Queens of Tech Podcast | 100 Voices of Impact | Representation Matters!

Inspired by the success of their coffee catering business, Iranthi Gomes and her partner ventured into the tech realm with the launch of Serviceform. This innovative platform comprises 13 essential tools designed to empower businesses in areas such as website traffic conversion, customer communication, marketing process management, and email marketing campaigns. Originally from Sri Lanka, Gomes currently resides in Finland.

At the age of 28, Gomes achieved notable recognition by earning a coveted spot on Forbes magazine's 30 Under 30 Europe list in 2022. Her role as co-founder and CEO of Serviceform, a global B2B SaaS company, played a pivotal role in securing this honor. Serviceform's comprehensive suite of tools addresses crucial business needs, assisting in customer communication, website visitor conversion, and overall management within a unified platform.

Having co-founded the company alongside her partner, Jarkko Okasen, in 2017, Gomes has led Serviceform to expand its reach to Spain and Sri Lanka. The company's success is further highlighted by a substantial funding achievement of USD 2.4 million secured in an investment round in January 2022. As a dynamic entrepreneur with a passion for advancing business technology, Iranthi Gomes continues to make significant strides in the global tech landscape.

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Cindy Gallop is a distinguished professional with over three decades of experience in brand-building, marketing, and advertising. She began her impactful career by establishing the US office of the renowned ad agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty in New York in 1998. In recognition of her outstanding contributions, she was honored as Advertising Woman of the Year in 2003.

As the founder and CEO of IfWeRanTheWorld, Cindy introduced co-action software that revolutionizes the business model by emphasizing Shared Values + Shared Action = Shared Profit (both financial and social). The platform, launched at TED 2010 and later featured as a Harvard Business School case study, empowers brands to shape the future of business.

Cindy is also the visionary behind MakeLoveNotPorn, a social Sextech platform launched at TED 2009. With the mission of promoting positive sexual behavior and values, she recently secured $2 million to develop MLNP.tv as 'the Social Sex Revolution.' In response to funding challenges, she is pioneering the world's first Sextech fund, AllTheSky Holdings.

In addition to her entrepreneurial ventures, Cindy serves as a board advisor to various tech ventures, offering her expertise in personal branding, life coaching, and executive coaching. Describing her consultancy approach as 'blowing things up,' she is often referred to as the 'Michael Bay of business.'

Cindy's influence extends to her recognition by Business Insider as one of the 15 Most Important Marketing Strategy Thinkers Today, alongside luminaries like Malcolm Gladwell and Seth Godin. She holds prominent positions in various influential lists, including Campaign's Top 10 Trailblazers for multiple years and a high rank in the Top 30 People In Advertising To Follow On Twitter.

An advocate for diversity and inclusion, Cindy chaired the Cannes Lions 2015 Glass Lion Awards, designed to celebrate advertising challenging gender stereotypes. Her commitment to social impact also led her to partner with AARP for their Disrupt Aging initiative, addressing and challenging ageism.

In her TEDBook, 'Make Love Not Porn: Technology’s Hardcore Impact on Human Behavior,' Cindy explores the profound impact of technology on human behavior. Renowned for her compelling and inspirational talks, she is celebrated for her ability to challenge industry norms and inspire positive change.

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Saumya Bhatnagar, Chief Product Officer, and Co-founder of involve.ai, boasts a remarkable track record as a Forbes 30 Under 30 alum, recipient of the Stevie Gold Entrepreneur of the Year award, and inclusion in the National Diversity Council's prestigious 50 Most Powerful Women in Tech list. With a Master's in Computer Science from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a specialization in Natural Language Processing, Saumya is an accomplished software leader with a proven history of delivering successful project outcomes.

Before co-founding InvolveSoft, Saumya displayed her entrepreneurial spirit by founding a startup immediately after high school. The venture aimed at leveraging technology to identify and reduce female birth cessation across India, resulting in a system now adopted by India's regional governments. Following this impactful initiative, Saumya pursued and completed her Master's in Computer Science from the University of California. Her commitment to societal impact continued with the founding of another nonprofit in India, focusing on female empowerment. Through her various endeavors, Saumya has emerged as a prominent advocate for enhanced representation of women in the tech sector.

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Lekisha Middleton is the visionary Founder of The Good Success Network, a global management consulting, and executive coaching firm dedicated to cultivating a workforce that is well-prepared and workplaces that are diverse, equitable, and inclusive. With a focus on aligning work with purpose and values, Lekisha guides her clients in crafting a life they love and a legacy they can be proud of.

As a devoted advocate for both technology and humanity, Lekisha is compelled by a passion to empower individuals, particularly those from underrepresented and minoritized groups. Her mission involves equipping people with the tools and strategies essential for success across all aspects of life. Whether working with individual clients, teams, or entire organizations, Lekisha's approach revolves around fostering transformation and effecting positive change. In her guidance, clients find a safe space to clarify their vision, nurture their strengths, and build the confidence needed to forge ahead on their most optimal path.

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Karin Hennessy serves as the Director of Product Management for User Trust and Privacy at Google, overseeing consumer privacy and controls in advertising. As a dedicated advocate for users, she is committed to ushering in the next generation of pro-consumer experiences in advertising and ensuring equitable access to information for all. With a robust background in advertising technology, Karin has played a pivotal role in driving innovation in ads at Google for over a decade. Her contributions include shaping leading products like Display & Video 360 and Ads Creative Studio before pivoting her focus to consumer tools.

Prior to her tenure at Google, Karin applied her curiosity about how people adopt technology, drawn from her Anthropology degree from Columbia University, to roles at advertising agencies such as Razorfish and Publicis. In these positions, she guided brands and marketers through the transformative landscape of digital advertising.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Karin dedicates her time to chasing after her three lively young sons in both Brooklyn and upstate New York. While hobbies are a rare indulgence with such a bustling family life, she occasionally finds moments for yoga, baking, and gardening.

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Helena is the visionary CEO and Founder of GLOBHE, dedicated to forging a more sustainable future through the pioneering Crowddroning platform. A staunch advocate for the belief that the future of possibilities is already within our grasp, Helena is fueled by a passionate commitment to leveraging innovative technology and fostering collaborations to showcase and lead the way forward.

Her notable recognitions include being ranked among the "World's Top 50 Women in Tech" by Forbes, earning the title of "Swede of the Year Innovation 2020," securing a place among the most powerful businesswomen in Sweden and being featured as the "Drone Queen" on BBC. Helena's leadership at the helm of GLOBHE reflects her unwavering dedication to driving positive change through groundbreaking technologies and visionary initiatives.

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Streetbees -the world’s first human intelligence platform.

Tugce Bulut serves as the CEO and founder of Streetbees, a groundbreaking global intelligence platform established in 2015. Headquartered in London, Streetbees has revolutionized the gathering of data and insights on human behavior by analyzing real-life moments sourced from its extensive user base and communities worldwide. This innovative approach enables organizations to gain a deeper understanding of consumer behavior, surpassing the capabilities of traditional surveys and methodologies through the application of machine learning and natural language processing to consumer data.

Tugce's commitment to the transformative power of data is evident in her role as a published author and her attainment of a Master's degree from the University of Cambridge, specializing in poverty alleviation and global living standards. Before founding Streetbees, she spent six years as a strategy consultant, providing guidance to technology and consumer companies on accelerating growth in international markets.

Streetbees boasts a global user base of over 3.5 million individuals, referred to as 'bees,' spanning 189 countries. Users engage with the chat-style Streetbees app to share moments from their daily lives through videos, photos, and text, providing valuable information at their discretion.

The platform has garnered support from renowned investors and entrepreneurs, solidifying its status as a trailblazer in the field. In October 2020, Streetbees successfully closed a £30 million Series B round led by Lakestar, marking a significant milestone in the development of the world's first human intelligence platform. Tugce's leadership and dedication continue to drive Streetbees toward new heights of success and innovation.

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Josie holds the position of Senior Technical Program Manager at Microsoft, where she leverages her expertise in developing comprehensive reporting structures and data models. With a focus on supporting organizational performance tracking within product and industry contexts, Josie has been an integral part of executive teams.

Her academic background is marked by an MBA with a specialization in entrepreneurship and a foray into full-stack web development at the University of Washington. Currently, Josie spearheads a development team responsible for implementing data infrastructure for Azure Cloud data analytics.

Josie's proficiency extends to data engineering and Business Intelligence development, where she actively engages in coaching early-career or aspiring Business Intelligence Developers. Her guidance centers around building efficient data pipelines and creating impactful visualizations that effectively communicate business insights. Josie's multifaceted skill set and commitment to mentoring underscore her contributions to the dynamic landscape of data and analytics at Microsoft.

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Tonya Makowski has been immersed in the field of Information Technology since 2004 when she initially assumed the role of an "accidental techie" at a non-profit organization. Recognizing her affinity for technology, she pursued and successfully completed a Computer Science degree in 2009, with a specialized focus on data management.

Throughout her dynamic career, Tonya has showcased her versatility by taking on various roles, including web developer, database developer, .Net developer, IT support technician, and project manager. Her commitment to the industry is not only evident in her professional pursuits but also in her active participation as a speaker at tech conferences, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) events, and tech boot camps.

Currently, Tonya extends her expertise and passion for DEI by volunteering for the DEI Committee within the Parents Teacher Association (PTA) at her son's high school. Beyond her professional commitments, she indulges in the unique hobby of axe throwing during her free time, showcasing a well-rounded and adventurous spirit. Tonya's journey in the IT realm reflects her dedication to continuous learning, adaptability, and making impactful contributions to both her professional community and beyond.

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Dora Palfi stands as the CEO and co-founder of imagiLabs,, a Stockholm-based startup with an all-female founding team, dedicated to bridging the gender gap in coding.

Dora brings a wealth of experience to her role, having spent years teaching programming to children and teenagers while being a vocal advocate for women in the technology sector. Before establishing imagiLabs, she co-founded Women@EIT, a community and network for women affiliated with the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). This initiative aimed to bolster the female presence in the field and provide support for the development of students and alumni at EIT.

In her diverse professional journey, Dora has also served as a developer at Morgan Stanley and worked as a UX Designer at Cisco. Her educational background is equally impressive, holding a Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience with a minor in Computer Science from New York University Abu Dhabi. She further expanded her knowledge by studying Human-Computer Interaction at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.

Originally hailing from Hungary, Dora currently resides in Stockholm. Her achievements have not gone unnoticed, as evidenced by her inclusion in Hungary’s Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2020. Additionally, she emerged as one of the European finalists in the 2020 edition of the Cartier Women’s Initiative and secured the Best Startup award at the Women in Tech Awards 2020. Dora's multifaceted contributions, spanning education, advocacy, and entrepreneurship, underscore her commitment to driving positive change in the tech industry.

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