop their own loud voices and strengthen networks to level the playing field. “True, when we only create strong networks of women, we’re not breaking into the networks of men,” she concedes. “But my theory is that if we continue to grow this strong network of women, well then, a rising tide brings up all boats.”
I'm sold on her apt analogy. But what’s most interesting to me as a trend watcher in the lady-startup community is that the cheerleaders of women’s programming tend to fall into two camps: the girly girls and those who hope to one day remove gender from the equation.
Hunt, who for her seventh year at SXSW is hosting Beauty Bar X, a three-day women’s tech-meets-day-spa event at Austin’s Beauty Bar, is a ringleader of the former. The event, which she says was a reaction both to her need for female-focused programming and a good pedicure during what many call “Geek Spring Break,” aims to be a place where women can be both “girly AND brilliant.” In addition to nail treatments and great snacks, Hunt says Beauty Bar X will feature speakers that include Erin Newkirk, CEO of Red Stamp, Rachel Sklar of Change The Ratio, Women Innovate Mobile cofounder Kelly Hoey. “There’s no reason why a business deal can’t be struck over a manicure,” she says, "No reason."
Geoloqi's Amber Case is keynoting on Sunday
Austin's own Carla Thompson falls into the latter camp. Thompson is a power player in the women’s entrepreneurship movement as the founder of Sharp Skirts. This year Sharp Skirts is holding the first annual Skirts At South By, a day-long official SXSW program dedicated to women that will include discussions on institutional funding for women, microfinancing, mentorship and more (and me, in a conversation with Thompson on the future of women’s business media). “It's important to have women's programming at every tech conference,” she says. “The more prevalent it becomes, the sooner we can remove gender as a business issue.” The Sharp Skirts event, which boasts roughly 20% male registrants, is decidedly “No Botox booths, scented candles, or personal growth allowed – just tips for success from smart women.”
Whichever tribe you fall into, and whether you’re looking for “women’s”programming or gender-neutral programming on tech, chances are you’ll find your soul sisters in Austin. With that in mind, a roundup of who’s who and what’s what in the women’s space at SXSW 2012:
Rockstar Women To Watch Out For:
Alexa Andrzejewski, Foodspotting cofounder, SXSW panelist
Amber Case, Geoloqi cofounder, SXSW keynote speaker
Helen Fisher, anthropologist, SXSW panelist
Amaryllis Fox, Mulu.me CEO, launching version 2 at SXSW
Julia Hartz, Eventbrite cofounder and president, SXSW panelist
Tara Hunt, Buyosphere CEO, host, Beauty Bar X
Meghan McCain, blogger McCainBlogette, SXSW panelist
Kathryn Minshew, Daily Muse founder, SXSW panelist
Sophia Rossi, Hello Giggles cofounder
Rachel Sklar, Change The Ratio cofounder, SXSW panelist
Carla Thompson, Sharp Skirts founder, host, Skirts at South By
Alexa von Tobel, LearnVest CEO, SXSW panelist
Mustn’t Miss Women’s Programming:
The aforementioned Skirts At South By and Beauty Bar X
Africa, Tech and Women: The New Faces Of Development
Why it’s cool: This panel provides a rare glimpse into the multitude of ways African women are applying technology to advance Africa’s development. The panel aims to dispel the myths about African women as breeders and victims -- incapable of participating in their own continent’s development, byshowcasing contributions they are making in the technology field and providing insights into how they are using technology to raise awareness about, mobilize campaigns against and address human rights violations. Speakers: Deborah Ensor, Ebele Okobi, Isis Nyong'o, Liz Ngonzi, TMS Ruge
Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better, Backwards, In Heels
Why it’s cool: Ginger Rogers may have said it, but today's female entrepreneurs are proving it. Right now, women are starting and leading new and innovative companies at an unprecedented rate. Speakers: Kara Swisher, Michelle Zatlyn, Piya Sorcar, Victoria Ransom
Designing Experiences For Women
Why it’s cool: The immediate impulse when designing for women is to “shrink it and pink it,” meaning products are splashed with the color pink, and content and messaging are dumbed down. But women want what’s relevant to them. They want products and online experiences that are intuitive, not insulting to their intelligence. They want function, not frills. Speakers: Brad Nunnally, Jessica Ivins
Binary Bitches: Keeping Open Source Open To Women
Why it’s cool: Open source communities pride themselves on the premise of egalitarian communication where every voice is valued, heard and documented. Despite this noble goal, this panel discusses how women and their communication style might nevertheless result in their marginalization or deter them from participating in open source communities in the first place. Speakers: Andrea Hickerson, Mairin Duffy, Xanthe Matychak
How Women Present Themselves In The Digital Age
Why it’s cool: Women tend to pursue what has been called the 'iconic self,' a flawless version of ourselves that we project to the world: a woman with the right job, reputation, looks, home, family -- the list goes on. Who should you be on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+? What parts of yourself should you expose, when do you draw the line, and what if you cross it? Is it even possible to be authentic online? Speakers: Bianca Bosker, Margaret Johnson, Susan Orlean, Tiffany Shlain
Why it’s cool: Turns out, mommy’s become something of a cash cow these days. From bestselling books to six figure brand partnership deals, she’s raking it in – and she’s worked hard to deserve it. This session puts four top mommy bloggers on stage to deliver practical advice on four specific aspects of monetizing the mom blog. Speakers: Catherine Connors, Erin Chase
The Most Wanted Unusual Suspect: Markia Zuckerberg
Why it’s cool: Is it hard to imagine that the next big thing could come from a Black woman living in an urban environment instead of one of Indian or Asian descent? What about a woman with Spanish as her first language? Where are the Black, Latino, and female Mark Zuckerbergs? Speakers: Glennette Clark, Shireen Mitchell
Tech Superwomen: Mentors And Mentees FTW
Why it’s cool: From the New York Times to Glamour Magazine, a universal question continues to percolate - why are women underrepresented in the tech industry? Explore the role mentorship plays in building a stronger and more inclusive community, while expanding opportunities for women to ascend to leadership roles. Speakers: Cathryn Posey, Ekaterina Walter, Leslie Bradshaw, Margot Bloomstein, Nilofer Merchant
…and much, much more.
I’ll be on the ground for ForbesWoman in Austin from Friday 3/9 through Tuesday 3/13, on the lookout for this cast of characters and bringing you highlights from the panels, parties and impromptu coffee chats I’ve got lined up. Follow my blog for news and videos, my Twitter feed for check-ins and Facebook for the inevitable late-night photos.
Are you or your company headed to Austin and have something to highlight? Let me know!
