Female Founders Event Is a WIN-Win
In the fall of 2015, four Carroll School seniors began meeting to discuss an all-too-familiar refrain: where are all the girls? Troubled by the dearth of females at tech and entrepreneurship events, they wished for more opportunities for women to learn about the industry. So instead of complaining, they did something about it.
And just like that, the  (WIN) was born.
Three years later, the club’s president, Hannah Say ’18, reflected on the success of WIN.
“The four women who started WIN were all graduating that year,” she said. “My friend Arev Doursounian [Morrissey ’17] and I wanted to be part of the leadership. We wanted to figure out how we could be a meaningful part of the Ď㽶Đă ecosystem instead of just making things pink.”
Way beyond making things pink
Through Say and Doursounian’s efforts, WIN became a Shea Center initiative, which gave it instant credibility, connections, and a budget. Positioning the club as a network and resource for students interested in tech, entrepreneurship, and leadership, the team began to brainstorm ideas for events.
“For the first speaker we hosted, only five people showed up,” Say said. The guest speaker was Ashley Reid, CEO and founder of , an online/mobile tool that connects patients with support resources. Despite the low turnout, “it was a great event, because she rolled with the punches and made it a roundtable.”
In the less than three years since, WIN has built out a nine-member board and signed up more than 200 club members, mainly undergrads studying technology and business.
Now in addition to the speaker series, WIN holds skills workshops—often for 20 to 40 people—like the InDesign training in April led by Michele Snow, art director for Boston magazine; they host discussion groups; and they spread the word about campus events.
Mission-driven and value-added
The professed mission of WIN is to foster and grow the number of women passionate about a successful and fulfilling career working at the intersection of business and technology.
“We're enabling women to put skills on their résumé [that] employers are looking for,” said Say.
The value extends to networking events, which aren’t “just idle chit-chat,” as Say puts it. An event with Google’s HR director, for instance, featured résumé reviews and a window into job opportunities. More than 50 people attended.
Female Founders & WIN’s future
WIN’s events now number six in the fall and seven in the spring, culminating with the annual Female Founders event. This year’s affair drew more than 80 guests and brought back Ashley Reid for a panel discussion with Janet Comenos, CEO/co-founder of  (a data-driven celebrity endorsers agency), and Alice Lewis, CEO/founder of  (a “flower-focused” lifestyle brand for women).
Say points to a common thread in the event’s main takeaway: “While female founders may follow different paths, they’re continually inspired by the problem they’re trying to solve. And they really want to make an impact.”
That mirrors what’s happening with WIN. More women on campus are getting involved and “anecdotally, we’re definitely having an impact,” Say reported.
So as the finance and computer science major prepared to graduate and pass the mantle onto WIN’s VP, Lauren Michelson ’19, Say was leaving the Heights on a high note.
“I’m excited about the work WIN has done and the growth of the club,” she said. “People didn’t think another club for women in business was needed. WIN proves there is a space.”