Most Influential Women in Technology

How To Read An S-1

BY Alicia Morga | 02-08-2012 | 7:48 AM | LEADERSHIP

Accessing a company’s S-1 is like getting to peek over the shoulders of giants. You gain access to a competitor’s business plan. It allows entrepreneurs, in particular, to see just how much money it takes to scale a large company, gives good benchmarks to shoot for in growth and margins, and helps entrepreneurs understand what is market in terms of management compensation. READ MORE›

Darlene Liebman, Cofounder of Howcast Studios

BY Anya Kamenetz | 04-12-2010 | 2:51 PM | TECHNOLOGY

Ever wondered how to...well, anything? Welcome to Howcast, offering instructional videos on everything from tying a sailor's knot to decorating a cake. FastCompany.com spoke with Howcast cofounder Darlene Liebman.READ MORE›

Robin Murphy, Professor at Texas A&M University

BY Cliff Kuang | 04-06-2010 | 3:34 PM | TECHNOLOGY

In 25 years' time, when a disaster strikes on the news, we might gauge how well it's being handled not by the aid crews en route -- but by the number of robots on the ground. And if so, we'll have Robin Murphy to thank: Along with a handful of collaborators, she's a pioneer in developing robots that deliver aid to humans.READ MORE›

Fernanda Viégas, cofounder of Flowing Media

BY Cliff Kuang | 04-06-2010 | 3:29 PM | TECHNOLOGY

As an undergrad, Fernanda Viégas dropped out twice and studied chemical engineering, linguistics, and education on two continents, before finally finishing with a degree in graphic design. And then, she didn't want to be a graphic designer. Viégas ended up at the MIT media lab after her undergrad studies, applying her graphic-design training to problems that went unnoticed by code geeks.READ MORE›

Claire Boonstra, cofounder of Layar

BY Dan Nosowitz | 04-02-2010 | 8:43 PM | TECHNOLOGY

Love it or hate it, augmented reality is probably here to stay -- and we've got Claire Boonstra to thank. She's one of the cofounders of Layar, an augmented reality platform that is largely responsible for the considerable amount of buzz around AR in the last two years or so.READ MORE›

Melissa Hathaway, Cybersecurity Expert

BY Dan Nosowitz | 04-02-2010 | 8:05 PM | MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY

Melissa Hathaway is one of the country's foremost cybersecurity experts, having worked under both Presidents Bush (43) and Obama in executive-level positions.READ MORE›

Jane Poynter, cofounder of Paragon Space Development

BY Jennifer Vilaga | 04-01-2010 | 1:06 PM | TECHNOLOGY

Living in a bubble for two years would drive most of us batty. For biologist Jane Poynter, it has driven her life's work. One of eight scientists chosen to reside in and research the 3.15-acre Biosphere 2 in the early '90s, Poynter parlayed what she learned from that experience into a firm that bridges the gap between the life sciences and aerospace engineering.READ MORE›

Trina Schwimmer, founder of GamingAngels

BY Dan Nosowitz | 03-31-2010 | 4:08 AM | TECHNOLOGY

Upset with gaming magazines' token female editors -- if there were any women at all -- and the sneers with which the gaming press seemed to regard female gamers, Schwimmer started GamingAngels in 2003.READ MORE›

Ellen Miller, cofounder of the Sunlight Foundation

BY Dan Nosowitz | 03-30-2010 | 7:10 PM | ETHONOMICS

Ellen Miller is the kind of political activist we need: She cofounded the Sunlight Foundation, a forward-looking, nonpartisan, and populist nonprofit that's dedicated to using technology to provide transparency in government.READ MORE›

Tan Le, founder of Emotiv Systems

BY Dan Macsai | 03-30-2010 | 5:44 PM | TECHNOLOGY

There's a reason computers, cell phones, and even basic remote controls come with instructions: We need to learn how to use them. Tan Le, founder and president of Emotiv Systems, an electronics company focused on brain-computer interfaces, wants to do away with the manual.READ MORE›

Sam Reich-Dagnen, cofounder of Braincandy

BY Danielle Sacks | 03-30-2010 | 12:07 PM | TECHNOLOGY

After nearly a decade at Microsoft, she and her film editor husband started Braincandy, an entertainment DVD series for toddlers that's educational but not mind numbing.READ MORE›

Danae Ringelmann, cofounder of IndieGoGo

BY Danielle Sacks | 03-30-2010 | 12:02 PM | TECHNOLOGY

It took the groveling of a septuagenarian for Danae Ringelmann to realize creative industries such as film needed a fiscal makeover.READ MORE›

Sheila Campbell, at General Services Administration

BY Austin Carr | 03-30-2010 | 10:45 AM | TECHNOLOGY

After the election, President Obama's administration transformed Whitehouse.gov into a daily-updated blog with fireside YouTube chats, links to Twitter and Facebook accounts, Flickr albums, and widgets. Now Sheila Campbell, the head of the General Service Administrations's Web Best Practices Team, is tasked with bringing the rest of the federal government up to speed with our tech-savvy commander in chief.READ MORE›

Jen Bekman, founder of 20x200

BY Alissa Walker | 03-29-2010 | 7:34 PM | TECHNOLOGY

Coming of age during the tech boom, Bekman worked her way up through the online ranks only to split the scene for what seemed like career derailment. Now she's one of the Most Influential Women in Tech, here's why.READ MORE›

Angela Benton, founder of BlackWebMedia

BY Zachary Wilson | 03-29-2010 | 6:06 PM | TECHNOLOGY

Benton is doing her part to change that with her focus on the technology and new media. Since 2007, she has built up a portfolio of sites, including the flagship Black Web 2.0 blog, the Young Black Professional Guide, the career-based Vocay, and the new politics site Politic365.READ MORE›

Jill Tarter, Director of SETI

BY Zachary Wilson | 03-29-2010 | 5:49 PM | TECHNOLOGY

When astronomer Jill Tarter was awarded the TED Prize in 2009, she was given the opportunity to make a wish big enough to change the world, and she did: "I wish that you would empower Earthlings everywhere to become active participants in the ultimate search for cosmic company." Now Tarter is laying the groundwork to make her own wish come true.READ MORE›

Gina Trapani, Project Director at Expert Labs

BY Amy Wilkinson | 03-29-2010 | 4:22 PM | LEADERSHIP

Needing a practical way to organize this ever-increasing feedback, Trapani created the software that would evolve into ThinkTank, a free, open-source Web application. Expert Labs, a nonprofit lab affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, partnered with ThinkTank and brought Trapani on as project director.READ MORE›

Clara Shih, founder of Hearsay Labs

BY Austin Carr | 03-29-2010 | 11:30 AM | TECHNOLOGY

Clara Shih wrote the book on social media marketing -- and now it's used as a textbook at Harvard Business School. Released last April, "The Facebook Era" is the bible for businesses wanting to increase their sales and consumer base through social networks.READ MORE›

Laura Brunow Miner, founder of Pictory

BY Alissa Walker | 03-25-2010 | 1:01 PM | TECHNOLOGY

In the last few months, reactionary hand-wringing over the demise of traditional magazines has spawned hundreds of online publications. Pictory, a new online photography publication launched in December 2009, came from none of that angst, and it shows.READ MORE›

Elizabeth Spiers, Media Consultant

BY Amy Wilkinson | 03-25-2010 | 11:10 AM | TECHNOLOGY

In 2007, she set out on her own and she's now a Web site-launching (or relaunching) machine, working on everything from clarifying an editorial vision to monetizing the business model for companies including the Flavorpill, Counsyl, and b5media.READ MORE›