Chicago Tech Week: Strides for Women in Tech

At conferences, I'm usually inspired by the plethora of knowledge that exist in one space and motivated to press on with fresh ideas, Tech Week in Chicago was no different. As a woman entrepreneur in tech, I was especially glad to witness the many strides other women are making in entrepreneurship and technology.

Women owned companies took the the two top prizes for startup TechWeek's MidVentures Launch day. Many startups competed for $100, 000 in cash and prizes. The winning company, was Babbaco by Jessica Kim. Her company creates functional yet cute baby items. The second top prize and People Choice winner, Dabble, a web-based company by Jessica Lybeck that offers everyone the opportunity learn something new by trying out a class or teaching one. Fantastic achievements for these women owned businesses.

Another highlight for me, was the half day S.P.A.R.K workshop geared towards encouraging women to get started in entrepreneurship. In the session SPARKWomen: The Fundamentals of a Winning Pitch, speaker Kerry Knee Founder and CEO of FlirtyGirl fitness, shared how she took her business knowledge and love for fitness to create multi-million company that is set to expand nationwide. Confidence, knowledge, and passion were winning traits that makes a great pitch. These sessions made Tech Week well worth attendance.

Tech Week was held July 22-25 in Chicago's Merchandise Mart, with theme - Discover Innovate Connect. Partner events scheduled around Chicago through July 29.