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Women Don't Want To Run Startups Because They'd Rather Have Children

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Re: Women Don't Want To Run Startups Because They'd Rather Have Children

#93

As a woman (and someone who is friends with the Brazen peeps) this is highly insulting. It assumes that all women want to have children, that men are mostly absent/dismissive in their children's lives (if they have them), and insinuates that women just aren't biologically fit to run a company. I know Penelope has kind of made a name for herself in saying things that shock people, so I wouldn't doubt that this is in t…

And for every woman like you there are 10 more women who are stay-at-home mom's and/or just like Penelope's characterization. The exceptional cases do not invalidate the general rule.

Re: Women Don't Want To Run Startups Because They'd Rather Have Children

#94
post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Women aren't launching tech/web/software companies at twice the rate of men, so that's irrelevant. Few other fields do VC the way tech/web/software does.

you're saying that the way tech/web/software does VC has a huge negative impact on women founders. why do you think that's irrelevant?

Correlation, causation, everybody's heard that old saw. I certainly didn't say what you claim I said. What I said was: Few other fields do VC the way this one does. By which I mean, most fields don't do VC.

At all.

VC is almost purely a tech/bio/med thing. Most small businesses - which is what startups are, by the way - take loans. That's how it usually works.

Re: Women Don't Want To Run Startups Because They'd Rather Have Children

#95
post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are lots of bootstrapped companies that are not "pre-traction," and, in fact, making hundreds of thousands of dollars (or millions). You'd be very surprised. The "startup" press (including HN) is a real echochamber, and this lack of awareness about bootstrapping is one of the side effects. Check out my speaker list at http://schnitzelconf.com . That's why I asked everyone I knew - and asked them to ask everyone…

I'm a pre-traction bootstrapping lady. Pleasure to meet you.

Hi Marilyn. Awesome. But by "pre-traction" are you referring to List Central? Because, by my definition, that isn't a product. Bootstrapping to me means you have to charge.

It's not that hard to find women heading up traditional web 2.0 properties, like social networks and social media tools (that don't charge).

Re: Women Don't Want To Run Startups Because They'd Rather Have Children

#96
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are way more women running tech startups that have VC funding than there are with bootstrapping. Really? I'm not so sure. Perhaps it is just hard to hear about the women that are bootstrapping tech companies. Companies that are being bootstrapped typically are pre-traction, and have not received the buzz in the tech media that comes with raising a funding round.

There are lots of bootstrapped companies that are not "pre-traction," and, in fact, making hundreds of thousands of dollars (or millions). You'd be very surprised. The "startup" press (including HN) is a real echochamber, and this lack of awareness about bootstrapping is one of the side effects. Check out my speaker list at http://schnitzelconf.com . That's why I asked everyone I knew - and asked them to ask everyone…

Agreed, but once a company is already making lots of money I tend to drop the "bootstrapping" adjective to refer to their present state of operation. :) There are a few women in the NYC startup scene who are "bootstrapping" their companies for months (or longer) until they have revenue or are ready to raise funds.

Your speaker list looks great. And if you are only looking for women coders, who have built successful product companies, that have never taken VC then I agree they are hard to find! But keep in mind that there are not many startup teams that raise VC where there is a founding female coder either.

Re: Women Don't Want To Run Startups Because They'd Rather Have Children

#97
post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a pre-traction bootstrapping lady. Pleasure to meet you.

Hi Marilyn. Awesome. But by "pre-traction" are you referring to List Central? Because, by my definition, that isn't a product. Bootstrapping to me means you have to charge. It's not that hard to find women heading up traditional web 2.0 properties, like social networks and social media tools (that don't charge).

Totally get your definition of bootstrapping. But it is also in common usage in a much looser sense -- at least i hear it used that way quite a lot!

Good luck Marilyn!

Re: Women Don't Want To Run Startups Because They'd Rather Have Children

#98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, women are more risk averse... but why is that? Is it possible it cycles back to the same instinctual genealogical pulls to continue the bloodline?

An evolutionary argument could be made that it's because a man that does extremely risky things (like, say, sleeping with every woman that he is able to) can spread his genes far and wide as a reward for such behavior (he'll have a lot of children). Whereas a woman engaging in the same behaviors can only be have one child every nine months, and for most of human history, every pregnancy carried with it a high risk of…

I encourage you to write this up, as it is a fairly novel take on potentially quantitatively testing evolutionary psychology theories one way or the other. Do you have an email or contact info? If you write me at the email in my profile I could put you in touch with some senior population geneticists who I'm sure would be interested.

Re: Women Don't Want To Run Startups Because They'd Rather Have Children

#99
post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know, rats can have more offspring than your sister in just a month. I don't see what's admirable about fulfilling one's biological destiny. And who cares about law school or baseball teams? If she had gotten a PhD in Quantum Field Theory while raising 6 kids, then...

I think you've got it wrong. I think the point he was trying top make is the time management aspect (as parents know, kids are a huge time sink, god bless'em). I've got only one, and he's making it extremely hard to put extra time on anything. So, actually having N kids is nothing to boast about, doing so while being able to do anything meaningful is.

I know a medical doctor who had 14 kids (oh, those catholics). And she still managed to practise medicine when she was not spreading her legs to launch another baby in this world. Sounds much more impressive than managing a baseball team, imho. The OP wants the HN crowd to assure him of what a special and unique snowflake his sister is, when she's merely doing something that is the norm in some parts of the world.

Re: Women Don't Want To Run Startups Because They'd Rather Have Children

#100
post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a pre-traction bootstrapping lady. Pleasure to meet you.

Hi Marilyn. Awesome. But by "pre-traction" are you referring to List Central? Because, by my definition, that isn't a product. Bootstrapping to me means you have to charge. It's not that hard to find women heading up traditional web 2.0 properties, like social networks and social media tools (that don't charge).

List Central was the first go at it. The second go is in stealth. It definitely has a price!
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