Fran Maier, Match.com & TRUSTe | Catalyst Conference 2016
Channel: SiliconANGLE theCUBE
Date: 22/04/2016

Women in tech: Dreaming big and taking risks | 

#theCUBE #GITCatalyst #GirlsInTech #Match #TRUSTe #SiliconANGLE #WomenInTech 

by Teryn O'Brien | May 11, 2016

Women are less than 10% of tech founders or venture backed founders, according to Fran Maier, cofounder of Match.com and founder of TRUSTe. So how can we help?

Maier shared her lessons learned about being a woman in tech with Jeff Frick (@JeffFrick), cohost of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, during the Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference 2016 in Phoenix.

Women need to dream bigger

Maier pointed out that women need to dream bigger, take bigger risks and make bigger business plans.

“Women tend to settle for too little,” said Maeir. “They don’t necessarily negotiate for themselves.”

Maier has talked to many women who they felt that when they were raising capital or negotiating deals, the men on the other side of the table mostly said, “How many women get this?”

“That’s not really the issue,” said Maier. “The issue should be: You should be getting what you deserve.”

Mentorship vs. sponsorship

Maier sees mentorship as more passive, while sponsorship is much more active.

“It’s important for you to have people to look up to,” said Maier. “But I think that sponsoring or even being an active coach or advisor is a little bit more hands on.”

Being a sponsor or advisor gives one a more active role in the building up of women in the tech world, she added.

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