In a sector that is conventionally characterized by limited access to financial support, but also, equally important, lack of mentorship and peer network, Virtuzone’s Connect Breakfast proved to be a touch point like no other for women entrepreneurs, where practical advice met sky-high inspiration, networking fuelled opportunity, and growth strategies were the most coveted rumours. “We are committed to accelerating the advancement of women and the growth of their businesses by fostering an upbeat entrepreneurship environment and promoting a network where women could share their knowledge, solve problems, make new contacts and forge alliances”, said Neil Petch, Chairman, Virtugroup.

“Globally the number of women entrepreneurs is growing and women are seen as a force for stabilizing employment and supporting continued economic growth. We believe there is great potential for the UAE community of female entrepreneurs to mirror this trend, but there is still much that can be done to help them reach their full potential,” added Petch.

Mona Ataya, the event’s guest speaker was uniquely positioned to give advice to budding women entrepreneurs. She is widely respected and well known as one of the leading champions for entrepreneurship in the region, with 20 years of experience in high leadership positions and at the helm of some of the most dynamic companies in the regions, such as Mumzworld, a successful e-commerce platform she founded in 2011 to offer parents the widest choice of children’s products and the ability to search, compare and buy from a vast selection, easily and conveniently.

The Connect Breakfast was launched by Virtuzone in 2012 and was designed as a series of business networking events, that provide its customers with a regular platform for interaction and sharing, with a focus on the critical challenges and issues of small businesses. “When we started these gatherings we were pleasantly surprised by the turn-out and the level of entrepreneurship happening in the UAE. We thought that a dedicated platform aimed at bringing women entrepreneurs together on a regular basis to share best practices and spotlight the positive impact women-owned businesses have on the UAE economy, could be very beneficial”, explained Petch.

‘We also wanted to break away from the traditional networking events. We wanted to provide an intimate and worthwhile experience for all women attending, because we want to equally empower and inspire the newly set-up companies by stay-at-home moms, who just gathered the courage to set-up their own business; but also the high-growth start-ups of more experienced business women. To us there is no such thing as a small business. Without these small businesses and their stories, our community simply would not exist”, concluded Brett.

The next business networking mixer for women from Virtuzone’s Connect Breakfast series will take place in April 2013. Event details will follow in due time.

Mona Ataya and MumzWorld : An Overview.

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Credit & Rights : WSJ

Marianne Lake would also join the operating committee of the banking major, and would be reporting directly to CEO Jamie Dimon as she takes over the responsibility of the CFO early next year. “Marianne Lake is an outstanding choice for this critically important role,” said Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO, noting that “she has developed an impressive breadth of knowledge and experience in finance across both our wholesale and our consumer businesses — in the United States and around the world.”

“I hope to be described as a great partner and someone who helped drive and develop the business,” Lake said in a interview. Marianne Lake worked for PriceWaterhouseCoopers in London and Sydney before joining JPMorgan. She joined JPMorgan Chase as a senior financial officer for its UK operations, and took charge of its global finance infrastructure and control functions in its corporate finance group from 2004, running it till 2007.From 2007-09, she worked in JPMorgan’s investment bank as global controller in finance and business management.

Here is wishing her all the very best in her new role as one of the most powerful women on Wall Street.

According to a message posted at their corporate blog,

Since 1997, our team in Korea has provided high-quality editorial content and services, and has built a successful search advertising network. We’re proud of the work they’ve done. But despite the hard work of the team, the Korean operation has faced growing challenges over the past few years that now make scaling our business very difficult.

Yahoo! is committed to Asia. We have a solid business in APAC and see a lot of opportunity for growth across our content properties, communications services and ecommerce sites. We’ll continue to focus on building great experiences for the millions of people across the region who come to Yahoo! every day.”

The South Korea office of Yahoo, with its 200 employees will be shut by the end of 2012.

The recipients learned, through a phone call out of the blue from the Foundation, that they will each receive $500,000 in no-strings-attached support over the next five years. MacArthur Fellowships come without stipulations or reporting requirements and offer Fellows unprecedented freedom and opportunity to reflect, create, and explore. The unusual level of independence afforded to Fellows underscores the spirit of freedom intrinsic to creative endeavors. The work of MacArthur Fellows knows neither boundaries nor the constraints of age, place, and endeavor.

The selection process begins with formal nominations. Hundreds of anonymous nominators assist the Foundation in identifying people to be considered for a MacArthur Fellowship. Nominations are accepted only from invited nominators, a list that is constantly renewed throughout the year. They are chosen from many fields and challenged to identify people who demonstrate exceptional creativity and promise. A Selection Committee of roughly a dozen members, who also serve anonymously, meets regularly to review files, narrow the list, and make final recommendations to the Foundation’s Board of Directors. The number of Fellows selected each year is not fixed; typically, it varies between 20 and 25.

Including this year’s Fellows, 873 people, ranging in age from 18 to 82 at the time of their selection, have been named MacArthur Fellows since the inaugural class in 1981.

Here are the Women MacArthur Fellows 2012, honored for helping build a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. Click on each link to learn more of the recipients and video interviews.

The MacArthur Fellows Program : An Overview.

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“There are so many talented women across the country looking to develop their technical skills, meet new people with common interests and gain valuable startup experience,” said Jude Komuves, Vice President of People at Square in the press release that announced the event. “Code Camp will be an amazing place to start. We are thrilled to kick off this program and to share our passion for engineering and designing beautiful products to revolutionize commerce, ” she added.

The three-day program will include conversations and mentorship sessions with Square leaders, hands-on workshops with teams from across the company, Q&A sessions, as well as tours around the beautiful and historic Bay Area. Contest winners will be flown to San Francisco and provided accommodations during their stay. So if you are a female engineering student of 18 years or above, enrolled as a full-time student at a university in the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) and pursuing a degree in computer science, computer engineering or a related technical major, this is just for you.

For full contest rules and and details on how to apply,  click here.

Square Payment Service : An Overview.

After witnessing close friends and family suffering from cancer, Bratton noticed their urgent need for high-qualityfoods and the difficulty both patients and caregivers had finding healthy meals that mitigated the side effects of cancer treatment. Lack of proper nutrition contributed to fatigue, weight loss, weakened immune systems and depression. According to Susan Bratton, “The time and energy it takes to properly prepare food can be extremely taxing on patients, as well as caregivers. And they often don’t know what meals will alleviate nutritional side effects. Poor nutrition is indicated in 50 to 80 percent of all cancer patients. We hope to help by bringing balanced nutrition, tailored to help patients manage nutrition-related side effects, right to people’s doors.”

Meals to Heal employs oncology Registered Dietitians who hold the Certified Specialist in Oncology (“CSO”) credential, as well as a registered oncology nurse who holds the Oncology Certified Nurse (“OCN”) credential. Customers will be able to access this clinical team with their questions via telephone or internet.

“So many cancer patients struggle with proper nutrition,” states Dr. Elizabeth Chabner Thompson, MD, who is on the Scientific Advisory Board of Meals to Heal. “A service that provides convenient, safe and affordable nutrition could help many people undergoing treatment for cancer, supporting them through their treatment and preventing weight loss.”

Orders can be placed online for various meal programs, including 5-day and 7-day plans. In addition to home delivery of breakfast, lunch and dinner, patients will receive two daily snacks. Gift certificates and sample tasting packages are also offered. The Company will soon be offering a dinner-only option as well.

All fare from Meals to Heal is based on the proven Mediterranean Diet and meets the nutritional standards set forth by the USDA and the IOM. Entrees are paired with nutrient dense snacks to assist cancer patients in meeting their increased nutritional needs.

She was cleared for space assignment in 1979, selected as a mission specialist for mission STS-7 aboard the shuttle Challenger. When Challenger blasted off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on June 18, 1983, Sally soared into history as the first American woman in space. She was 32 years old.

The thing that I’ll remember most about the flight is that it was fun,” said Sally. “In fact, I’m sure it was the most fun I’ll ever have in my life.

She returned for a second mission after an year for an eight-day mission. Her training for her third mission was brutally cut short with the 1986 Challenger disaster, post which the program was suspended.In 1989, Dr. Ride joined the faculty at UCSD as a Professor of Physics and Director of the University of California’s California Space Institute. In 2001 she founded her own company, Sally Ride Science to pursue her long-time passion of motivating girls and young women to pursue careers in science, math and technology. The company creates entertaining science programs and publications for upper elementary and middle school students and their parents and teachers.

Long an advocate for improved science education, Dr. Ride has written five science books for children: To Space and Back; Voyager; The Third Planet; The Mystery of Mars; and Exploring Our Solar System. She has also initiated and directed education projects designed to fuel middle school students’ fascination with science.

Dr. Ride has been a member of the President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology and the National Research Council’s Space Studies Board, and has served on the Boards of the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, the Carnegie Institution of Washington, and the NCAA Foundation. Dr. Ride is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, and currently serves on the Boards of the Aerospace Corporation and the California Institute of Technology. She is the only person to have served on the Commissions investigating both the Space Shuttle Challenger and Columbia accidents.

Dr. Ride has received numerous honors and awards. She has been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the Astronaut Hall of Fame, and has received the Jefferson Award for Public Service, the von Braun Award, the Lindbergh Eagle, and the NCAA’s Theodore Roosevelt Award. She has also twice been awarded the NASA Space Flight Medal.

Ride is survived by her mother; her partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy; a sister; a niece and a nephew.

Sally Ride on Our Changing Climate.

“Ellen has great experience and insights operating web businesses at scale and brings a passion for consumer internet products,” said Mark Pincus, CEO and Founder, Zynga. “Ellen has also been a longtime Words With Friends player with her family and shares our mission to connect the world through games. We’re excited to welcome her to the Zynga family.”

“Zynga is truly about deep connections between people and the company has built a significant, engaged player community around the benefits of play and social,” said Siminoff. “I admire this vision and I look forward to working with Mark and my fellow directors to leverage Zynga’s tremendous success and extend its consumer facing platform for play even further.”

Siminoff is currently CEO of Shmoop University, Inc. an educational publishing company which aims to reduce the friction in learning. She also currently serves on the board of directors for Journal Communications, Inc., Mozilla Corporation, Solarwinds, Inc. and U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc.

Prior to joining Shmoop University, Inc. Siminoff served as President and CEO of Efficient Frontier, a provider of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) management services, building the company to $1 billion in spend under management. Siminoff was a founding executive at Yahoo! were she held a variety of roles in business and corporate development, culminating with overseeing Yahoo!’s entertainment and small business division. Siminoff graduated from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business with an MBA and Princeton University with a B.A. in economics.

Siminoff joins Zynga’s distinguished board members which include: Jeffrey Katzenberg, Reid Hoffman, Sunil Paul, William “Bing” Gordon, Stanley J. Meresman, Owen Van Natta, John Schappert and Mark Pincus.

Ellen Siminoff with Shmoop University at the ISTE 2012.

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Meredith Perry is the inventor of this technology which is already patented and is the founder and CEO of Ubeam. She was identified as one of the 30 under 30 by Forbes and has also been a student ambassador with NASA.

Perry might be the example of the next generation of entrepreneurs who are young, talented and has the zeal to dare to realize their dreams. Things stated working for Perry when she won an invention competition at the University of Pennsylvania. Walt Mossberg from All Things D of Wall Street Journal noticed her and invited her to present at All Things Digital, a conference he runs that is like Mecca for the tech industry.

In a blog  entry 4 months post the successful demo at All Things Digital, she succinctly describes her life as the  founder of UBeam,

My story is odd, as is my life.  To keep it short: over the past 10 months, I’ve (in no particular order): started a company, filed a patent, been in a David Lynch movie, been sued, fought with lawyers, flown around the country, flown in zero-gravity with NASA, researched extraterrestrial life, played drums in a band, learned the entire US legal system, got an “honorary MBA”, hosted a radio show, fought technology thieves, been on CNN & NPR, been to the White House, moved to NYC, graduated college, demoed my invention at All Things D…………and so much more. Life’s insane.  From all this, I’ve learned: to trust no one, to keep pushing, to never give up, to take risks, and to believe in myself even when no one else does.

Meredith Perry on drums with her version of Nirvana’s Lithium.

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Ubeam has already been receiving calls from mega corporations who would like to negotiate and win the technology but Perry is not giving in. Ubeam has currently recieved funding worth $750,000 and includes commitments from FF Angel (the angel investing arm of Founders Fund), Andreessen Horowitz, and CrunchFund, as well as angel investors Marissa Mayer, Tony Hsieh, Ellen Levy, Cane Investments (Judith McHale), and Ken Seiff.

Meredith Perry at Tedx Nashville : How to be a technology innovator

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And yes, the ultrasound-based device is safe for human body in case you wondered about that. The frequency Ubeam will use is just above the upper limit of human hearing.

Watch Meredith Perry and Nora Dweck giving a demo at All Things D

SAY’s blog post says, “Recognized for her talent and achievements as last year’s Ad Age Publisher of the Year for her work at TIME Magazine, she will join us with more than 20 years of experience at Conde Nast and TIME, among others. On top of all of Kim’s experience and talents, she stood out as an unbelievable culture fit with SAY. I’m confident that Kim will make a huge contribution in the next phase of our journey. Kim will join SAY as President based in New York and will be responsible for sales, marketing, media solutions and content operations.”

Prior to her work at TIME, she was Vice President and Publisher for Sports Illustrated and before that she spent nearly 10 years working at leading Condé Nast titles like SELF Magazine. Kim also worked at publications including ELLE and Elle Décor earlier in her career.

In addition to her professional success, Kelleher has forwarded many philanthropic initiatives with organizations involved with breast cancer, heart health, and other important causes. She is on the Board of Governors of Cancer and Careers, the charitable arm of Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW), and the Vice Chair of Women in Need, Inc (WIN). While at SELF, Kelleher also fostered many high-profile outreach campaigns and events including the Signature Workout in the Park health and wellness festival.

SAY on building a modern media program

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