Geek Girl Rising

Inside the Sisterhood Shaking Up Tech

By: Heather Cabot, Samantha Walravens

Narrated by: Heather Cabot

"I don’t know much about tech, but I do know that these pioneer women are pretty dope. Geek Girl Rising gives a much needed voice to the fearless women paving an important path in the tech world, while forming a lasting sisterhood along the way.” - Kelly Ripa

This program is read by the author, Heather Cabot.

Meet the women who haven’t asked for permission from Silicon Valley to chase their dreams. They are going for it—building the next generation of tech start-ups, investing in each other’s ventures, crushing male hacker stereotypes and rallying the next generation of women in tech. Geek Girl Rising isn’t about the famous tech trailblazers you already know, like Sheryl Sandberg and Marissa Mayer. Instead, veteran journalists Heather Cabot and Samantha Walravens introduce listeners to the fearless female entrepreneurs and technologists fighting at the grassroots level for an ownership stake in the revolution that’s changing the way we live, work and connect to each other.

Listeners will meet Debbie Sterling, inventor of GoldieBlox, the first engineering toy for girls, which topples the notion that only boys can build. They’ll get a peek inside YouTube sensation Michelle Phan’s ipsy studios, where she is grooming the next generation of digital video stars while leading her own mega e-commerce beauty business. They will sit down with Tracy Chou, former lead software developer at Pinterest, whose public urging in 2013 helped push Silicon Valley tech giants to reveal the tiny number of women in their ranks, propelling the “women in tech” conversation to front pages. They will tour the headquarters of The Muse, the hottest career site for millennials and meet its intrepid CEO, Kathryn Minshew, who stared down sexism while raising millions of dollars to fund the company she co-founded. And they will journey around the country to meet a new crop of female investors, including Theresia Gouw and Kathryn Finney, who are infusing women-led tech start-ups with much needed capital.

These women are the rebels proving that a female point of view matters in the age of technology and can rock big returns. At a time when women hold 26% of computing jobs in the U.S. and make up a tiny fraction of the entrepreneurs launching new tech companies, these stories shine a light on new role models who prove that in the fast-moving innovation economy, there is a place for anyone who has a big idea and the passion to build it.

"I don't know much about tech, but I do know that these pioneer women are pretty dope. Geek Girl Rising gives a much needed voice to the fearless women paving an important path in the tech world, while forming a lasting sisterhood along the way." (Kelly Ripa)©2017 Heather Cabot and Samantha Walravens (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Change is finally coming to the tech world because Silicon Valley sisters are doing it for themselves. And Geek Girl Rising proves it. Essential and hopeful reading both for women - and men- who are working or want to work in the digital space. It's been an uphill battle for women in Palo Alto but, as Heather Cabot and Samantha Walravens meticulously report, their voices are starting to be heard and as the data shows, everybody benefits." - Joanna Coles, Chief Content Officer Hearst Magazines, Board Director Snap

“An important book I will be sharing with everyone on my team. As a woman in Silicon Valley and an ardent believer in breaking stereotypes, I found Girl Geek Rising to be a new manifesto for bridging the gender gap. Cabot and Walravens have conducted intensive research and bring - for the first time ever - a comprehensive and large scale picture of what it is to be a woman in tech. Riveting for men and women alike.” - Zainab Ghadiyali, co-founder/CEO at wogrammer, former tech lead at Facebook

“Geek Girl Rising shines a spotlight on the growing number of women who are blazing a trail through the male-dominated world of tech. Uplifting, fast-paced, and carefully researched, this book is a clarion call for women to keep leaning in—and for men to recognize potential where it has too long been overlooked.” - Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take

inspring book!

loved it! inspiring stories of women changing history, breaking tyre glass ceiling and how we can all be part of the change.

Interesting

The authors focus on the years 2014 to 2016 and tell the stories of women working in or leading tech companies. Also included are stories of women entrepreneurs in primarily internet companies. Cabot and Walravens include statics regarding women in the tech industry.

They tell the stories of many women such as Michelle Phan, creator of the e-commerce cosmetics company Ipsy, and Tracy Chou, a software developer at Pinterest. The authors also told the story of female “angel investor” Joanne Wilson who invests in women developed and owned businesses. The authors also have made a point of writing about minority women.

The book is well written, researched and organized. The authors cover failures as well as success. I felt the book focused more on female entrepreneurs instead of engineers, mathematicians and other STEM scientists. As a scientist, I was not the least interested in reading about what someone wore to the interview. I think the title of the book should have been Women Entrepreneurs instead of Geek Girls. I think the target audience of the book was high school girls. The overall presentation of the book was one of optimism and encouragement.

The book was just over seven hours long. Author Heather Cabot narrated the book.