Three years ago, during a presentation that she was making to a group of teenagers, Rachel Muir realized that the boys in the room were dominating the discussion. 'Boys are trained to break stuff,' says Muir. 'Girls are trained to be afraid of breaking stuff.' Meanwhile, she was teaching herself how to program in HTML. 'When I became a techie, a whole new world opened up for me,' she recalls.

Muir, now 28, is founder and executive director of Girlstart, an Austin, Texas-based nonprofit that trains girls in math, science, and technology. Fast Company talked to Muir -- an active participant in a Company of Friends Road Show event last fall -- about learning from startups and about closing the divide between girls and technology.

Starting Out Smart

'Girlstart is a nonprofit -- but, just as important, it's also a startup. A lot of nonprofits begin with a very broad mission, but we serve only young girls. Plus, like most startups, we are committed to technology: We have an email newsletter, and we even teach Web strategy to other nonprofit groups.'

Bridging the Gap

'Companies won't be able to compete in the new economy unless we find a way for women to become full partners. So we have to start early. If girls don't pick up technology by the time they're in middle school, it will only be harder for them to learn later on.'

Coordinates: Rachel Muir, rachel@girlstart.org; Girlstart, www.girlstart.org

From: May 2000 issue