Announcing the WiC Delegation at Ideagen’s 17 Days of Sustainability Summit: A Community of Influence

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Our world is facing many diverse challenges, including the new challenges brought up in the horizon by the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The most significant problems are identified in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. All 193 member states of the United Nations identify and ratify the 17 biggest challenges making the Global Goals the largest international undertaking to address the world’s most vexing issues from ending hunger to gender equality and sustainability.  

The “17 Days of Sustainability” is an inaugural program by Ideagen, highlighting one goal per day. Ideagen will showcase how the world’s leading organizations are addressing these goals; achieving the Global Goals is only possible through the education, awareness, and collaboration of individuals and organizations who strive for a better society and planet.

Women in Cloud along with Ideagen is focused on developing global partnerships and collaboration across sectors to achieve the Global Goals by 2030, particularly goals Goal 5 – Gender Equality, Goal 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth, Goal 10 – Reduced Inequality and Goal 17 – Partnerships for the Goals.

Women in Cloud will be hosting 5 panels on the following topics with the goal of increasing awareness, celebrating and inspiring the community and corporations to take actions to create economic access and parity. 

  • The Power of Youth Social Entrepreneurship (addressing Goal #4)
    • Youth today face considerable challenges in creating a bright future for themselves. Many of the global challenges to development are especially important for children and youth. The SDG 2030 goals established that youth are a driving force for economic development – but only if they are provided with the skills and opportunities needed to reach their potential.
    • Watch the Session: Tuesday, September 22, 2020
    • Speakers:
      • Kim Smith (Moderator), Global Vice President, IBM
      • Harvin Park, Creative Children for Charity
      • Neal Vedullapalli, Creative Children for Charity
      • Mireya, Creative Children for Charity
  • Advancing Women in Tech through Skilling and Mentoring (addressing Goal #5)
    • Making up 48 percent of the current workforce and growing, women are prime candidates for filling the leadership pipeline and C-suite benches that will soon be left lighter by a departing generation of workers. And yet, women get less access to the people, input, and opportunities that accelerate careers. As a result, the higher you look in companies, the fewer women you see. This representation can discourage women from seeking advancement.
    • Watch the Session: Thursday, October 8, 2020
    • Speakers:
      • Chaitra Vedullapalli (Moderator), President & Co-Founder, Women in Cloud
      • Gina Fratarcangeli, Managing Director, Midwest Sales, Accenture
      • Christine Puccio, VP, Global Cloud Alliances & GTM Programs, F5
      • Sarah Muckler-Visser, GTM Partner Marketing Services Director, Microsoft
  • Enterprise Ready Accelerators works for Female Tech Founders: Here’s How it Works (addressing Goal #5)
    • Small businesses that sell solutions to large companies can build momentum faster because enterprises provide a steadier revenue stream and bigger contracts. But selling to enterprises isn’t easy. Learn how Women In Cloud Accelerator is helping women advance their business through enterprise sales.
    • Watch the Session: Thursday, October 8, 2020
    • Speakers:
      • Kristen Miller (moderator), Founder & CEO, Stylyze
      • Shari Burk, Founder, Vision Platform
      • Rob Fiddick, Trade Commissioner, Consulate General of Canada in Seattle
      • Tiffanie Stanard, CEO, Stimulus
  • Power of Designing AI Powered Solutions for UN Goals 2030 (addressing Goal #17)
    • Women in Cloud and IdeaGen have partnered together with industry leaders and policymakers to advance the 2030 UN global goals through the identification of AI-based solutions through communities by launching #AISolutions2030 Solution Design Contest. Leveraging the UN Knowledge Repository, WiC & IdeaGen are looking to bring some of the sharpest tech and business minds together for a greater purpose.
    • Watch the Session: Friday, October 9, 2020
    • Speakers:
      • George Sifakis, Global Chairman and CEO, Ideagen
      • Rahul Thakkar, Director – Advanced Services Development, Digital Enterprise, IT & Digital, Boeing
      • Chaitra Vedullapalli, President & Co-Founder, Women in Cloud
  • Role of Corporate Boards to Advance Gender Inclusion Narrative (addressing Goal #17)
    • Gender Diversity at the Board Level Can Mean Innovation Success. Improving recruitment on corporate boards can boost innovation and creativity.As the economy continues to be reshaped by changing technologies, companies keep searching for ways to better integrate innovation into their strategy. No industry is immune to this need.
    • Watch the Session: Friday, October 9, 2020
    • Speakers:
      • Karen Fassio (Moderator), Marketing Director, Microsoft OCP
      • Karen Cone, Advisory Board Director & Venture Partner, Alloy, MondoBrain, MastersFund, StockSmart
      • Arnaud Mourot, Vice President, Ashoka

Starting 17 September, 2020, Ideagen with partner organizations will strive to educate nearly 30M people on the importance of achieving every Sustainable Development Goal. 

We inhabit the only planet that supports life. While we are equipped with technology and knowledge that has allowed our evolution so far, it falls upon us to create a sustainable and inclusive path for the future generation to take over. 
Register today and join the force to create a sustainable planet!

Announcing WiC Delegation at Ideagen’s 17 Days of Sustainability Summit: A Community of influence

Our vision is to represent the Women In Cloud community as an influential community that will focus on enabling rich conversations and interactions at Ideagen’s 17 Days of Sustainability Summit. The perks of joining the WIC Delegation are many:

1. Exclusive access to our network, programming, and special sessions at 17 Days of Sustainability Summit

2. A curated list of sessions to attend at 17 Days of Sustainability

3. A digital badge to share your association with us on social media

4. Curated social media posts for sharing

5. Invitation to our virtual happy hour

6. Early Access to special announcements

Part 1: Why Join a WiC Delegation?

The first motivator is belonging. You are not alone in a sea of attendees. You are part of the movement focused on driving global change.

The secondary motivator for many could be the more simple; opportunities & connections. WiC delegates will have access to a private network to connect with each other, exclusive access to conversations to create mutual opportunities, learn together in joined sessions, and have fun at the virtual happy hour.

The third motivator is to be a part of an ever-growing inclusive community.

Part 2: I’m in! Now what?

Still here? Great! This is the part where we give you the inside track on how to take full advantage of your role as a delegate and make real connections in the WiC community over the course of the digital summit!

Register for your complimentary ticket to Ideagen’s 17 Days of Sustainability Summit

Be active in the community, which includes visiting the private community on #WiC DigitalNetwork thread daily and getting to know the members of the WiC Delegation and community. Whether you spend your time in general chat, connect with each other, or come up with ideas to help address the UN’s global goals, getting active, and getting your name out there will go a long way.

Build a delegate contribution plan: One major way to help people get to know you and what you bring to the table is to complete the introduction page. We have an entire section of our forum specifically built for just this purpose! Let members know a little bit about you, how you learned about WiC, share your experience, and what you would do with the forged WiC Delegation as an active delegate.

Be active from September 17 to October 9 with the WIC Delegation. You will have access to curated sessions, get invited to community activation to meet each other. Even though it is online, we are committed to making it personal.

Tell your friends. The #WiCDigitalNetwork consists of 1,995 members from all over the world of different nationalities, races, creeds, colors, political and religious beliefs, and we want to keep that trend going! Anyone and everyone is welcomed with open arms into the WiC community.

Follow us on Social Media. Make sure you stay up to date on all of the latest WiC news by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

PART 3: Build Your Schedule

WiC Sessions at Ideagen’s 17 Days of Sustainability Summit: Signup Today

  • September 22nd: Power of Youth Social Entrepreneurship
  • October 8th: Advancing Women In Tech through Skilling & Mentorships
  • October 8th: Enterprise Ready Accelerators Work for Female Tech Founders: Here’s How it Works
  • October 9th: Power of designing AI Powered Solutions For UN Goals 2030
  • October 9th: Role of Corporate Boards to advance Gender Inclusion Narrative

Ideagen’s 17 Days of Sustainability will feature over 100 Speakers, Leaders, and Luminaries, from across sectors sharing insights, perspectives and partnerships to achieve the Global Goals by 2030. Each goal will be addressed on a single day. See schedule below:

  • Thursday, September 17, 2020 Goal 1: No Poverty
  • Friday, September 18, 2020 Goal 2: Zero Hunger
  • Monday, September 21, 2020 Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being
  • Tuesday, September 22, 2020 Goal 4: Quality Education
  • *Thursday, October 8, 2020 Goal 5: Gender Equality
  • Wednesday, September 23, 2020 Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
  • Thursday, September 24, 2020 Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
  • Friday, September 25, 2020 Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • Monday, September 28, 2020 Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
  • Tuesday, September 29, 2020 Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
  • Wednesday, September 30, 2020 Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • Thursday, October 1, 2020 Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
  • Friday, October 2, 2020 Goal 13: Climate Action
  • Monday, October 5, 2020 Goal 14: Life Below Water
  • Tuesday, October 6, 2020 Goal 15: Life on Land
  • Wednesday, October 7, 2020 Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
  • Friday, October 9, 2020 Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

*Goal #8 will be held on October 8 to align with The Empowering Women and Girls Summit to bringing together and empower women leaders around the globe.

We look forward to seeing you and building strategic partnerships which will allow us to create a significant impact in the ecosystem and expand our networks. We hope to connect, learn, and share with you all. See you at #IdeagenGlobal!

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Ready. Set. Accelerate!: Announcing the 4.0 Cohort of the WiC Microsoft Cloud Accelerator

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Women in Cloud’s Microsoft Cloud Accelerator is back! The Women in Cloud team is immensely happy to announce Cohort 4.0 after three successful cohorts which have expanded knowledge, access and inclusivity of entrepreneurs, while adding dollars to the economic system in the technology sector. 

Since inception, Women in Cloud’s mission has been to create Access for Acceleration to promote Action. Women In Cloud’s Microsoft Cloud Accelerator is designed as an immersive 6-month program to assist women-led tech companies to co-build, co-market and co-sell with Microsoft and their distribution channels. This program is expertly designed to help women entrepreneurs win enterprise opportunities, get access to Azure credits, an advisor community, and a global stage to showcase your business.

The 4.0 Cohort Immersive Kickoff session held on on Friday, August 28, 2020. The first session featured curated speakers, Chaitra Vedullapalli, Co-Founder and President of WiC; Karen Fassio, Marketing Director of Microsoft OCP and Co-Founder of WiC; Rahul Thakkar, Director – Advanced Services Development, Digital Enterprise, IT & Digital of Boeing; Allie Knull, Founder & CEO of Resume Free Inc.; and Patti Dobrowolski, CEO & Creative Activator of Up Your Creative Genius. The speakers consisted of founders, industry leaders and previous cohort entrepreneurs who set the tone for the new class about the current industry landscape, how to vision their cloud businesses, along with deliverables and takeaways by the end of 6 months. 

The cohort 4.0 is different from the previous editions for a number of reasons. The 4.0 cohort in the time of global pandemic requires us to depart from in-person programming for the immersive kickoff session. This cohort program, as usual, empowers entrepreneurs to more effectively connect as a community and access necessary resources to ultimately grow their business. COVID-19 has had a direct impact on our accelerator program and the way we conduct the program itself, but the pandemic has not stopped us. We have creatively found our way around it using effective digital tools to achieve more efficiency. The connection that we have found by conducting the Accelerator in a completely digital platform has built a family of women tech entrepreneurs to work together to achieve success in the enterprise space. Our weekly office hours, monthly live chats with industry leaders, and continued access to industry stages, has elevated our programming to an unmatched scale.

Our previously conducted in-person kick-off session will be conducted digitally. Going digital has let us expand our horizon and open this program to people from around the world rather than just a region. Cohort 4.0 boasts a diverse participation of companies from the United States, Canada, and Germany. The Digital Cloud Accelerator online course launch is on the agenda next. There is a positive shift in the attitude of entrepreneurs to continue learning, working towards growing their companies and bettering themselves in this time of uncertainty. 

This year’s WiC Microsoft Cloud Accelerator is more than just an effort to make economic contributions to the system by empowering entrepreneurs. It is about embracing the new normal and moving forward with a sense of community. It is about adopting self-empowerment and finding comfort in knowing where to turn for support with a community at your side. Most importantly, it is about collective growth and learning.

The cohort 4.0 will continue with various digital lessons, live speaker interviews, weekly digital office hours, and monthly team working sessions with everybody involved. The syllabus is shaped in a way to make it easier for entrepreneurs to seek answers and find success individually. Until we are safe to meet our leaders and entrepreneurs in person to celebrate the progress we will have made, we are all committed to taking part in this journey together. 

The flexibility and commitment to launch the program by our entrepreneurs during this turbulent time is greatly appreciated. We will become the force for change by building solutions not crippled by this chaos. We continue to look forward to this journey with this great group.

Presenting the Women in Cloud Microsoft Cloud Accelerator Cohort 4.0:

  • Priyansha Bagaria, Inviz AI
  • Tiasia OBrien, Seam Social Labs
  • Susan Sanders, Velaku
  • Emily Craven, Story City
  • Isabelle Lopez, MySmartJourney
  • Emmanuelle Tavernier, Oxia initiative inc.
  • Janice Omadeke, The Mentor Method
  • Joycelyn David, AV Communications
  • Kiyeon Nam, Smart B’zT LLC
  • Maret Thatcher, Argyle Inc.
  • Lisa Brown, PUG Interactive
  • Carmen Nazario, ELYON International
  • Linda Holliday, Citia
  • Katina Kenyon, Applaudo Studios
  • Humaira Ahmed, Locelle Digital Inc.
  • Heidi Watson, Canadian Electronic Health Information System Inc
  • Nataliya Tetruyeva, eKidz.eu
  • Garnette Weber, itracks
  • Yuan Karppanen, UNpkl

This year, Global Affairs Canada underwrote 50% of the accelerator fees for 8 Canadian companies that were approved to participate. Their generous support has allowed 8 of our 4.0 entrepreneurs to have the opportunity to scale their businesses to become co-sell and co-market ready with enterprise partners.

Economic Access is the tide that lifts all boats. Together we rise.

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Announcing the Finalists for the #CloudInnovateHERxDigital Pitch Challenge 2.0!

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Women in Cloud is announcing the following finalists for the #CloudInnovateHERxDigital Pitch Challenge, and we are proud to present their solutions

Special congratulations to our 7 finalists that will be pitching their solutions on Friday, September 4 as they compete for the chance to win $5,000 in cash and cloud credits. Click here to see video teasers from the finalists!

  • UNpkl empowers customers to own and control their network data and puts network security on auto-pilot.
  • Captain’s Care takes the hassle out of boat ownership and gives you a trouble-free day on the water. We offer a variety of options to suit every need for marine maintenance and care. We fill the need for the owner operator that does not require a full-time captain or who needs expertise and assistance with marine services needed for their vessel.
  • The Scientific Data Engine (SDE) is a drug development platform that expedites delivery of safe and effective scientific innovations (drugs, vaccines & diagnostics) using disease specific, real-time clinical data powered by AI.
  • RevWork Platform has the intention to change the face of learning forever by providing actionable learning content that can be practiced around day to day events.
  • illuxi Intelligence is a cloud based, hosting and content delivering platform. We also produce, advise and support clients using our business intelligence tools for their content delivery.
  • Proverbs Events and Conferencing – Event managers and event marketers seek better, integrated tools that give us the right data we need to deliver meaningful, engaging events. “Integrated” is the keyword here as it’s not just about the event itself, it’s about tying the event into the brand experience all year round to build trust, loyalty and excitement. In 2020, there’s been a growing appetite for aggregated analytics dashboards. These dashboards pull data from multiple sources such as CRM’s, registration solutions, marketing platforms and social media.
  • iWeb IUMS has created a unique student universe that provides students, professors and administrators an amazing academic experience through a comprehensive digitized educational application provided on a FREEMIUM model that brings banks, fintech, edtech and several other student service players on a common platform.

With this pitch challenge, we wanted to go one step forward as we did in the last #CloudInnovateHERxDigital and give our audience a chance to choose their favorite solution among the lot. We are very happy to announce that, of the above finalists, the audience will get to vote for a solution they believe is revolutionary during the #CloudInnovateHERxDigital Pitch Challenge on Friday, September 4, 2020. As an added benefit, all attendees will have the chance to participate in up to one hour of open networking in the virtual lounge! Click here to register to attend and have your chance to vote. Use Code WIC2020 to access sponsored tickets!

The #CloudInnovateHER Pitch Challenge which was designed to help women tech entrepreneurs across global markets develop, showcase and win enterprise customers. This competition was designed to provide economic access and industry visibility to women tech entrepreneurs while also giving them an opportunity to present technologies that create a sustainable impact in today’s world.

The digital pitch challenge event will kick off with a special keynote by Seema Chopra, Global Technical Leader of Boeing on “Innovating Tech Solutions in a Turbulent Landscape”. Following that, our distinguished panel of judges will listen to each 3 minute pitch and ask questions to learn more about each solution before voting for the overall winner.

Our virtual pitch challenge is breaking the geographical barrier during the COVID-19 era while incorporating new-age technology like Remo. Remo is designed with a focus on large events to be hosted online with a special focus on community networking capabilities at small “roundtables”. The event is supported by Microsoft, M12 – Microsoft’s Venture Fund, Global Affairs Canada, The Boeing Company, Meylah and Remo.

This pitch challenge gives opportunities for women around the world to showcase their cloud solutions to industry leaders and cloud experts. Women in Cloud’s mission is to help bridge the access gap through this pitch challenge and help women technology entrepreneurs reach their goal and contribute to economic growth.

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Digital Etiquette: Showing Up Well for High Impact Virtual Networking Events

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The era of virtual events is here. We are living a life in the outside world without stepping out of our pajamas or homes thanks to the internet and technology. 

Since March 2020, the world is witnessing an indefinite standstill and the internet has become our haven. According to Forbes, Virtual events are up 1,000% since Coronavirus, says a virtual events platform. 6Connex platform has seen more than 52,000 events and subevents since COVID-19. While virtual life and events are convenient, there are still some digital etiquettes one must follow.

The Women in Cloud #CloudExecConnect is right around the corner and will be the biggest virtual event we have hosted so far. #CloudExecConnect solves a specific need within the community to stimulate cross-pollination and bi-directional conversation that can make a meaningful difference in whether or not these businesses are able to succeed. The two-day event is a curated virtual experience which will let you connect with industry leaders from Microsoft and tech giants. The #CloudExecConnect consists of two different events #CloudEnterpriseConnect and #FemaleCloudFoundersBrunch.

We wanted to share a few tips and tricks with our attendees to make their experience seamless and memorable.  

  1. Stable Internet Connection – This is our number one advice, ensure you have a stable internet connection to enjoy the event without missing any bit of the event. This also helps to keep the event flow without any disruption. Another addition to this point would be ensure your hardware is ready to roll. Laptop, chargers, webcam, speakers, earphones are all within reach to help you fully commit to the event.
  2. The Right Spot – We think it would also help to find a nice corner with no noise or disturbance at your home to enjoy any event like you would if you were attending it in person. It would also help if you would mute yourself unless required to help reduce the background noise for everybody attending. 
  3. Know the Platform – There are hundreds of virtual event platforms, each different from the other. When attending an event it is advisable to understand how a certain platform functions, and what are its features to ensure you get the best virtual experience.

On July 20 – 21, #CloudExecConnect will take place on Remo, an immersive virtual space that empowers people to communicate, connect, and collaborate with each other just like they would in real life. We want to help you understand Remo’s features and interface so you enjoy #CloudExecConnect with no hassle. 

Some of the interesting features Remo offers are, 

  1. A roundtable experience which allows 6 people at a table to interact with one another. 
  2. The floor bifurcation which allows you to experience different hubs at the same time like you would in-person
  3. A biocard option that lets you access people’s LinkedIn and other social media profiles for instant connection
  4. It allows you to have a table chat, personal chat or general chat. It also lets you ask questions anonymously, without fear of judgement. 
  5. There is a whiteboard facility for every table which allows the participants of that table to  draw, write, upload content, add mind maps and diagrams, etc. 

Remo is also extremely easy to use and navigate, and if you would like to familiarize yourself with the platform here is a quick video. 

The Women in Cloud team is excited to bring the #CloudExecConnect to your doorstep this July and we are hopeful that this 2-day virtual event will be an experience like none other and we look forward to your presence. 

For more information on #CloudExecConnect, click here. 

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The SheTrades Invest Course: EQUALS, the International Trade Centre and Women in Cloud are bringing webinars to your home

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Earlier this year Women in Cloud joined the EQUALS Global Partnership, which brings together more than 90 stakeholders including, governments, private sector, United Nation entities, academia and not-for-profit organizations to accelerate efforts towards bridging the gender digital divide and fostering gender equality in the digital age.

Last week, we were happy to announce that our very own Co-founder and President, Chaitra Vedullapalli joined forces with the International Trade Centre (ITC) to deliver a SheTrades Invest course webinar in support of EQUALS. 

Earlier this year Women in Cloud joined the EQUALS Global Partnership, which brings together more than 90 stakeholders including, governments, private sector, United Nation entities, academia and not-for-profit organizations to accelerate efforts towards bridging the gender digital divide and fostering gender equality in the digital age.

The SheTrades Invest course is a 5-part webinar series designed by ITC’s SheTrades Initiative to help women entrepreneurs succeed in the technology sector by improving their access to finance. The SheTrades initiative aims to connect 3 million women entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses to international markets by 2021. The initiative offers a blueprint of seven global actions to unlock markets for women as well as a web and mobile app for women entrepreneurs to connect to buyers, investors, and new markets. 

On 23 June 2020, Chaitra Vedullapalli presented the fifth and final webinar in the course on the topic of, ‘How to get ready for corporate contracts: The art of winning & keeping enterprise customers’. Chaitra as the Co-founder of Meylah Corporation has had her ups and downs in the tech industry in terms of securing customers and contracts during her initial days and was well placed to share her learnings with course participants during the live 1.5-hour interactive webinar.

There are also other course webinars including , ‘Identifying the right financial instruments for your technology company’ co-hosted by Dr. Gitanjali Swamy, Managing Partner at IoTask & Representative to the EQUALS Leadership Coalition that can be accessed via the EQUALS website here.

The SheTrades Invest course on access to finance is very timely as the International Finance Corporation (IFC) estimates that MSMEs face a financing gap of approximately $5.2 trillion dollars annually. According to the World Bank, women led enterprises receive only 3 percent of all venture capital funding. The SheTrades invest course aims to close this gap by equipping women entrepreneurs with the skills, tools and knowledge to meet the needs of investors and securing financing. 

Women in Cloud as a community is striving through the collaborative efforts of our partners and members. In this regard, we are extremely honored to contribute to the SheTrades Invest course webinar and the efforts of EQUALS Global Partnership and the International Trade Centre. Furthermore, to watch a recording of Chaitra’s session and access other webinars in support of EQUALS,  please visit:  https://www.equals.org/leadership-webinar.

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