Press release

Five Years Strong: Silicon Valley Forum’s 2019 Women in Tech Festival Makes Waves in Silicon Valley and Beyond

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Sponsored by Businesswire

From a humble beginning in the cafeteria at HP to a crowd of hundreds,
Silicon Valley Forum’s annual Women
in Tech Festival
has celebrated the accomplishments of women in STEM
and business, providing a public stage to honor female leadership and
re-ignite discussions around positive change. Now in its fifth year, the Women
in Tech Festival
features two days of inspirational talks, panels,
keynotes, and startup pitches, as well as networking opportunities. The
Festival will be held May 23 – 24, 2019, at the Computer History Museum
in Mountain View, CA.

“From the very beginning, we knew we were building something special,”
said Silicon Valley Forum CEO Denyse Cardozo. “Each year we discover
again and again why this event matters, and why it means so much to us.
We’ve heard so many incredible, inspiring stories, journeys, ideas,
advice, struggles and successes—invaluable insights from women who have
lived every word of what they’re talking about, and who continue to
fight to make things better and lead the way to a better world.”

The Women
in Tech Festival
features a diverse roster of entrepreneurs and
company leaders: hint water CEO Kara Goldin will be interviewed in a
fireside chat, and Alaina Percival, CEO of Women Who Code, will deliver
the opening keynote on May 24th. Other speakers include Y-vonne
Hutchinson, CoFounder of Project Include; Tracy Young, Founder and CEO
of PlanGrid, and Bá Minuzzi, CoFounder & GP of Babel Ventures (view the
complete list here).

“For decades, IBM has set the precedent as advocates of equality through
countless internal and external initiatives that elevate the importance
and practice of diversity and inclusion,” said Deborah Magid, Director
of Software Strategy at IBM Ventures. “At IBM, our invitation – our call
to arms – is to engage IBMers, customers and society at large in
promoting the advancement of gender equality in all areas of
business…especially that of organizational leadership. Above all, we
believe that taking a mindful approach to team-building and leadership
helps us better serve our clients, our workforce and our communities
around the world.”

“Walmart Labs is delighted to be a Gold Sponsor of the 2019 Women in
Tech Festival,” said Pat Christianson, Talent Acquisition Manager at
Walmart Labs. “At Walmart, we believe that by welcoming and valuing
diverse perspectives, we open our future to new possibilities and we can
better serve our communities. Partnering with the Women in Tech Festival
underlines our company’s core belief in the importance of inclusivity at
work.”

In addition to IBM and Walmart Labs, Silicon Valley Forum welcomes
Tenable, Perkins Coie, and SAP.io as Silver Sponsors, the Canadian
Consulate as a Bronze Sponsor, Northeastern University as a Networking
Sponsor, Execustaff as a Cocktail Sponsor, and Oracle as a supporting
partner, as well as in-kind support from community partners.

Tickets and more information are available at the event
page
. The first day of the festival will feature a pitch competition
with ten female-founded startups; the following day will feature panels,
power talks, and lunchtime workshops.

Connect with the 2019 Women in Tech Festival on social media with #SVFWIT19.

About Silicon Valley Forum:

At Silicon Valley Forum, we facilitate connections and provide resources
for entrepreneurs and innovators to build and grow a successful company.
While we focus on technology and startups in practice, in spirit we
build our work around anyone who wants to run their business the Silicon
Valley way—this is a place where creativity and innovation are crucial
components of success. Our events, customized programs, Startupedia, and
strategic partnerships provide the necessary tools to thrive in today’s
fast-paced digital economy.

For 36 years, our organization has been a key part of Silicon Valley’s
vibrant ecosystem. We organize over 70 different activities per year and
have worked with over 40 countries. Our partners include global leaders
Accenture, IBM, Microsoft, Mercer, and K&L Gates, just to name a few; as
well as leading venture capital firms and service providers. Silicon
Valley Forum is a fully independent 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.siliconvalleyforum.com/.