Alexa Andrzejewski
Foodspotting
Age: 27
Title: CEO
The big idea: Dish- specific variation of yelp, where “foodspotters” can find and suggest menu items they’ve “nommed” (loved).
In the beginning: After a trip to japan, Andrzejewski was looking for a place in San Francisco that served good takoyaki, deep-fried octopus dumplings in a savory batter.
Cofounders: Tedd Grub; Soraya Darabi
Initial funding: $750k in August 2010; $3m of series a funding in December 2010
Investors: Felicis Ventures; Dave mcclure (500 startups); high Line Venture partners; Zelkova Ventures; 2020 Ventures; Dave Morin (path); Bluerun Ventures
Measures of success: At press time, more than 1 million dishes recommended around the world; 2 million downloads.
The woman thing: “i have to prove i’m not just a girl food blogger—this is a product that lots of people want to use.”
Susan Feldman, Alison Pincus
One kings Lane
Ages: 56; 37
Titles: Feldman (L): Chief Merchandising Officer; Pincus (r): Chief Strategy Officer
The big idea: Online discount site for high-end home furnishings.
In the beginning: Feldman was decorating her new place in L.A. on a busy schedule and became frustrated with the lack of options in home decor.
Initial funding: $65m to date
Investors: Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers; First round capital; Reid Hoffman (Linkedin)
Measures of success: Valued at $440m; has more than 2 million registered members.
The woman thing: Pincus: “remember that the technology is the medium. at its core, building a business is really about connecting with people and truly connecting with an idea.”
Susan Gregg Koger
Modcloth
Age: 27
Title: Chief Creative Officer and Lead Buyer
The big idea: E-boutique for affordable vintage and vintage-inspired fashion.
In the beginning: Koger was 17 when she launched the modcloth prototype to turn her love for thrift-store shopping into a business; she ran the site part-time while attending carnegie mellon.
Cofounder: Her husband, Eric Koger
Initial funding: $1m seed; $2m series a
Investors: First round capital; Floodgate Fund
Measures of success: 25 to 50 new products on the site daily from more than 700 independent designers; more than $15m in revenue in 2009.
The woman thing: “I get a lot of press and speaking opportunities. on the one hand, it’s great, but on the other hand, i want the recognition because my business is a success, not because they need a female face.”
Clara Shih
Hearsay Social
Age: 29
Title: CEO
The big idea: Facilitate communication between large corporations and their clients through social media networks.
In the beginning: While doing research for her bestselling the Facebook era (required reading at harvard business school), shih discovered that big companies were having trouble embracing social media.
Cofounder: Steve Garrity
Initial funding: $3m series A
Investors: sequoia capital; michael abbott (twitter); steve chen (youtube); Dave morin; David Lawee (google); aaron sittig (Facebook)
Measures of success: Positive cash flow in its first year; clients include state Farm, Farmers insurance, and 24 hour Fitness.
The woman thing: “One of my goals for the company culture was to have a great balance of people and backgrounds. today one-third of our product/eng team and almost half of our employees are female.”
Marci Harris
Popvox
Age: 36
Title: CEO
The big idea: nonpartisan site that helps voters, unions, and other groups weigh in on pending legislation and issues “in the language of congress.”
In the beginning: as a congressional staffer deluged by information from advocacy groups and voters, harris realized that the communications system between the people and their elected officials was broken.
Cofounders: rachna choudhry; joshua tauberer
Initial funding: $400k from friends and family; looking to close $1.5m seed funding by the end of the year
Investors: Tim O’Reilly (O’Reilly Media); Jeremy Lizt (Rapleaf)
Measure of success: Has worked with 300 organizations and 50,000 users to deliver messages to every member of congress.
The woman thing: “The key to more funding for women- led companies? more successful women-led companies!”
Pooja Sankar
Piazza
Age: 31
Title: CEO
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