connecting and inspiring entrepreneurial women
About StartupChicks
StartupChicks was founded in February of 2009. Our mission is:
1.) To Connect entrepreneurial women.
2.) To Grow, inspire and educate women on entrepreneurship as a career/life choice.
Jennifer Bonnett, CTO - Mooring Tech
Jennifer is a technology entrepreneur with over 20 years experience in the Information Technology field. Jennifer has held numerous CTO positions in technology startups. Most notably, Jennifer was the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of eTour.com. eTour.com was an internet advertising engine similar in nature to a search engine. As the sole technology-oriented founder, she designed, developed, and launched the initial version of eTour.com in the spring of 1998. She eventually grew the technology staff to 60 employees, as the company grew to 180 employees.
In 1999, eTour.com was labeled the “Most Addictive” site on the web by Industry Standard; the “coolest tool site” of the year by http://www.coolsiteoftheday.com; and was ranked number 1 in average days visited by MediaMetrix (a.k.a. the “stickiest” site on the web). By April of 2001, eTour had grown to 5 million subscribers and was ranked number 71 in total traffic for the world wide web by MediaMetrix. eTour.com was acquired by Ask Jeeves (now ASK.com) in May of 2001.
Melanie Brandt, Business Development Manager for IT & Advanced Communications for the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce
In this role, Brandt is responsible for recruiting, retaining, expanding and facilitating technology business for the region. She also serves as the technology liaison between Gwinnett County and the Georgia Department of Economic Development Department and other key Economic Development entities. An active member of the technology community, Brandt was the Director of Community and Information Resources and served on the Leadership Council for the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) prior to joining the Gwinnett Chamber. She focused on several key assignments for TAG, including assisting in the creation of the annual GRA/TAG Business Launch Competition and State of the Industry: Technology in Georgia Report, two initiatives that furthered the organization as a key information repository and resource for the entrepreneur and venture capital community. Brandt was also the President of the Atlanta Telecom Professionals (ATP) in 2005 and 2006 after serving as their Director of Events in 2003 and then as Vice President in 2004.
Prior to joining TAG, Melanie was responsible for sales and marketing at FiberLight, an Atlanta-based fiber optics company, and was the national account manager for the southeast territory for ICG Communications, a VoIP company. She was also a consultant for PulverMedia, creators of the International VON VoIP trade show.
Melanie has a degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder and is pursuing an MBA from the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University.
Cindy Cheatham - Director of Business Development, Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC)
Ms. Cheatham is Director of Business Development at the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), a nationally recognized science and technology incubator that helps Georgia entrepreneurs launch and build successful companies. At ATDC, Ms. Cheatham provides strategic advice to startups. She also leads strategic partnership and key relationship development activities.
Prior to working for ATDC, Cindy was Director of Business Development for ATDC graduate company, Blue Rock, Inc. and Director of Marketing for acquiring company RichFX. Ms. Cheatham is also a former management consultant for Bain & Company and a financial analyst with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.
Cindy is an honors graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned an MBA from Harvard University with distinction. She enjoys tennis and is active in a variety of local not-for-profits including Community Consulting Teams and the PTA at Montgomery Elementary. Ms. Cheatham is a frequent speaker to entrepreneurs and has led award-winning entrepreneurial programs. Ms. Cheatham was a nominee for WIT’s Woman of the Year in Technology.
Celia Dyer, DMD - Founder & Executive Producer of TechDrawl
Celia R. Dyer, D.M.D. – Founder & Executive Producer of TechDrawl, a video blog sequel to Southeast Innovations. TechDrawl is produced by Innovations Publishing, LLC, from its ATDC headquarters at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Dyer is responsible for the site concept and styling, producing the video content, and writing about about interesting entrepreneurs, businesses and events. She holds a BBA in marketing from the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University and a DMD from the University of Alabama School of Dentistry with honors in Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology. She is a licensed general dentist by profession, formerly specializing in cosmetic, and implant dentistry. She owned Tuxedo Dental, P.C. in the Buckhead community of Atlanta, GA and owned a sportswear manufacturing company prior to that. A near-native of Atlanta, she is married to Ben J. Dyer and lives in Buckhead.
Shannon Hubbell - Project Management
Shannon is currently a Senior Project Manager in Turner Broadcasting's Strategic Audience Solutions group; but, prior to that she held the position of Director of Implementation at Atlanta Startup ShortTail Media. Shannon has also held other project management positions at Turner Broadcasting as well as at Applied Biosystems and Internet Security Systems. Prior to that Shannon was a software engineer at two Atlanta Startups (CoreCommerce and BlackFin), Turner Broadcasting, Indus International and Payless ShoeSource. Shannon has a BS in Computer Information Systems from Friends University and an Executive MBA in Management of Technology from Georgia Tech. Shannon has also recently launched @AtlantaHelps which aims to help multiple charities throughout the year, and is on Team Echo. Echo is a place-based storytelling project for the city of Atlanta, with more details to follow soon.
1.) To Connect entrepreneurial women.
2.) To Grow, inspire and educate women on entrepreneurship as a career/life choice.
Founders
Jennifer Bonnett, CTO - Mooring Tech
Jennifer is a technology entrepreneur with over 20 years experience in the Information Technology field. Jennifer has held numerous CTO positions in technology startups. Most notably, Jennifer was the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of eTour.com. eTour.com was an internet advertising engine similar in nature to a search engine. As the sole technology-oriented founder, she designed, developed, and launched the initial version of eTour.com in the spring of 1998. She eventually grew the technology staff to 60 employees, as the company grew to 180 employees.
In 1999, eTour.com was labeled the “Most Addictive” site on the web by Industry Standard; the “coolest tool site” of the year by http://www.coolsiteoftheday.com; and was ranked number 1 in average days visited by MediaMetrix (a.k.a. the “stickiest” site on the web). By April of 2001, eTour had grown to 5 million subscribers and was ranked number 71 in total traffic for the world wide web by MediaMetrix. eTour.com was acquired by Ask Jeeves (now ASK.com) in May of 2001.
Melanie Brandt, Business Development Manager for IT & Advanced Communications for the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce
In this role, Brandt is responsible for recruiting, retaining, expanding and facilitating technology business for the region. She also serves as the technology liaison between Gwinnett County and the Georgia Department of Economic Development Department and other key Economic Development entities. An active member of the technology community, Brandt was the Director of Community and Information Resources and served on the Leadership Council for the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) prior to joining the Gwinnett Chamber. She focused on several key assignments for TAG, including assisting in the creation of the annual GRA/TAG Business Launch Competition and State of the Industry: Technology in Georgia Report, two initiatives that furthered the organization as a key information repository and resource for the entrepreneur and venture capital community. Brandt was also the President of the Atlanta Telecom Professionals (ATP) in 2005 and 2006 after serving as their Director of Events in 2003 and then as Vice President in 2004.
Prior to joining TAG, Melanie was responsible for sales and marketing at FiberLight, an Atlanta-based fiber optics company, and was the national account manager for the southeast territory for ICG Communications, a VoIP company. She was also a consultant for PulverMedia, creators of the International VON VoIP trade show.
Melanie has a degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder and is pursuing an MBA from the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University.
Cindy Cheatham - Director of Business Development, Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC)
Ms. Cheatham is Director of Business Development at the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), a nationally recognized science and technology incubator that helps Georgia entrepreneurs launch and build successful companies. At ATDC, Ms. Cheatham provides strategic advice to startups. She also leads strategic partnership and key relationship development activities.
Prior to working for ATDC, Cindy was Director of Business Development for ATDC graduate company, Blue Rock, Inc. and Director of Marketing for acquiring company RichFX. Ms. Cheatham is also a former management consultant for Bain & Company and a financial analyst with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.
Cindy is an honors graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned an MBA from Harvard University with distinction. She enjoys tennis and is active in a variety of local not-for-profits including Community Consulting Teams and the PTA at Montgomery Elementary. Ms. Cheatham is a frequent speaker to entrepreneurs and has led award-winning entrepreneurial programs. Ms. Cheatham was a nominee for WIT’s Woman of the Year in Technology.
Celia Dyer, DMD - Founder & Executive Producer of TechDrawl
Celia R. Dyer, D.M.D. – Founder & Executive Producer of TechDrawl, a video blog sequel to Southeast Innovations. TechDrawl is produced by Innovations Publishing, LLC, from its ATDC headquarters at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Dyer is responsible for the site concept and styling, producing the video content, and writing about about interesting entrepreneurs, businesses and events. She holds a BBA in marketing from the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University and a DMD from the University of Alabama School of Dentistry with honors in Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology. She is a licensed general dentist by profession, formerly specializing in cosmetic, and implant dentistry. She owned Tuxedo Dental, P.C. in the Buckhead community of Atlanta, GA and owned a sportswear manufacturing company prior to that. A near-native of Atlanta, she is married to Ben J. Dyer and lives in Buckhead.
Shannon Hubbell - Project Management
Shannon is currently a Senior Project Manager in Turner Broadcasting's Strategic Audience Solutions group; but, prior to that she held the position of Director of Implementation at Atlanta Startup ShortTail Media. Shannon has also held other project management positions at Turner Broadcasting as well as at Applied Biosystems and Internet Security Systems. Prior to that Shannon was a software engineer at two Atlanta Startups (CoreCommerce and BlackFin), Turner Broadcasting, Indus International and Payless ShoeSource. Shannon has a BS in Computer Information Systems from Friends University and an Executive MBA in Management of Technology from Georgia Tech. Shannon has also recently launched @AtlantaHelps which aims to help multiple charities throughout the year, and is on Team Echo. Echo is a place-based storytelling project for the city of Atlanta, with more details to follow soon.
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