DETROIT ? Google is partnering with Women 2.0 to bring Founder Friday to Detroit on Nov. 16 in an effort to ignite local emerging businesses and technology.
Women 2.0 is a media company offering content, community and conferences for aspiring and current women innovators in technology. Google and Women 2.0 will invest in activities that will create ecosystems fostering ideation, supporting start-ups, creating jobs and producing opportunities for all businesses.
The organization’s first joint initiative will be the expansion of Women 2.0’s signature networking event, Founder Friday, beginning in Detroit and Mexico City on November 16, followed by Sao Paulo, Brazil, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Moscow, Russia.
“Google is excited to team up with Women 2.0 to expand its Founder Friday events series nationally and internationally next year,” said Mary Grove, Head of Entrepreneurship Outreach at Google. “We’re looking forward to hosting these important gatherings in Google offices around the world and working together to help female entrepreneurs turn their ideas into innovative, sustainable businesses.”
The number of jobs created by startup companies in the U.S. has dropped at an alarming rate, according to a new study by the Hudson Institute. In addition, the Bureau of Labor and statistics cites that the number of jobs created by establishments less than one-year-old decreased to an all-time low of 2.8 million in 2009 from 4.1 million in 1994 and continues to decrease. In today’s market environment it will become increasingly important for new enterprises to connect and engage with larger established corporations to spark sustainable market growth. Google and Women 2.0’s initiative will focus on empowering entrepreneurs and providing them with the tools to achieve and maintain business growth.
“The engine for job creation and technology leadership begins and ends with investment in the entrepreneurial community,” said Shaherose Charania, CEO and co-founder, Women 2.0. “Female founders are a driving force for the creation and usage of technologies that generate jobs. We’re excited, with the help of Google, to create effective support systems that will reinvigorate innovation around the world.”
With the local ecosystems created by Founder Friday events, new entrepreneurs can fully realize their potential in identifying and implementing new business models across various industries. The Women 2.0 and Google partnership helps new ventures grow, discover and utilize new online resources and provides a channel for communication and publicity for these newly identified talent and influencers.
Initiated in San Francisco, Founder Friday events draw an average of 350 attendees and take place the first Friday of every month, providing the opportunity for female entrepreneurs to interconnect while listening to valuable keynote speeches from local female founders. To date, Women 2.0 has held over 200 Founder Friday events in 30 global cities. The program’s expansion will deepen the footprint, awareness and opportunities for women entrepreneurs as well as meet the needs of a rapidly expanding technology community.
For more information about Founder Fridays, click on Women2.com
