Exceptional Female Entrepreneurs Wanted for Astia's European Programme

The premier venture accelerator for women-led high- growth companies, is calling for applications from UK and European start-ups to join Astia and participate in its prestigious Entrepreneur Programme, to be held in London in March 2011. Technology, Life Science and Clean Technology companies are encouraged to apply. Founded in Silicon Valley and held annually in Silicon Valley, New York, and London, Astia’s Entrepreneur Programme is transformative - providing entrepreneurs with access to a broad range of resources and experts that ensure access to capital as well as the successful growth of their businesses.


A handpicked group of just 255 companies across the globe have been invited to become part of the Astia programme since 2003.  Invitations are extended only to those companies that pass Astia’s robust screening and qualification process. Since 2003, more than 60% of the companies showcased at Astia Investor Forums have secured funding or an exit within one year, totalling more than $750 million raised and 21 exits including two IPOs.


“The programme has produced exceptional results over the years – our funding success rate is unmatched in the market,” commented Sharon Vosmek, CEO, Astia. “We are excited to see the growth and adoption of the Astia model in Europe,”


Participants in the European Programme in London will spend five days, 14-18 March 2011, in a series of workshops, one on one sessions and discussions with investors, entrepreneurs and business professionals designed to provide a blueprint for successful fundraising and growth strategies. This is followed by an eight week advisory period which includes investors, CEOs and business professionals from the Astia community of over 1000 men and women. Select companies will then present to the investment community at the Astia Investor Forum on 12^th May 2011. Prior Forum attendees include Accel, Octopus Ventures, Index Ventures, Atomico, and the Technology Strategy Board.


Simone Brummelhuis, Vice President, Europe, Astia, said, “I am delighted to be rolling out Astia’s programme in Europe for 2011.  The UK and Europe are bursting with entrepreneurial ventures, many of which are led by superbly talented women.  We want to provide these women with access to the rich network and expertise that Astia has to offer. I encourage all ambitious female entrepreneurs to apply.”


The deadline to apply is 7^th February 2011.  Apply via www.astia.org. Online screening will be done by investors, CEOs and business professionals until February 18^th, followed by in-person screening on February 24^th. 


Disclosure: I sit on Astia's European Advisory Board

Shopmate: Shopping List iPhone App

The makers of Babymate have launched a new iPhone application, Shopmate, that helps users compile their shopping lists. Although a number of competitors exist, the makers of Shopmate claim that the majority are either too simplistic or require users to add in cumbersome information, like quantities or supermarket aisle.

I've been testing out Shopmate and it is quite straightforward to use while having enough features to make it useful. (Some existing shopping list apps look a bit too similar to the Notes app that comes with the iPhone, which makes me question their added value.) With Shopmate, the list of items was robust but not too long, avoided brand names or quantities, and adding in esoteric items, like miso paste, was easy.

While in store, I could add in my location via Foursquare, cross off the individual items as I found them, and associate items with bookmarks. I liked the "finally found it" one, as I went to three different stores to find a particular brand of chai. Post-trip, Shopmate offers statistics on purchases, including top items purchased (individually and by category), purchased versus planned ratio, and popular stores. The statistics were simple, straightforward, and useful.

For more information on Shopmate, check out the demo below.

Social Network for Women Hosts Soiree in New York

Although this blog is primarily dedicated to online and mobile social networking for women, at times the work done by non-profits for women is so valuable that it is worthy of mention. Step Up Women’s Network is a US-based, national nonprofit membership organization dedicated to connecting and advancing women and girls. By bridging communities of professional women and underserved teen girls through mentorship, networking and advancement, they ensure women and girls have the opportunities they need to create a better future.

Step Up's most dedicated leaders are hosting Soirees this fall, as a grassroots fundraising effort to support Step Up's programming to bridge communities of professional women and underserved girls through mentoring, networking and advancement opportunities.

        

The New York chapter of Step Up will be hosting a Soiree tomorrow night, October 5th at The Bubble Lounge. Buy tickets or for click here for more information on events nationwide. 

Questions for Einat Naveh of Be Happy NYC

Einat Naveh is a blogger based in New York City. Her mission is to find  things (mostly food) that make her smile. Check out her blog, Be Happy NYC.










Why did you decide to start blogging?  
I decided to begin blogging after I returned from my honeymoon July 2009 and realized I had so much extra free time in the evenings now that I had finished planning our wedding. I had also found myself in a place with nothing to "look forward to" on the horizon. I started my blog with the premise of finding what it is that makes me smile on a daily basis. Looking for the extraordinary out of the ordinary. 


Your focus is often on food- both cooking and dining out. What is on your 'must eat' list for NYC? 
It really depends on the cuisine and the occasion. A few of my favorites:


An ideal place for a 'fancy' brunch buffet is Brasserie 8 1/2

For fresh pasta, I like Po in the West Village or I Coppi in the East Village

The best pizza ever is Keste, and yes it IS worth the wait

The lobster roll at Pearl Oyster Bar is fantastic

If you're looking for  a steak dinner, Striphouse beats Peter Luger in my book

What else makes you happy? Any recommendations for readers? 

I obviously really enjoy trying new foods and indulging in old favorites. I also love to cook for friends and loved ones. Lately, I have gotten pure happiness from riding my new bike and from going back to doing yoga. I would tell anyone to keep trying different things and stick to what puts them in a "childlike" state of mind. There is nothing better than calming down the to-do list in your head with sautéing onions or biking up the west side highway.

How have you been promoting your blog? What kinds of social media tools do you use? 

I have a Facebook page that links to my Twitter account. I make sure every blog post I write I also share on Facebook. About 60% of my "fans" are my own friends. I played with Facebook ads in the beginning just to see how it worked and was pretty impressed with the results. I would highly recommend to any business to use the facebook ads as they are so targeted and I was seeing great conversion rates from clicks to fans (now "likes").

Your parents recently started an e-commerce jewelry site, which you've been helping them market. How does marketing a web store differ from the blog, and what have you been doing differently? 

I am so proud of my parents! They took their idea and made it a reality. Inspired by the book Eat, Pray, Love my parents went off on their own Bali adventure and curated an assortment of unique silver jewelry pieces that they now sell on Muse Bazaar. I wrote about them on my blog and they are starting to use Google Adwords. They are also thinking of starting a blog of their own on the site. The key to any site's success is obviously traffic. I helped them create a Facebook page and hope to get them using the Facebook ads soon!

GetMyCloset: Swap, Share and Sell Clothes Online

GetMyCloset is a recently launched site that enables users to share and swap their clothing, as well as sell both new and second-hand clothing and accessories. GetMyCloset was founded as a solution to the current shopping climate: we want to feel excited about our clothes, but have limited financial resources and are concerned about the environmental impact of creating, shipping, and packaging new clothes.

Says founder Raquel Ohana: "Going shopping with a friend on Oxford Street one Friday afternoon during the sales was so exiting. I saw myself heading home with bags full of new clothes at discount prices! Unfortunately, the magic shopping experience was neither as enjoyable nor as pleasant as I expected... Discounts and offers were uninteresting, especially in an economic downturn when clothes and accessories are considered ‘non-essential’ purchases. Therefore, we women are less likely to spend enough to renew our closets! Disappointed, I returned home bag-less. I then opened my closet... it was already FULL! This is a problem for most of us: we need space and cheap clothes! This is why I set up an online marketplace where fashionistas can - from the comfort of their home - swap the clothes they don’t feel like wearing anymore, and get something different, something original, something timeless, that someone else was tired of!"

To find individuals with similar tastes, users can join trend groups in categories such as 'Quirky Quintessential', 'Denim Addict', and 'Miss Avant-Garde.' Additionally, Ohana hopes that emerging designers will use GetMyCloset as a platform to sell their designs and expand their reach. And while the goal of GetMyCloset is to build an active community on the site, Ohana recognises the need to promote the site via existing social media channels. "Blogs, Webzines and Facebook are the new sources of inspiration for style, right up there with the best fashion press.," says Ohana. "We are trying to put ourselves out there by reaching out to the blogosphere, tweeting loudly, and showing all Facebook the best of customers' uploads!"

Latin Women Discuss Shopping Experiences Online

A recent Sophia Mind study of  women in the Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, and Latina women in the US, revealed that female social networking users in these countries are using the Web to comment about their purchase experiences. Although the figures varied by country, up to 66% of women are talking about their purchasing experiences online (Brazil). Across the board, women were more likely to make positive comments than negative ones.

However, bad comments were more likely to deter users from shopping than messages received from companies or brands. Unsurprisingly, Facebook and Twitter were the largest sources for friend recommendations. Women in both the US and Latin America claimed that they trust comments on social networks more than ads. 11% of Hispanic female social network users in the US strongly agreed with that statement,  48% agreed, and 25% were undecided. Latin women were most likely to trust the advice of social network connections when it came to electronics, and about half were open to recommendations for books and magazines, music, travel and films.

The activity of Latin women on social networks could create a huge opportunity for companies who are targeting Latin America and the Hispanic population in the US. Companies who invest in good customer service and provide their audience with the tools to share their experiences via social media could see a significant impact- one that could directly affect their bottom line.

With FavRav, Get Recommendations from Friends

FavRav, which launched on Monday, lets consumers find quality, trusted referrals from the people they already know. The Facebook-enabled site displays recommendations for nearby service-oriented small businesses, but only displays results from people in that user's existing network. A user's recommendation also display in their Facebook wall, providing new users with incentive to discover the site and create recommendations of their own.The result, hopes FavRav, will be a recommendations engine with more meaningful results to consumers and will convert to new customers for businesses.

"If you're looking for a recommendation on a great 'date night' restaurant or local bar, you can use the other myriad of referral/recommendation sites like Yelp or Citysearch," said Bill Manos, co-founder, FavRav.  "We're really the place people come when you need a trusted referral from friends on important decisions like your first child's pediatrician, a realtor for your next home purchase or an insurance agent to help you protect your family."

FavRav also provides small business accounts, targeting small business owners who rely primarily on referrals, and who want to promote themselves in a more engaging way via social media. FavRav enables business accounts to provide discounts and special offers underneath customer testimonials, both on FavRav and on Facebook They also provide real-time analytics on their referrals. "With FavRav, companies setup quickly, engage customers to refer them and end up with more serious inquiries as a result. It's hassle-free and lets them focus on their business," says Manos.

For more information on FavRav, check out the demo video below: