It’s no secret that the startup world and tech sector can often look like a big fraternity. And when you dig into the data you can see why. Women startup founders raise roughly 2% of all venture funding, even though they own 38% of the businesses in the U.S., according to Techcrunch.
Over the past two years, I’ve been doing my own research. I have talked with close to 2,000 women-led startups and investors through our Women Startup Challenges. And here’s what I’ve learned.
While there is no shortage of women-led ventures who are launching game changing products, many investors have a pipeline problem in connecting with diverse-led startups. The investor world is a mirrorocracy. 89% of partners at VC firms are men. Investors tend to network with people in their personal networks for deal flow. They also rely on warm intros from startup founders they have worked with. If women founders are not part of VCs networks and not in VCs portfolios, women-led ventures can not access capital to scale their startups.
If you can’t find women-led startups in your pipeline that are doing interesting, noteworthy, and innovative work in tech, here’s a list of 100 women in tech to follow on Twitter where you can begin to expand your network.
Entrepreneurs and Technologists
- Alexa Andrzejewski, Cofounder, Foodspotting
- Erica Baker, Senior Engineering Manager, Patreon
- Angela Benton, CEO, NewMe Accelerator
- Dr. Sue Black, Tech Evangelist; Founder, Techmums; Campaigner, Bletchley Park
- danah boyd, Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research; Founder, Data & Society
- Joanne Bradford, Chief Operating Officer, SoFi
- Lisa Mae Brunson, Founder, Wonder Women Tech
- Jessica Butcher, Cofounder, Blippar
- Kimberly Bryant, Founder, BlackGirlsCode
- Angie Byron, Director of Community Development, Acquia
- Elisa Camahort, Cofounder, BlogHer
- Majora Carter, Cofounder, StartUp Box
- Sandy Carter, Vice President, Amazon Web Services
- Jean Case, CEO, Case Foundation
- Angie Chang, Cofounder, Hackbright Academy
- Shaherose Charania, Cofounder, Women2.0; Advisor, Republic.co
- Tracy Chou, CoFounder, Project Include and Software Engineer
- Katy Croff Bell, Engineer and Chief Scientist, Nautilus Live; Emerging Explorer, National Geographic
- Morgan DeBaun, CEO and Founder, Blavity
- Kelli Thomas-Drake, Founder, MyPurpleFolder
- Caterina Fake, Founder, Findery; Cofounder of Kahvila Siili, Sesat School, Hunch, Flickr
- Sibyl Edwards, President, DC Web Women; Cofounder, Black Female Founders
- Jennifer Fleiss, Cofounder, Rent the Runway
- Jessie Frazelle, Open Source Developer
- Cindy Gallop, Founder, Make Love Not Porn
- Lilibeth Gangas, CTCO, Kapor Center
- Gesche Haas, Founder, Dreamers // Doers
- Mary Hodder, Entrepreneur
- Arianna Huffington, CEO, Thrive Global
- Jennifer Hyman, Cofounder, Rent the Runway
- Janet Ikpa, Diversity Program Manager, Twitter
- Jorey Des Jardins, Cofounder, BlogHer
- Valerie Jarrett, Former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama; Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls
- Neelie Kroes, Board member, Salesforce and Rijksmuseum; Advisory Board, Uber
- Alexandria Lafci, Cofounder, New Story
- Fei-Fei Li, Professor of Computer Science, Stanford University, and Director of Stanford AI Lab
- Holly Liu, Cofounder and Chief of Staff, Kabam
- Sandi MacPherson, Founder, Quibb
- Jessica O. Matthews, Inventor, Entrepreneur, and Social Scientist; Founder and CEO, Uncharted Play
- Marissa Mayer, Former CEO, Yahoo
- Deldelp Medina, Director, code2040
- Susan Mernit, Cofounder, Hack the Hood and Oakland Local
- Erie Meyer, Senior Director, Code for America and Cofounder, Tech LadyMafia
- Maci Peterson, Cofounder, On Second Thought
- Shireen Mitchell, Founder, digitalsistas
- Leanne Pittsford, Founder, Lesbians Who Tech
- Nicole Sanchez, CEO, Vaya Consulting
- Reshma Saujani, Founder and CEO, Girls Who Code
- Clara Shih Founder and CEO, Hearsay Social; Board Member, Starbucks
- Star Simpson, Engineer, Otherlab
- Sukhinder Singh, Founder, theBoardlist
- Aminatou Sow, Cofounder, Tech LadyMafia
- Megan Smith, Former CTO of US
- Amanda Steinberg, Founder, DailyWorth
- Debra Sterling, Founder, Goldieblox
- Lisa Stone, CMO, Ellevest, CoFounder, BlogHer
- Padmasree Warrior, CEO, NextEV USA
- Susan Wojcicki, CEO, YouTube
- Lea Verou, Human-Computer Interaction PHD Candidate, MIT, Web Developer, Author
- Jessica Verrilli, Vice President of Corp Development and Strategy, Twitter and Investor
- Natalie Villalobos, Head of Global Programs for WomenTechmakers, Google
Investors
- Nisha Dua, Partner, BBG Ventures
- Anu Duggal, Director, Female Founders Fund (F Cubed)
- Kathryn Finney, Founder, digitalundivided
- Melinda Gates, Co-Chair, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Arlan Hamilton, Founder, Backstage Capital
- Carolina Huaranca, Principal, Latinx at Kapor Capital
- Jalak Jobanputra, Founding Partner, FuturePerfect Ventures
- Shelly Kapoor Collins, Partner, Propeller Venture Capital
- Freada Kapor Klein, Cofounder, Kapoor Capital
- Sarah Kunst, Investor and Founder, Proday
- Aileen Lee, Founder, Cowboy Ventures
- Christine Lu, Impact Investor, America Innovates
- Susan Lyne, President, BBG Ventures
- Ann Miura-Ko, Cofounding Partner, FLOODGATE
- Rehana Nathoo, VP of Social Innovation (Impact Investing), Case Foundation
- Natalia Oberti Noguera, Founder and CEO, Pipeline Angels
- Ellen Pao, Investor and Cofounder, Project Include
- Heidi Roizen, Venture Capitalist and Operating Partner, DFJ
- Kate Shillo, VC and Director, Galvanize
- Joanne Wilson, Investor
- Monique Woodard, Investor, 500 Startups
Media and Reporters
- Davey Alba, Staff Writer, WIRED
- Katie Benner, Reporter, NY Times Tech
- Johana Bhuiyan, Senior reporter, Recode
- Elizabeth Dwoskin, Correspondent, Washington Post Silicon Valley
- Kerry Flynn, Business Reporter, Mashable
- Jessica Guynn, Tech Reporter, USA TODAY
- Xeni Jardin, Editor, Boing Boing
- Lynne D. Johnson, Tech contributor
- Sarah Lacy, Founder, Pando
- Sage Lazzaro, Startups and Tech Writer, New York Observer
- Danielle Morrill, Founder, Mattermark
- Shalini Ramachandran, TV and Broadband Industry Reporter, Wall Street Journal
- Katie Roof, Senior Writer, Techcrunch
- Aarti Shahani, Tech Reporter, NPR
- Kara Swisher, Founder, Recode
- Goldie Taylor, Editor at Large, The Daily Beast
- Melissa Jun Rowley, Contributor, Forbes
- Gillian B. White, Editor, The Atlantic