In Dotcom Divas, prepare to meet some of the most talented, energetic, and visionary Internet entrepreneurs who ever plunged into the e-business revolution. And, oh, by the way -- they're all women. Industry insider, Elizabeth Carlassare, introduces readers to the inspiring women founders of 20 Internet companies, including LookSmart, EDGAR Online, E-Loan, RightWorks, and Marimba. In Dotcom Divas, these Internet pioneers reveal their hard-won business wisdom and practical advice -- invaluable insights for Internet professionals and entrepreneurs alike.
Internet business books are being published as frequently as
new Net ventures are going public. After reading many of these books, I
was sometimes left with the feeling that they were science fiction
novels set in an alternate universe where there weren't any women. There
still seems to be a mass perception that the builders of the information
economy are solely men -- the Steve Jobses, Bill Gateses, and Jim Clarks
of the world. And yet, as someone working in the Silicon Valley for the
past 11 years and the Web arena since 1995, I know there's no dearth of
talented, visionary women who are movers and shakers in the new economy.
While some women leaders are getting more coverage in business and
Internet industry trade magazines than ever before, it's my belief that
women Internet entrepreneurs haven't necessarily received their fair
share of recognition.
So the focus of this book is on them -- successful women who are
creating real, thriving Web companies from visions that were initially
just twinkles in their eyes. While there are many accomplished,
prominent women hired as chief executives in the Net sector, their
stories aren't told here. This book is first and foremost about women
founders.
As you read the stories of these 20 Net ventures and their visionary
founders, you'll learn how these successful women:
Came up with their winning business idea
Got funding
Built their team
Overcame challenges
Grew and marketed their businesses
The profiles offer in-depth, behind-the-scenes views of how these 20
companies have achieved their successes. Each profile also discusses
specific strategies each company has employed and offers tips for
entrepreneurs from each founder, based on what she learned from her Web
startup experience -- invaluable insight for soon-to-be and experienced
entrepreneurs alike.
HOW THE TWENTY COMPANIES WERE SELECTED
When I started doing preliminary research for this book, I expected the
pool of eligible women-founded Web businesses to be around 40 or 50, and
that narrowing this number down to 20 would be a piece of cake. Little
did I imagine the flood of email I would receive after putting out the
word that I was looking for promising Web companies with women founders.
My email box was clogged with messages from women eager to tell me about
their own Web business or the business of a colleague or friend. The
selection process was clearly going to be more involved than I expected.
I spent weeks brainstorming about how to narrow the pool and zero in on
the 20 companies to profile in this book.
I decided to first limit the universe of women-founded Web companies by
considering only "pure play" Web companies -- those offering their
content, services, or goods over the Web, or selling a Web-based
technology. Brick-and-mortar operations with online components were
excluded from consideration, as were Web design shops, consulting firms,
and hardware companies. I also limited the field to companies with large
market opportunities. I excluded those whose ability to scale seemed
dubious and those that weren't experiencing high growth in revenue,
traffic, or customers. After applying these criteria, I still had more
than 200 companies from which to choose the 20 -- a loud and clear
signal that women entrepreneurs are key players in the Net economy.
Table of Contents
Part 1: Portal, Content, and Community Ventures.
Astronet.
AudioBasket.
eSampo.com.
iVillage.
LookSmart.
ThirdAge Media.
Part II: Web-Based Services Ventures.
Desktop.com.
EDGAR Online.
E-Loan.
NetCreations.
Part III: E-Commerce Ventures.
Della.com.
Eve.com
oneNest.
Petopia.
Sparks.
SuperVertical.
E-Business, Applications and Web Technology Ventures.
CoVia.
eCommerce Industries.
Marimba.
RightWorks.
About the Author
Elizabeth Carlassare is an Internet strategist and coach for women in technology and women entrepreneurs, helping them reach their goals and craft the lives they want. She's also the creator of dotcomdivas.net, an online open forum for women Internet entrepreneurs. Elizabeth has more than ten years of experience at high technology companies, including Adobe Systems, Intuit, SGI, and MyWebtivity (an Internet company she cofounded). Email her at elizabeth@dotcomdivas.net.
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