
Meet seven ladies entrepreneurs who efficiently took their tech firms public.
From scaling their startups to in search of enterprise capital, feminine founders have made strides to stage the male-dominated tech enjoying area. Annually, we see extra ladies entrepreneurs within the tech house, and numbers are solely anticipated to develop.
Feminine-led tech IPOs have additionally turn into extra widespread lately, however there’s nonetheless loads of progress to be made earlier than the startup world achieves gender parity.
As an illustration, solely 4 out of 442 U.S. IPOs that occurred in 2020 have been led by ladies who based these firms. Going public will be a good way for companies to realize publicity to the open market, entice extra capital to develop, and enhance liquidity. Nevertheless, the IPO gender hole in the end makes it more durable for feminine entrepreneurs to exit their firms and construct wealth.
Empowering ladies in tech is a trigger that my group at KB Monetary Advisors is wholeheartedly invested in. Past being feminine based, a majority of our particular person clientele are ladies, and we’re dedicated to serving to them obtain monetary independence and freedom. Recognizing ladies who’ve elevated feminine illustration in tech IPOs is a step in the direction of our objective.
So with out additional ado, meet seven ladies who’ve efficiently taken their tech companies from inception to IPO.
Meet the founders:
1. Ann Marie Sastry
Firm: Amesite
IPO date: September 2020
This Michigan-based synthetic intelligence software program firm works to enhance studying. Amesite companions with instructional establishments and companies to ship disruptive know-how pushed by AI.
Ann Marie Sastry based the corporate in 2017. Beforehand, she co-founded solid-state battery firm Sakti3, which Dyson acquired for $90 million in 2015.
2. Whitney Wolfe Herd
Firm: Bumble
IPO date: February 2021
Based in 2014, Bumble’s inception was impressed by Whitney Wolfe Herd‘s thought to create a woman-centric social community. The unique idea developed into one of many largest relationship apps in the marketplace, distinctive for giving ladies the facility to make the primary transfer on matches. The app additionally presents alternatives for customers to seek out buddies and make enterprise connections.
Nearly all of Bumble’s board consists of girls, and its founder holds the document for the youngest feminine CEO to take her firm public, having finished so at 31.
3. Diane Greene
Firm: VMWare
IPO date: August 2007
Diane Greene co-founded software program firm VMWare in 1998, and bought it to EMC in 2004. The corporate went on to go public with Greene at its helm. Following her 2008 departure from VMWare, Greene grew to become CEO of Google Cloud till 2019, and has served on the board for the likes of Alphabet, Intuit, SAP, and Stripe.
At present Greene serves as a Chairman of the Company on the Massachusetts Institute of Know-how, her alma mater.
4. Therese Tucker
Firm: BlackLine
IPO date: October 2016
Enterprise software program firm BlackLine develops cloud-based companies designed to automate and management the whole monetary shut course of. Based in 2001, the Los Angeles-based enterprise has 11 workplaces worldwide.
Earlier than launching the corporate, Therese Tucker spent greater than 25 years working in monetary accounting and know-how growth.
5. Sheila Lirio Marcelo
Firm: Care.com
IPO date: January 2014
Based in 2006, Care.com is a web based market for childcare, senior care, particular wants care, tutoring, pet care, and housekeeping. Sheila Lirio Marcelo based the corporate to handle an issue she confronted as a working mom: discovering caregivers for her youngsters.
Care.com has tens of hundreds of thousands of members in quite a few international locations. The corporate was acquired by holding firm IAC in February 2020 for $500 million. Extra lately, Marcelo based Web3 schooling platform Proof of Study.
6. Rachel King
Firm: GlycoMimetics
IPO date: January 2014
GlycoMimetics is a late clinical-stage biotechnology firm discovering and growing glycobiology-based therapies for cancers and inflammatory illnesses. Rachel King co-founded the corporate with John Magnani.
Earlier than launching GlycoMimetics, King was an Entrepreneur in Residence at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), one of many nation’s main enterprise capital companies. The feminine entrepreneur additionally held management positions at Novartis and Genetic Remedy. In a while, she led Genetic Remedy’s IPO and eventual acquisition by Novartis. King holds an MBA from Harvard Enterprise Faculty and served as chair of the Maryland Life Sciences Advisory Board below former Governor Martin O’Malley.
7. Julia Hartz
Firm: Eventbrite
IPO date: September 2018
World occasion administration and ticketing web site Eventbrite’s debut made a giant splash, having one of many largest opening days, elevating $230 million. Julia Hartz co-founded the corporate with Renaud Visage and Kevin Hartz in 2008.
The tech firm has obtained reward for its constructive workplace atmosphere, and Hartz was named one among Fortune’s 40 Beneath 40 enterprise leaders in 2015. The feminine founder additionally obtained reward for her management all through the Covid-19 pandemic, which hit the occasions business particularly exhausting.
Not the primary, and positively not the final female-led IPOs
These seven ladies weren’t the primary to take their tech firms public, and so they most positively received’t be the final.
Gender parity in tech entrepreneurship is a methods away, however with the precise help techniques and sources, we are able to proceed narrowing the hole.
I encourage any feminine founder studying this submit to e-book a name right now to speak to our monetary consultants about how one can obtain monetary success and well-being.