Thread by @TechMisfitsNFT

7 Inspiring #womenintech founders and investors that are building the future - a thread🧵

1.) Odunayo Eweniyi (@OdunEweniyi)

Odunayo graduated top of her Computer Engineering class in 2013 and was just 24 years old when she co-founded Piggybank (and PiggyVest) in 2016.

@OdunEweniyi 1a.) PiggyVest (@PiggyBankNG) is the first ever online app for personal savings and investment in West Africa.

Today its one of Nigeria’s most successful #fintech startups, impacting millions of people.

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG 1b.) Their mission = to empower people to manage better and save their money.

With over a million users, they sure are making a MASSIVE impact.

While taking the tech world by storm, Odunayo empowers other women to do the same.

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG 1c.) In January of 2021, she co-founded FirstCheck Africa with Eloho Omame.

FirstCheck Africa is an angel fund and investor community led by women— for women.

Women are currently severely under-represented in tech, both in Africa and globally — but it's time for a change.

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG 2.) Melanie Perkins

@canva is a tool we probably all use or have heard of.

Melanie Perkinis is the daughter of an Australian-born teacher and a Malaysian engineer of Filipino and Sri Lankan descent.

Melanie came up with the idea for Canva when she was just 19 years old.

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG @canva 2a.) When Melanie (@MelanieCanva) started Canva, she had to go through 100+ venture capital rejections and many trips to silicon valley.

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG @canva @MelanieCanva 2b.) It took over three years for Perkins and her husband and co-founder Cliff Obrecht to acquire the first investment for the company.

In 2013, they finally launched Canva.

In September 2021, Canva announced its valuation of $40 billion 👏

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG @canva @MelanieCanva 3.) Angelica Ross (@angelicaross)

Angelica Ross is the founder of TransTech Social Enterprises, a firm that helps employ transgender people in the tech industry.

It's the first trans-led non-profit organization that provides training & education to trans people in tech.

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG @canva @MelanieCanva @angelicaross 3a.) Besides her impressive Tech organization, Angelica has also:

1. Won multiple awards for her work.
2. Played in multiple movies, inc. american horror story, Pose & more)

3. She is also a leading figure for racial & trans equality and success.

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG @canva @MelanieCanva @angelicaross 4. Stephanie Lampkin (@stephaneurial)

Stephanie Lampkin is the founder of Blendoor, a recruiting app that eliminates bias from hiring practices.

Hiring should NOT be affected by:

- Age
- Name
- Gender
- Race

Blendoor removes them so employers can focus on what matters.

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG @canva @MelanieCanva @angelicaross @stephaneurial 4a.) Stephanie learned to code at 13, and majored in engineering at Stanford after which she pursued an M.B.A. at MIT.

After her long experience and practice starting at 13, she still experienced bias during job interviews.

And that's why she made Blendoor.

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG @canva @MelanieCanva @angelicaross @stephaneurial 5.) Whitney Wolfe Herd (@WhitWolfeHerd)

Whitney Wolfe Herd is the founder of the online dating platform Bumble.

When Bumble first launched in 2014, it blew up its unique take on online dating. Between heterosexual matches, only women can send the first message.

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG @canva @MelanieCanva @angelicaross @stephaneurial @WhitWolfeHerd 5b.) Whitney has described Bumble as a feminist dating app empowering women to take the lead. Her own words:

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG @canva @MelanieCanva @angelicaross @stephaneurial @WhitWolfeHerd 5c.)“Making the first move, whether a woman is matching with a man or a woman, gives her a boost of confidence right off the bat. It immediately puts her in the driver’s seat.”

The app took off, as Bumble is still going strong today, and today it is publicly traded.

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG @canva @MelanieCanva @angelicaross @stephaneurial @WhitWolfeHerd 5d.) Whitney Wolfe Herd is the youngest woman to take a company public in the U.S., and Bumble is now worth $13 billion on the stock market.👏

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG @canva @MelanieCanva @angelicaross @stephaneurial @WhitWolfeHerd 6. Sarah Hawley (@sarahhawley__)

Sarah Hawley studied for a diploma in software development in IT and spent a couple of years working as a coder and doing IT help desk support.

Afterward, she started business and finance, and:

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG @canva @MelanieCanva @angelicaross @stephaneurial @WhitWolfeHerd @sarahhawley__ - founded 8 companies since 2009

- co-founded the League of Extraordinary Women as a space to uplift and empower women in tech.

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG @canva @MelanieCanva @angelicaross @stephaneurial @WhitWolfeHerd @sarahhawley__ 6a.) Sarah is also the founder of Growmotely, which supports:

1. Conscious companies
hiring remotely

2. Professionals looking
for remote roles

Growmotely has raised over $1.3 million and is making a massive impact on how many companies hire remotely.

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG @canva @MelanieCanva @angelicaross @stephaneurial @WhitWolfeHerd @sarahhawley__ 7. Last but not least, Arlan Hamilton (@ArlanWasHere)

Arlan Hamilton is the founder and managing partner of Backstage Capital.

Backstage capital is a seed-stage investment fund for overlooked entrepreneurs:

- Women
- People of color
- LGBTQ

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG @canva @MelanieCanva @angelicaross @stephaneurial @WhitWolfeHerd @sarahhawley__ @ArlanWasHere 7a.)

Arlan was homeless when she started pitching Backstage capital.

And today, Backstage Capital has invested in over 200 companies.

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG @canva @MelanieCanva @angelicaross @stephaneurial @WhitWolfeHerd @sarahhawley__ @ArlanWasHere 7b.) She is also the author of the book:

"It's About Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated Into Your Greatest Advantage"

The book inspires women, to: "start trusting our voice, knowing our worth, and being unapologetically proud of who we are."

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG @canva @MelanieCanva @angelicaross @stephaneurial @WhitWolfeHerd @sarahhawley__ @ArlanWasHere 8. We hope you have enjoyed this
#womenintech list.

There are so many more inspiring female founders to cover, so we might bring a part 2.

Follow us here: @TechMisfitsNFT so you don't miss it.

We'd appreciate a RT too!

https://twitter.com/TechMisfitsNFT/status/1562078729584664577

@OdunEweniyi @PiggyBankNG @canva @MelanieCanva @angelicaross @stephaneurial @WhitWolfeHerd @sarahhawley__ @ArlanWasHere We're building a new and exciting diverse tech community for everyone - including a networking app.

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