This episode of Talent First is a little different and a slight departure from The CISO Season. I speak to Emily Maxie, StartUp Marketing Advisor about her recent appearance on ABC 11 News. In her interview, Emily talked about Raleigh, North Carolina's climbing of the women in tech rankings, beating other states such as Seattle and San Francisco, not only in terms of the number of women in tech but the number of women in senior positions.

I was intrigued about this, about the link between education programs, mentoring and women in tech groups and about the current issues for startups, especially for those with female founders.

As a seasoned startup executive, Emily Maxie has a proven track record of steering early-stage startups through pivotal growth moments. As Chief Marketing Officer at Very, she scaled revenue from $2M to $26M, securing its position as a category leader. Beyond her corporate achievements, Emily is a vocal advocate for gender equity in tech, frequently sharing her insights through keynote speeches at tech conferences, guest appearances on industry podcasts, and features on news segments, including ABC News.