Welcome to the Founder’s Desk
The Founder’s Desk is a window into the GUILD. This is where we share our insights about networking, community, and the strength that comes from building meaningful bonds with each other. As the GUILD’s network evolves, I hope to share my experiences with you and feature some of yours.
To begin, I’d like to share my story with you about how I learned to become a successful networker in Silicon Valley and San Francisco, and why I left my corporate job to found the GUILD and pursue other entrepreneurial ventures.
The Power of Transitions
Before I moved to the US four years ago, I had lived on four different continents, led large project teams in Europe and the UK, through time-critical IT transformations, all the while holding my own in boardrooms of shouting men. Then I fell in love, got married (yes, he’s also an adventurer) and moved to San Francisco. I had no job, and knew deep down that I needed to change fields, but as I started out on this journey I felt completely overwhelmed.
Who should I talk to? Where should I apply? How could I make new friends to help me gain confidence and find my way in this new country?
When we face the pressure of moving to another city or transitioning to a new field of work, we step outside our comfort zone to explore fresh experiences, and we meet individuals, build new relationships and glean insights into new worlds.
I fully embraced my transition to a new life in the US and relished the opportunity to meet as many new people as possible. I came up with a battle plan to build a network from the ground up, and find my voice. My first move was to commit to attend nearly every networking event in San Francisco and Silicon Valley that I could find.
Becoming a Connector
I went to all manner of events. I found myself at a data visualization meetup surrounded by geeks, I volunteered to put together a big data panel discussion, I met women at the Bay Brazil talks, and made friends with MIT Alumni at the VLABs events.
At first, I was struck by how disparate the people and experiences seemed at these events. But as my pile of business cards grew, so did my understanding of the Bay Area ecosystem. Soon enough, I realized that the data viz geek should really connect with the big data folks, and the charismatic businesswoman from Bay Brazil would make an excellent speaker at the VLAB Shared Economy event.
I started to connect the dots and, without knowing it, I realized one day that step-by-step I had become a “Connector” (to learn more about this, read Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point). I had discovered my passion of linking people and seeing their relationships prosper.
Find Your Voice and Opportunity Will Follow
A biotech firm seeking to catalyze their strategic relationships in the digital health startup space realized the importance of this skill and hired me as a senior manager. I was there for three years, and developed my skillset and confidence while also continuing to build my network inside and outside of the biotech field.
Then, six months ago, I had an epiphany. Despite my success, I decided to leave this sought-after senior position in the corporate world, and launch the GUILD.
The community we’re building is based on the idea of a medieval guild of craftsmen or merchants: people with strong ties to each other and a shared goal of advancing the careers of all members, not just the novices but also the wise, seasoned veterans. As a group with similar interests and objectives, working together we can multiply our effectiveness while pursuing our dreams together. Today’s version of a guild leverages technology as a means to an end. The GUILD is a data-science fueled connector that introduces us to each other based on our personalities, our professional journeys, our intentions and preferences — providing a solution that integrates into women’s busy lives.
Starting the Conversation
The GUILD is created for and by women. The idea grew naturally out of my experiences at networking events, where I saw many panel discussions filled almost exclusively with men, and while I heard lots of talk about women in tech, their visibility at these events was low. I asked my female friends how they built their network of contacts, and realized that for many of them networking was rarely a top priority. Not everybody was an extrovert, comfortable in a room full of people with a lukewarm glass of Chardonnay in their hands and with very little concept of who to talk to about what.
So I started to think about how I could bring like-minded women together without the awkwardness and effort. In 2014, I co-founded a women’s club called Bubbles and Biz, to start the conversation over wine-tasting evenings, mini-hackathons, and mindfulness workshops. When the interest snowballed and more and more women attended the events, I realized that by making the right introductions I was essentially the social equivalent of a computer network hub. What if I could mimic my ability to connect people with shared goals using an algorithm? One that reflects the attributes of these women, learns over time, makes smart introductions and facilitates contact among women who need to know each other?
If You Want to Go Far, Go Together
There is an African proverb that says: if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together. The GUILD is built on this principle: the collective knowledge of the members carries the whole group forward.
Whether you’re just starting your career, dreaming of launching your own business, have just debuted your first app or are planning to file for an IPO, you’ve come here because you believe in the far-reaching power of building friendships and business relationships. The GUILD is an inclusive community of women with a range of experiences and perspectives. We’re individuals who cross the spectrum: creative introverts and social butterflies, gifted people who excel at our jobs within our companies and fields. We’re businesspeople who collaborate with all manner of companies, women transitioning between jobs and roles, women who aspire to be mentors and those who need guidance. We’re all valuable, and together we’re better.
I’m happy to announce that after successful beta-testing, working with an incredibly dedicated and passionate team, we are a few weeks away from launch. The GUILD will help us build stronger networks and lift each other up to dream big and follow our passions in both our private and professional lives.
In the next Founder’s Desk piece, we’ll be sharing advice on how to network effectively, and how you can use the GUILD to help. In the meantime, sign up and stay in touch.
