Infiltrating the Boys' Club

In one of my previous columns I talked about the role women play in the technology industry, and outlined some of my favourite Canadian entrepreneurs. I’ve met some amazing ones lately, including Winnie Cheung, co-founder of custom dress shirt site shirtPAL, and Erin Green, co-founder of the MAVEN business matchmaking service, who was recently profiled in the Toronto Star.

In my opinion it’s great to highlight homegrown talent in the Canadian media, but it’s even better when we’re given an international soapbox where we can shout our message. So I was extremely excited this week when I learned that my boss and entrepreneur Sarah Prevette was included on Inc. Magazine’s list of the Top 30 Under 30 entrepreneurs in North America.

For anyone who isn’t familiar with Inc., it’s one of the top entrepreneurship magazines on the globe, and has a popular online version where they share advice, slideshows, and hold live chats with entrepreneurs like Aaron Patzer of Mint.com. It’s a must-read in the Sprouter office, and one of the most prestigious entrepreneurship publications around.

Now, I’m not just writing this to toot Sprouter’s horn and share our exciting news. I’m writing because this is Women’s Post, and the number of women on the 30 Under 30 list is astounding. Sure, there are the male Silicon Valley entrepreneurs like Sachin Agarwal and Garry Tan of popular blogging platform Posterous. There are many other male entrepreneurs on the list, even one who’s building a pickle empire (yes, you read right – pickles).

But there’s an abundance of amazing, young female entrepreneurs on the list. You may not recognize their names, but they’re building some pretty impressive companies – some you may even want to use in your day-to-day life. Along with Sarah, here’s a breakdown of the women on the list:

Ellen Gustafson and Lauren Bush, FEED Projects – Yes, it’s that Lauren Bush. The niece and granddaughter of former U.S. presidents started selling canvas bags, and the profits go to fight hunger worldwide. Philanthropic and entrepreneurial – a killer combo.

Jennifer Hyman and Jenny Fleiss, Rent the Runway – If this company isn’t appealing to you then you must have been born without a fashion gene. Rent the Runway rents out designer clothing for a fraction of the retail price – I’m guessing now that you know about the site you’ll be one of the 20,000 new members that will join this week.

Stephanie Kaplan, Windsor Hanger, and Annie Wang, Her Campus – These 21-year-olds started Her Campus, a site for students that provides content on topics from education to dating. If you’re a student or you have a teen heading off in the fall make sure they check out this “colliegiette’s guide to life.”

Michelle You, co-founder of SongKick – This music site allows fans to track concert dates for their favourite bands and then share related content online after the show. The company has raised a cool $5 million in VC funding to date.

Maia Josebachvili, co-founder of Urban Escapes – for urban professionals who are usually chained to their desks Maia has a solution – go on an adventure outside the city (choose from skydiving, hiking, and more). The company is projecting $1 million in revenue this year.

Callie Works-Leary, CityCraft – You’ll have to make the trek to Dallas to check out Callie’s venture, a contemporary designer fabric store. She also teaches classes at an area women’s shelter.

Alexa Von Tobel, LearnVest – I spoke with Alexa earlier this year about LearnVest, a money-management resource for people her age (26), and told her how much I loved the concept (I’m 25, so I guess I’m the target audience). It’s nice to see her and her community included here.

Ooshma Garg, Anapata – Stanford grad Ooshma started this online recruitment site for law firms that want to reach a diverse population of law school graduates. May not affect you if you haven’t taken the bar exam, but a cool company nonetheless.

Ashley Hansberger, Motto Agency – Social media marketing is everywhere these days, and Ashley is taking advantage of the trend. Her agency helps brands blend old-fashioned storytelling with social media. Call her if you’ve ever wondered what a Tweet is.

Morgan First, co-founder of The Second Glass – If I had known that loving wine could be a viable business idea I’d be in Morgan’s shoes. She started this company to connect wine sellers to young consumers – and my favourite thing about the company is that their events are called Wine Riots.

See, I wasn’t kidding: a ton of amazing female entrepreneurial talent on Inc.’s list. Hopefully reading about their companies inspired you to continue on your own entrepreneurial journey – or at least provided you with a place to rent a fancy dress for a summer wedding.