Courtney PulitzerDirector of Public Relations, Sandoval Creative · Results-Driven PR Expert | Enhancing Brand Reputation | Crafting Compelling Narratives | Building Strategic Partnerships

WIHP: Women & the Web @ Radcliffe

10 Mar 2015 · 2 min

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2:23

In this spoken recollection, the speaker describes her experience serving on a Radcliffe panel titled “Women and the Web, Navigating the Cyber Revolution.” She names fellow panelists—Mary Moon (Pathways Ventures), physician Diana Post (Brigham and Women’s Hospital), Eileen Shulock (Web Girls International/Knowledge Strategies), and June White (Burst.com)—and notes a keynote by iVillage co‑founder Candace Carpenter. The speaker admires Carpenter’s vision and the grueling two‑all‑night weeks she endured while building her business, using this anecdote to illustrate the intense labor entrepreneurs invest. She then cites Aileen Lang’s data that women‑owned businesses received only 5 % of venture‑capital funding—a modest rise from three years earlier—highlighting the persistent “old boys’ network” that both mentors male entrepreneurs and marginalizes equally capable women founders. The speaker expresses distress at the ongoing gender gap, pride in her involvement with the project, and a resolve to continue supporting women entrepreneurs.

Chapters

Another memory that I had, which I'll never forget, was when I was on a panel of other women at Radcliffe for a panel on women and the web, navigating the cyber revolution. The other women on the panel with me were Mary Moon of Pathways Ventures, Diana Post, who is or was a physician with Brigham and Women's Hospital, Eileen Shulock, then of Web Girls International and Knowledge Strategies, and June White of Burst.com. And we had a keynote from iVillage co-founder and chairman of the board, Candace Carpenter. And it was really amazing, first of all, to just share the stage with these incredible women who are so accomplished in their own fields. But I just loved hearing Candace talking about how, you know, she's She had such a vision and she was able to accomplish it. And yet how she also pulled 2 all-nighters a week for a few years when I was still doing that with my business. You know, it's amazing the hours that entrepreneurs put into their projects. And the other thing that was amazing was Aileen Lang had shared that women-owned businesses were getting funded only 5% of the time. VC funding was only at 5% for women-owned businesses, and that was a 2.5% jump from 3 years ago. And, you know, it was amazing to see because even in the early days, I could really see the old boys' network kind of putting their arms around and seeing their young entrepreneurial counterparts and really supporting them and mentoring them. And I could also see at the same time, you know, equally strong women entrepreneurs kind of falling by the wayside. And it's distressing to see that that— I think that still continues to this day and in even larger numbers. So I'm really proud to be a part of this project, and I just want to keep seeing women entrepreneurs getting out there and giving our all and succeeding.