Power Women of DC Tech: Part III
Our next set of Trending 40 entrepreneurs are using technology to make business run smoothly, make us safer, and improve the lives of children. Come meet this year’s Power Women at our special event on Oct. 15! Open bar and networking with the DC startup and entrepreneur community. Register for early bird price at Trending 40.
Shana Lawlor
Founder/CEO, YOPP
Job focus: Marketing YOPP to shoppers and small businesses
Company: A mobile shopping social network that lets shoppers find what they’re looking for, from any location, with help from other shoppers and local businesses that are also using the app.
Target market: Women, ages 18-45
Latest news: YOPP debuted in the app store this week.
Inspiration to launch: Started Arlington Small Business Day in 2012 to increase awareness of and encourage shopping at small businesses. Realized a mobile technology didn't exist that connected consumers with each other and small businesses every day in a social- and consumer-driven way.
Why a tech career: Interest in IT started in college and then had opportunity to work for major consulting firms in New York and DC in IT.
Biggest challenge: Entrepreneurs confront challenges daily. It’s how you deal with them that defines if you’re an entrepreneur.
Career milestones: Led development of Information Technology Infrastructure Library offering at multi-national consulting firm; launched import-export business for retailers, with clients like Harrods of London and Costco; and launch of Arlington Small Business Day.
Hometown: Springfield, Vt.
Currently live: Arlington
Came to DC: Lack of traffic and inexpensive homes
Schools: TCU and GWU
First job: Ran neighborhood lemonade and vegetable stand at age 6
Greatest fear: Fear is a state of mind.
Daily habit: Laughing
Favorite vacation: Africa. Traveled mainly throughout South Africa, and Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Favorite restaurant: Can’t name one but love Mexican food
Bucket list: Grow YOPP to become worldwide phenom.
Family facts: Married four years
Hobbies: Running, biking, yoga, pilates, strength training, being outdoors
Advice to 18-year-old self: You’ll experience success and failure. Strive to experience both.
Leah Bannon
Founder, Tech Lady Hackathon;
Brigade co-captain, Code for DC; Product lead, 18F
Job roles: At 18F, work on data projects like making better search tools for federal opportunities. As an after-work volunteer, planning for Tech Lady Hackathon, day-long event for women to learn tech skills; manage activities for Code for DC, twice-monthly events to work on tech projects. Recently worked on making it easier to find info about Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.
Inspiration to take on these roles: Was having trouble moving forward in my career and felt I wasn’t learning tech very quickly. Started going to Code for DC and other tech meetups and found my people. But everything I kept going to had zero women. Created Tech Lady Hackathon.
Why a tech career: Was always the kid in class asking questions when I didn’t understand something. Worked on a Wikipedia project and got lost in it for hours learning wiki code. Also got into social media, learned GitHub, learned how to copyedit HTML pages, and got into building websites.
Biggest challenge: Bringing more smart, creative people into tech who are underrepresented and see it as an impenetrable or totally foreign culture
Career milestones: Joining and sticking with Code for DC; launching Tech Lady Hackathon; and getting job at 18F in May.
Hometown: Born in DC; spent part of childhood in Dallas
Currently live: Dupont
What brought you to DC: Moved to Centreville, Va., halfway through high school. But hated the suburbs.
School: GW and Johns Hopkins
First job: Starbucks barista and deputy director of the Master Musicians Festival in Somerset, Ky.
Daily habit: Drink a ton of coffee and walk mile and a half to work
Greatest fear: Impostor syndrome
Favorite vacation: Oaxaca, Mexico
Favorite restaurant: Room 11 (Columbia Heights)
Bucket list: 50 push-ups.
Family facts: Insane cat named Cat
Hobbies: Gardening, swimming, and biking
Advice to 18-year-old self: If you're not sure what you want to do with your life, focus on building skills in an area (like tech) that are valuable in any field and give you flexibility. And call your sister more.
Jenny Abramson
President/CEO, LiveSafe
Job focus: Recruiting future talent, discussions with current and potential partners, and broader company strategy (business and product)
Company: Mobile technology that encourages crime and safety-related reporting. Growing quickly with universities, military bases, and sports teams in light of the need to prevent sexual assaults, suicides, bullying, and shootings.
Customers: In universities and other institutions in 17 states ranging from Virginia Commonwealth University to Arizona State University
Company’s latest news: Launching at Georgetown University next week
Inspiration to join LiveSafe: Joined as product was going to market. As a mother of two girls, believed it could make a difference and solve real problems my kids could face.
Why a tech career: Unique ability to produce quick and amazing results, and constant innovation
Biggest challenge: Not enough hours in the day
Top career milestones: Did Fulbright on human genomics at London School of Economics; running first business (Washington Post magazine) at Washington Post Co.; leading transformation management office for former DC public school chancellor Michelle Rhee.
Hometown: DC
Currently live: Wesley Heights, DC
Why DC: Born and raised here. Love DC and having family nearby.
Schools: Stanford, London School of Economics, and Harvard Business School
Other passion: Education. Sit on board of DC Prep, Super Leaders, Little Folks (where I went to nursery school), and Georgetown Day School (where I went to grade school)
First job: Babysat in high school; consultant at Boston Consulting Group in New York
Greatest fear: My own driving on the Beltway
Daily habit: Lists
Favorite vacation: Nantucket
Favorite restaurant: Sushiko (Chevy Chase)
Bucket list: Go to the Olympics (as a spectator)
Family facts: Married 9 years; two daughters, Zoe (6) and Ella (4)
Hobbies: Dancing, watching sports, especially hockey (Go Caps!), and Redskins, and playing Uno
Advice to 18-year-old self: Surround yourself with great people and keep learning.
Brooke Salkoff
VP, Disruption Corp.; Venture partner, Crystal Tech Fund; Co-founder, CampEasy
Job focus: For Disruption and Crystal Tech Fund, lead media, marketing, and events activities
What's Disruption: It provides research, investment, and advice on private market opportunities. It also invests from its equity arm, Crystal Tech Fund. Some of the portfolio companies (nvite, Speek, talklocal, Power Supply, Supply Hog, and soon Heyo) work in Disruption's office in Crystal City, where we're building a tech hub
Latest news: Disruption is now acting as a registered investment advisor, so it can sell investment advice.
Why join Disruption: Met founder Paul Singh while launching CampEasy, an online tool to help parents find cool experiences for their kids. Now have a team managing operations and can focus on Disruption. Goal here is to help people learn about and take advantage of private market opportunities and transform DC tech and venture world.
Biggest challenge: Staying caffeinated. And balancing time spent growing a company with time spent with people in my life who are the reasons I want to build something big and great.
Career milestones: Covering President Obama's first inauguration live on Capitol Hill; deciding to start CampEasy with husband; and taking role at Disruption.
Hometown: Los Angeles
Currently live: McLean
Came to DC for: Job as national correspondent at NBC News
School: Stanford
First job: Paralegal in criminal section of civil rights division at Justice Department. At 21, was government's paralegal in Rodney King case. Lived and worked in LA for a year through prosecution and trial. Rodney King nicknamed me "Snuggles" because apparently I smelled like fabric softener.
Daily habit: Telling everyone in my family that I love them, multiple times, for no special reason
Greatest fear: The Once-ler (from The Lorax)
Favorite vacation: Family time in Lake Tahoe
Favorite restaurant: Komi (Dupont Circle)
Bucket list: Hiking Machu Picchu
Family facts: Married 15 years; two kids, Eleanor (13) and Nate (11); black lab, Maggie
Hobbies: Running, skiing, tennis, books
Advice to 18-year-old self: Marry a happy person (I have).
ICYMI... Part I and Part II of our Trending 40 profiles.
We're grateful for our great partners in this initiative: Deloitte, TriNet, Cabot Consultants, Vornado, Crystal Tech Fund, and Wingate Hughes. Thanks!
