Friday, April 8, 2016 • Page 9
Women in the Tech Spotlight
Women in the Tech Spotlight: Danae Ringelmann
by NAMANKITA RANA Freshman Undecided Engineering Major
The mission of Danae Ringelmann’s first company was simple: to “democratize fundraising”. At the time it sounded crazy, but today it’s become a reality: as co-founder of Indiegogo, Ringelmann is one of the most powerful voices on the crowdfunding scene. Danae Ringelmann cofounded Indiegogo in 2007 and has since helped to propel the company into the world’s largest crowd-
funding platform. Today, Danae leads Indiegogo’s industry development efforts, while steering the company’s employee culture and values initiatives. Danae was listed as one of Fortune Magazine’s 40 under 40, as well as SF Business Times’ 40 under 40 in 2014. ELLE Magazine named Danae to its Woman in Tech Power List in 2014; Fast Company included her in its Top 50 Women Innovators in Technology in 2011. Here’s how she got started: Prior to starting her work at Indiegogo, she worked in the finance industry on Wall Street, and she noticed how difficult it was for independent artists and entrepreneurs to secure funding for their projects. In particular, their struggles reminded her of her small-business-owner par-
ents struggle to find capital while she was growing up. “They never could actually get a loan,” she said. Seeing that story multiplied over and over again deeply affected her. She came up with the basic concept for Indiegogo — a crowdfunding platform where anyone can raise money for an idea or a project — and fine-tuned it while attending business school at UC Berkeley. That’s also where she met her co-founders, Eric Schell and Slava Rubin. They convinced her that the Internet was a better platform for the company, and they introduced Indiegogo in January 2008. The path to Indiegogo’s current success was not smooth. As she told Huffington Post during March of last year, “After we launched Indiegogo in
January of 2008, we were rejected by 92 Venture investors before we raised our first round of traditional investment capital in March 2011. However, with each rejection brought more motivation to make Indiegogo work, as the whole purpose of Indiegogo was to remove gatekeepers from the financing equation and distribute the decision-making power of what ideas should thrive and which shouldn’t to the people.” She also joked, “ I like to say if Indiegogo had been around when Indiegogo needed to raise money to launch, we might’ve gotten a bit of a faster start.” Eventually, Indiegogo connected with a few investors who shared their vision. The rest, as they say, was history. Today Indiegogo has transformed into a smash-
ing success. Indiegogo has hosted more than 250,000 campaigns in 224 countries and territories. And its name — along with that of rival Kickstarter, which began in 2009 — has become synonymous with the crowdfunding movement. Ringelmann’s story is unique for a lot of reasons, but one of them is simply how rare it is: women create only eight percent of venture-backed startups. In an interview with VentureBeat, she was asked directly what it’s like being one of the few female founders in Silicon Valley. Ringelmann replied, “ Indiegogo is helping to level the funding playing field. We know that it’s harder for women to succeed. In venture capital, only three percent of businesses have a woman on their execu-
tive team. Meanwhile, on Indiegogo, 47 percent of campaigns that reach their funding target are run by women. We’re literally changing the industry by showing it without having to talk about it. It’s just happening.” She also noted that Indiegogo is an equal opportunity workplace without even trying to be one. As she adds, “ I left finance because it was biased and created these buddy systems. We’re building a system where everyone has access to equal opportunity. At Indiegogo, half of our employees are women, and half of our leadership is women. None of that was done in a quota fashion. It was organic. I feel a responsibility to share this story, as I’m hoping it will inspire others. We’ll get there.”
Not With Those Shoes
Spring Trends and Wacky Weather
by HOPE BRANDES
Sophomore Visual Arts & Technology Major
Waiting for your summer romance to sweep you off your feet? Maybe this season’s romantic styles will instead. This summer’s feature trends are lace, ruffles and offthe-shoulder tops i.e. the perfect recipe for a date night. The bipolar weather lately also means it’s the best time for layering, so grab your fave spring jacket and let’s get shopping! Lace is easy to tackle because you can dress it up or dress it down, and it works with almost every item from dresses to tops to accessories. I’m also a big fan of “twosies,” out-
fits made from two separate items matching in structure or print. That’s why Abercrombie’s lace crop cami and matching lace shorts are on my wish list. The lace pencil skirt is another versatile piece that can look classy or flirty depending on how you style it. A nice blouse or sweater will give a dressier feel while a crop top or gray v-neck tee will dress it down for lunch in the city or a dinner date. Of course, you can always take the easy route and opt for a pastel or white lace dress and wedges for a timeless summer look. Believe it or not, lace was also one of the recurring trends for men’s fashion on the runway this season. Dare to make it your own? For ruffles less is more, but a few accents can really dress up an outfit. A ruffled top or blouse, though typically formal, creates a happy medium with light wash skinny jeans and a sleeveless trench coat. Ruffles lay-
er nicely with jackets, cardigans and vests that can be worn open, like a blazer or leather coat. To avoid looking like a 5-year-old at a princess birthday party, pick larger, structured ruffles and make it the statement piece of your outfit. Typically a blouse has ruffle extending from the collar down the middle, but a more unique look might feature ruffles on the sleeves, around the hem of the skirt or on a tiered top. It’s time to give your sweaters the cold shoulder because the hottest trend right now is bare shoulders. Whether it be a cutout detail or completely off-the-shoulder style, you can keep cool and look cute at the same time. I can’t think of a store that doesn’t sell this style right now, and it works with almost anything. I especially love cold shoulder tops with maxi skirts or ankle pants to show a little more on top and a little
less on the bottom. One of my personal summer faves is the deconstructed button down. Maybe I’m the only one who admittedly loves oxford shirts, but many designers have reinvented the button down’s summer role. Cropped, sleeveless, ruffled, twisted hem, tie-neck… what can’t you do? All of these and the shirtdress are easy breezy ways to keep your button downs in your closet all summer long. Looking for inspiration? Try Zara’s frilled poplin shirt or Topshop’s Short Sleeve Ruffle Short. Men’s fashion is always a little crazier on the runway and this season was littered with bold patterns head-totoe, jumpsuits (overalls), bowling shirts, and short shorts. What to make of this mess? Bold patterns are in, especially Eastern themes, but pick one pattern as a focal point for a shirt and match it will solid colored bot-
toms and accessories. Do try out some funky, spring patterns though. Florals are not just for girls. From skirts to pajamas to short shorts, bottoms were a little all over. If you’re not feeling as adventurous, try a relaxed fit jean, the more distressed the better. But hey, I’m all for personal style and pushing boundaries, don’t be afraid to embrace the wilder side of the runway! Maybe it’s about time… In the meantime, while we dream of beaches and flip-flops but the weather still demands we keep warm, that doesn’t mean we can’t dabble into our spring wardrobes a little. Your best friends right now are jackets. I’m still pulling out my winter coat for the occasionally freak flurry, but when the sun gets a little brighter our jackets will get a little lighter. Trench coats are both a never-go-out-of-style staple and the love of my life. I love the contrast sleeve
look for girls. I tend to stick to tan or camel but an x-long medium gray duster is currently on my want list. For men, gray was the runway ‘it’ color this spring and singlebreasted rain coats were aplenty. Suede is still in from the lingering 70’s revival so guys can also try a suede zip up or, for super casual rainy days, the Anorak is back. Underneath that, a light sweater layered over a bright or pastel colored button down is a great look for either gender. This is your opportunity to slip into some gingham – my to-die-for pattern. I recently purchased a light gray sweater and pink gingham shirt by Tommy Hilfiger from Macy’s for $30 each. You might not think of dresses as layering items but I swear they work too! A sleeveless dress or jumper look cute paired with a tiefront blouse, turtleneck or simple tee. Don’t forget tights, too!
WCPR ReWrite
THE NEW STYLE: Week of 4/7/16 by WCPR REWRITE STAFF
Thanks to the advent of music recording software that’s as accessible as the channels to distribute the latest Hot Track, it may seem easy to drown in the river of new tunes these days. Here are some choice cuts from your friendly neighborhood college radio staff in case you need a life-preserver: “Counterfeit” by Spree Wilson Bless Saint Heron – the dynamic label started by
Solange Knowles is a reliable resource for content from both contemporary R&B mainstays and promising up-andcoming talent. Case-andpoint: Nashville’s Spree Wilson, whose “Counterfeit” is a minimalist take on the ups and down’s of a new love. Sealed with the same kiss as Frank Ocean’s channel ORANGE (Malay also produced the new Zayn album apparently???), this a fresh addition to any Spring playlist. Bonus points for the intersectional feminist-touting video! – Andy Waldron “If I Had a Dog” by
Frankie Cosmos I’ve been living and breathing all things Great Kline for last six months. There are unmistakable melodies that will not leave my head. I’ll be walking down a flight of stairs and all of a sudden the descent becomes several hops and a skip all to the tune of anything from Zentropy. I had extremely high hopes with the announcement of the new album and I was not disappointed in the slightest. Next Thing is by far my favorite album of year so far. It’s everything I wanted and more, keeping all
of the signature sounds but spinning a new story with another dog song. Besides, what other artist can make me miss a dog I’ve never met? – Emma Murphy “Your Best American Girl” by Mitski When I put this on I immediately transported through time. I’m sitting in a car. I’m younger. I have my right hand cast out the car window and I can feel the wind pulsing between my fingers. My hair dances around my face as the wind comes in stronger and stronger. Between my hair I can see the sun setting as we approach dusk. The
sun is bleeding oranges and reds that fill up the space between the evergreens. I look over to the driver but the light is coming from behind him. I can’t see his face but I know who he is. All I want is to be his best American girl but he’ll never know. I’ll never say. – Emma Murphy “Drone Bomb Me” by ANOHNI There are many moments of suspended disbelief during the four minutes “Drone Bomb Me” occupies; the land mines of Hudson Mohawke’s tectonic production coupled with Oneohtrix Point Never’s
grounding radar blips. ANOHNI’s truly haunting delivery, an immediate resonance left lingering over the last phrase of each verse as it trails off in the distance. Her most arresting quality leaving us in awe, however? The artist’s true mastery, found within forcing us to face debilitating desolation headon through the disturbingly seductive vessel of a love song. – Andy Waldron Be sure to check out these and other staff selections over at the WCPR Spotify page: play.spotify.com/user/ wcpr