Whether you think 12,000 thoughts per day or 60,000, chances are you’ve had a few great ideas surface that could be BIG. And that’s just what BlogHer wants to help you do -– launch your innovative ideas, whether as an entrepreneur or intrapreneur -– by connecting you with mentors who will share their expertise to help make your idea a wild success.
Next month, BlogHer is bringing together industry leaders in a new event for ambitious women: BlogHer | bet ’11.
BlogHer | bet ’11 is a new conference for women who have BIG business ideas in technology, Internet and/or media. We’ve already highlighted Charlene Li, Sandy Carter, and Adriana Gascoigne, all leaders in their industries and in the social media space.
Today, we’d like to introduce you to FIVE more amazing women and the work they’re doing: Theresia Gouw Ranzetta at Accel Partners, Megan Smith at Google, Nicole Lazzaro at XEODesign, Liz Dolan at Fox International Channels and Laura Fitton at Pistachio Consulting.
Theresia Gouw Ranzetta, managing partner at Accel Partners, was recently named by Mercury News as one of the ten most powerful women in Silicon Valley. As a venture capitalist, Theresia focuses her interest in e-commerce, social media, security and mobile apps. She serves on the Board of Directors for several private companies in both the consumer internet and security sectors. To learn more about Theresia, you can read her bio here.
Megan Smith is the head of new business development and Google.org at Google ... which means she's on the look-out for both businesses to acquire and social ventures to fund. She oversees teams that manage early-stage partnerships, explorations and technology licensing. Megan has been instrumental in the development of a broad spectrum of internationally award-winning engineering projects, and serves on the board at MIT, where she earned bachelors and masters degrees in mechanical engineering. To learn more about Megan, you can read her bio here.
Nicole Lazzaro, Founder and President of XEODesign, has been cited by Fast Company as one of the most influential women in tech, and recognized by Gamasutra as one of the Top 20 women working in video games. She's a gaming and human-computer interaction design expert, known for pioneering how emotions affect player experiences and build loyalty among gamers. To learn more about Nicole, you can read her bio here.
Liz Dolan builds brands, big and small. She’s the EVP/Chief Marketing Officer of Fox International Channels and National Geographic Channels, which means she’s the woman marketing Glee, Bones, Lie to Me, The Walking Dead and Big Cat Week. Formerly, Liz was President of Global Marketing for Nike, former CMO of OWN, and co-creator of the popular NPR series, Satellite Sisters. To learn more about Liz, you can read her bio here.
Laura Fitton, also known as @pistachio, is a true shining example of someone turning social media activity into expertise into a business. She is one of the first prominent microbloggers, using online tools to share innovative ideas and uses for businesses through her company, Pistachio Consulting. She guides companies through the results and pitfalls of microsharing, cost-saving initiatives, how to use as internal employee networks, and whether to use for branding and marketing engagement. To learn more about Laura, you can read her bio here.
Each of these women are uniquely qualified to be among only 50 mentors at BlogHer | bet ’11, where they’ll be given the opportunity to inspire, educate and advise women one-on-one.
Do you have a mentor for your great ideas? If so, how did you find your mentor? Does s/he give you advice regarding technology, funding, marketing, and more? Would you like to connect with industry leaders who can answer your questions? Join us at BlogHer | bet ’11 to launch your next BIG idea!
About the Speaker Spotlight Series: BlogHer is excited about our upcoming conferences this year (yes, conferences, plural: BlogHer | bet ’11, BlogHer Food ’11, BlogHer ’11, and our newest event, BlogHer Handmade). Though we may still be many weeks away, we figure it's never too early to begin introducing you to our speakers. Each Monday, I'll randomly select a panel or two to highlight. Though the panels are randomly selected, our speakers are not -- we take great care in researching, considering and inviting speakers for each conference, with a special focus on featuring new and diverse voices. We hope you’ll learn a lot, think a lot and jump into lively conversations with these speakers!
BlogHer Conference Programming Manager
Find me at BlogHer.com and Chirky.com