>> Felicity Hassan: Thank you all for coming today. This is a really exciting that we get to have this conversation on International Women's Day. Thank you to the Library of Congress. Thank you to Dan-- to Danielle [indistinct] from P51 for getting this together. And thank you to my fabulous panelists. I think we're going to have a very interesting conversation today. So, I'd like to start with introductions, make sure that we all know everyone who's speaking up here. So I would ask you to introduce your name, your role, and, in the spirit of why we're here today. Maybe one moment in your career that highlighted why women would be critical to your business success. >> Assaf Rappaport: I start? Okay. Perfect. Men first. [Laughing] So-- So I'm Assaf Rappaport. I'm the CEO of Wiz. Wiz is a cloud security company, our kind of claim to fame, we just raised $900 million at $10 billion valuation. We are considered to be the fastest company ever to $10 billion, which is important, I would say, because we broke the record of JUUL. So, kind of-- yeah, faster. We're selling cybersecurity and doing, I think, something that is more valuable than e-cigarettes. So it's-- [Laughs]good to take that off-- off the charts, in a way. I think I would love to share a moment from my career that changed-- totally changed my mindset. I must say, it's not-- it's not related specifically to women, in a way, but it totally related to diversity. So when I started my first startup, you know, the first thing and the easiest thing for for me was to recruit my friends. Easy. And that's what start-ups should do, basically. Hey, you need to go fast. You don't have a lot of resources. You cannot-- you don't have HR, or recruiting firm, or something that you can work. You basically-- Who is your friends? Who's the people that is like as you? Studied at the same place, coming from the same background? For us, it was a military background. 8200 and whoa! And I'll tell you, it worked. It worked fabulously. One of operating group that worked forever together, working fast, have the same language in a way. Literally, it was language that we understand, the acronyms that we're talking. We have the same jokes. We're everything is the same, by the way, including women in that group as well. Having said that. When we understood, we took to the market the best product ever and nobody used it. Because we build it for military. That's where we came from. We built a security product that was super good for military, but we're selling to corporate America, which is a different view. And literally, if we were just open minded to-- in the beginning and we thought like, "Oh, we found a way of being again its, how fast can you move, and how innovation is not working that way. So for me, it's all about diversity. It's diversity mindset, it's-- of course it's women. I think that the importance of that because it's a great signal of your company if you want to, it's very-- it's very hard to measure, kind of, how diverse you are. But if you don't have enough women in your-- in your organization, you're not diverse in your culture. >> Merav Bahat: Thank you. And thank you, Assaf. I'm Merav Bahat co-founder and CEO at Dazz. Wow, I have a lot to share. So Dazz is a cybersecurity company actually focused on cloud remediation. We were founded-- founded about two years back. And I think what's-- What's interesting I mean, I was-- I was actually thinking of saying something else, but I think that, you know, when I started the company, I found out that there was one of the very few Israeli cybersecurity CEOs, founders, whatever, you know, just very-- >> Assaf Rappaport: Few. One out of two. Like, let's-- let's be very accurate. >> Merav Bahat: Yeah, So, I just found myself in that-- in that-- in that space. But what I, what I must tell you is that I don't feel that there are really like, you know, ceilings or glass ceilings over our heads. It's just our perception. I think that everything is doable, like even if we're the first or the second. So there was the first. It's not like 1% or less than 1%. It's the first and more to come, right? This is how we need to think about it. So just paving the way for others and it's everything is possible. So this is kind of like my personal story. I think we started again two years back. We had when we-- We-- I was with my co-founders, actually two men. We were thinking about, "Okay, what would it be like, in a woman CEO raising money or the numbers?" Was kind of, yeah, 30% less. 50% less, right? You know, have a lot of numbers. So I just decided that these, you know, statistics doesn't-- is not validated to me. Like, it's not relevant because there is not enough data about someone like me coming from the periphery of Israel, from a religious background, you know, being, you know, with kids and all that. There's no statistics about me. So I'm going to make my own statistics. Just, don't be victim of these numbers. Just-- just create your own narrative. And that's kind of my guidance here. >> Felicity Hassan: Fantastic. Thank you. >> Zaneilia Harris: Hi, my name is Zaneilia Harris. I am the president of Harris and Harris Wealth Management. I am a certified financial planner. And I-- My tag-line is that I help smart women make smart decisions about their smart money. And we are more than just our figures. >> Felicity Hassan: Thank you. >> Zaneilia Harris: [laughs] So I started my firm to address an issue. I worked at major investment management firms and I didn't see me; and I didn't see a focus on my community. So I started my firm to address that, to be a voice. I found, realized I guess, that this is something that I'm extremely passionate about. So I look at my work as my legacy, not only for my family, but also for the community. For the women that are coming behind me. Because as a CFP, when you look at the data going back to data, there are only 1,765 African American CFPs in the country, out of over 95,000. So I have been told that I'm a trailblazer. I don't feel that way, but I guess I should look at it that way because of all the nicks and the cuts, and-- that I have experienced. But I look at that as though I am paving the way for those women coming behind me. And I hope that there are more women coming behind me. Now, my daughter doesn't want to do this, as far as I know, but what it does-- what it has inspired in her, is her wanting to be an entrepreneur. So, for that, I am very grateful of my path. >> Baat Enosh: Cool. Hi, I'm Baat. Today, I'm a CEO of Nia Growth. Our focus is helping freelancers and self-employed save for retirement. I don't know if you guys know, we're marching towards the US, which half the workforce is going to be self-employed. The majority of those people have zero retirement savings. So that's our mission. In my background, I actually have both corporate background and the first stage of it was, in plain words, I would say had a lot of toxic masculinity. Deals would be closed on software, you know, selling software for millions of dollars would be closed in strip bars that I wasn't invited to and took me a long time to understand the implications and impact of that. And so I dedicated quite a few years, then, to help women start start-ups with an accelerator in Silicon Valley. And to your question, at that point, it was very evident that when you have a series of investors who don't relate to the idea of the product, it will be very hard for it to be funded. And later on, I did have a better experience in corporate America around managing in a-- in a better culture, I would say. And the lesson learned there was that when we did have a leadership team that out of ten, six were women, we just had much better engagement scores. We were able to create a culture that people wanted to come to work for. People wanted to be creative and innovative; it was just pure data driven proof that when you have a diverse leadership team, the results show the difference. And today, I'm charting the way in a very different, boring kind of way. Retirement, trust me, is not a very sexy topic, but I actually have a feeling that being a woman myself and the team, we are six women and one guy, is going to make a difference too. >> Felicity Hassan: Thank you very much. [applause] My name is Felicity Hassan. I'm the co-founder of a executive search firm called The Find and our approach is finding great talent between the lines. So encouraging our clients to think more broadly about the kind of talent that they're looking to bring on, because as Dr. Ming-- Merav very, very astutely said, you've got to be able to see yourself in the leadership of your organization. So if we have the opportunity to normalize difference in leadership, then, I think there's huge strides that we can make in business. So we have brought together, as you have heard, the most fantastic group of entrepreneurs and-- and financial experts here. So really want to start the conversation by understanding how we, kind of, look ahead at some of the challenges and opportunities and optimize women's leadership. So when we look at the studies and some of the data has been flagged here already, you know, it shows that only 16% of C-suite tech roles are held by women. We know that black women are only receiving, like, 2% of VC investment. And-- And, you know, again, as we as we heard earlier, I think it's only about 8% of women in the VC environment. So we're facing some really incredible challenges. But with that comes an opportunity to, as Merav said, write our own narrative. So-- So I'm going to start with with a simple question of why are we still celebrating International Women's Day in 2023? It feels like we should be a little bit further than this. Who wants to get me started? Go for it. >> Baat Enosh: Sure, I'll go for it. So I'm an optimist and I actually do think we're doing okay and-- and the future is looking good. And the reason I say it is because I work with a lot of young women and they have a totally different attitude, different chip on their shoulder. I think they have the chip on the shoulder that a lot of my generation had. I do see a lot of the backlashes we're experiencing right now, whether it's globally, what we see-- I don't know if you guys know, in Afghanistan, women can't attend higher education anymore. What we see in Iran, honestly what we see in Israel, a lot of global and what we see in the US, abortions and so on. The way I look at it is that I see every social movement. At the end of the day, I believe we'll have the right force to move to the right direction. However, it moves like the stock market, right? So for every inch it does up, there needs to be a bit of a backlash because it takes time for the people who are, today, in power and are trying to understand how this impacts them and their position in the world, to take us a little bit further back. But I'm staying optimistic that we're celebrating this. I do hope one day we won't. And I do believe it will happen. >> Zaneilia Harris: I have a different view on that. I think that we should always celebrate it because we are the legacy. Right? So you always want to have people looking at you and seeing what they can become and seeing beyond that. So I tell my daughter and I talk about my daughter a lot, so she means so much to me, but I tell her now that she's going to solve problems that don't exist. And in order to-- To me, I feel like history is such an important predictor and also encourager of what we can become. So I think we should always celebrate International Women's Day because when I look across this room and I see all of these beautiful women, and some men, I see all of the things that we have accomplished because 30 years ago it didn't look like this. And so you are stepping on the legacy of those before us. And then creating the pathway for those coming behind you. So we should always celebrate it. >> Felicity Hassan: That's a great point. [applause] >> Merav Bahat: I-- I really-- really connected what you said. It's amazing. It's an amazing way to look at it. >> Zaneilia Harris: Thank you. Thank you. >> Assaf Rappaport: Yeah, I think to share-- To share a perspective that I had-- I had a chat with with some-- some of my exec leadership and you know, hearing the 16% and it's shocking because this effect, and I'll give an example: that I didn't have-- as a man, I never minded it. Like my CMO, she's amazing. She's the brightest. She-- She said, "You know, I'm feeling blocked." Not in-- not in ways, But as you know, in-- in kind of our security community and trust me, 16%, I would sign it today in the in cybersecurity. Cybersecurity-- Probably it's-- it's below ten, that's the way. And she says, "You know, I'm looking at my peers and they're amazing." And they're talking to CSO. CSO is chief information security officer, male dominated by far. You know, and as Baat said, took it to the extreme, like the strip club. Don't took it to the strip club. He's like, "Let's grab a coffee or let's go to to a beer after the meeting." You know, out of respect, people wouldn't say to her. So, men in CSO would never suggest to her, "Hey, let's go hang out." It's inappropriate. So she's kind of, in that-- in that, in a respect, it's not even biased against her. It's not out of that. She's-- she's not included in those kind of conversations in our society and that's the way we're doing business. That's how you do business. Strip clubs is an extreme, but that's how you do business. It's all about relationship. And she's excluded. She's saying, "I don't know." And, by the way, I feel uncomfortable even to ask to go to a beer or something because everybody will interpret. So I think that if we don't put-- If we don't celebrate, if we don't put energy, if we don't put the resources to change the 16%, it would stay 16%. It's-- it's not a glass ceiling because we can break it. But it is-- it is something that we don't put the right resources. We can never change it. That's why we need to mention it. You know, at least a month in a year. >> Felicity Hassan: Yeah. And shifting the social constructs is huge, right? Because what you're saying is like, this is a social construct. This is not even the industry necessarily. This is a social construct of, like, who can go out and who doesn't go out. So, with that in mind, you know, we've seen we're looking to-- to chart a path forward. We're looking to make significant progress while simultaneously respecting what has come before. But, now, we're seeing the departure. You know, we've-- we've heralded and celebrated great female leaders in technology. Not enough of them, for sure. But, you know, the likes of Sheryl Sandberg and Meg Whitman, you know, we’ve-- we’ve heralded them. We've celebrated that. And now, we see all of those, like, senior women, you know, understandably look to make different decisions with their careers. Looking to take a step back; what does that mean? For women coming into the tech space. Now, from your perspective? >> Merav Bahat: If I can. I mean, Sharon Sandberg is definitely my-- like my idol. You know, I always, [Felicity Hassan AGREEING] like read the book and I think she's amazing. But I think, we should also respect that people have other you know, maybe-- maybe it's the new generation of women leaders, that they want to balance. They want to do that and, then, do something else. It's okay, we should accept it because it just gives us the, you know, the option to, every day, wake up in the morning and decide what we want to do with our life. It's not that she needs to be a flag, right? So I think that-- that first thing that let's respect what they've done, I think that they definitely paved the way. They showed that, you know, it is possible. And by the way, like Sheryl Sandberg and, you know, some of these women were not taking the-- the kind of, the number one chair. Just look at that like always number two, it was my-- my thing as well in the past. And, at some point, you say, "Okay, now maybe the new generation will take the leadership roles, the CEO roles, and you know, and will drive, you know, the change further." So, I think, there's always goodness and there's respect to people have done their share and want to do something else. And I think when I see, you know, the younger women working at Dazz, obviously still, you know, most of the developers coming from 80 to 100 are men. But, when I look at the-- at the young women and I see that they're a little bit different, that they-- they don't have any problem asking for a salary raise. They don't have any-- any problem talking about their career path. All of them. And I respect that. I think this is beautiful. And I don't think that it's because they have like a women CEO. Maybe it is, but it's just like we're changing it slowly. But-- but they started. So we respect that. >> Felicity Hassan: And maybe we have women, kind of step back from this seat of, like, celebrity. Because it's becoming more normal. I don't know. I think we want to kind of, like, embrace the increase in women coming into the-- into the tech space for sure. And then, you mentioned, like women in-- in Cyber-tech, you know. How have you, kind of like-- you know, in the knowledge that this is a space that has had historically like a real shortage of of women, you know, how-- how are you and your team thinking about kind of driving more women into the business in order to, kind of like, help to sort of resolve some of that challenge? >> Assaf Rappaport: So-- So, first of all, it's it's really a tough, tough task. And-- and we're not successful enough in that. So, to be very honest, I don't have a formula here, and that's the formula and we're going to solve the problem. Unfortunately, we don't have it. And I must say that what we learned and also working with Merav-- Microsoft on that and the importance of that, you know, each one of, you actually, is paving the way and, kind of, I would say that this generation in this room, you know, is burned. I'm looking at the next generation, like, we need to start. You know, we cannot take someone that is already, you know, 30 years old that now-- It's-- it's almost impossible. We need to find and to-- and to lead as early as possible. There is no quitting. Probably don't know Merav's story, but she comes from a religious family. There is no coincidence that she sits here as a CEO. She studied, you know, higher math like in-- in outside of her school. And that's the reason she sits because her family allowed her to see-- kind of, to be introduced to STEM, although it wasn't conventional. So I'm saying we should go as early as possible to the families in a way. And I think that, you know, role models like that, like-- like, all of you are so important. To see them, to put them on front, to put them on posters. That's what inspired you as a kid You know, as a kid, I had, you know, what posters do you have in mind? What kind of-- what are your idols? These should be the idols for the kids. And with these kids, with the new generation, that's where we can win. >> Felicity Hassan: Fantastic. And with that, I would love to ask if there are a couple of questions and then we're going to go into-- we're going to dig down into a little bit more of women's securing greater investment. But at this point, do I have any questions around what we've talked about so far? Oh, there's a microphone coming your way. >> Hello, my name is Miriam Conti. I'm from the University of the District of Columbia. I'm an educator as well for DC Public School. My question is, we are women. We pay for everything. We take care of every transaction. I can remember before I was married for over ten years, I paid for every bit and I'm still paying now. I use so many payments method to pay for kids' sport to pay for travel. I use things called Zelle, Venmo, Cash App. And I also communicate with my folks back home in West Africa, Guinea. I want to know if those are safe? >> Assaf Rappaport: So it's a great question. So I'll tell you that these companies and, like any corporations, definitely in the financial space, you know, it's all about how do we make this this safe? Nothing is bulletproof. Like that's-- that's for sure. Having said that, I'll tell you that these companies are investing a lot in cyber in the cyber security space, and this is their business. If you don't have the trust, if you don't-- if you cannot secure, by the way, it's not only the money, it's also your-- your privacy and data and stuff like that. You don't have a business. And we saw businesses going out of business just because of security events like that. The importance of security, of cyber security, is no longer even in the executive level, it's in the board level. The board of directors that are much more independent and they want to make sure that almost as a regulator, they want to make sure that the company does what's right for their customers, for the people that are actually using their software. >> Is it true that we have been watched? Like any message that we send from those? >> Assaf Rappaport: Again, I would say that it depends on the app. But-- but no, probably not. The way it works, usually, that it's encrypted, end to end. So even, you know, the company cannot see what's going on between the transaction. So-- so that's usually how it said. Having said that, we are trusting and-- and you know, you might download applications that are less safe or are under governments that are, you know, might-- might not be democratic or might use that. I think we're all seeing TikTok as an example. There is a lot of question marks about that, like, and one of the reasons is that regulated enough. And I think definitely, the regulator on our kind of data and privacy should be very involved. Sure. >> As an educator, I've seen tremendous changes in the kid's technology use. We've seen a lot of changes. The kids come to school, out of nowhere, is the teaching planning against technology. Do you see those? If the Internet, one day can be controlled in the United States like in China, they have, like, an Internet usage just to help students and children have some structure as they use technology. >> Felicity Hassan: You want to jump in? >> Baat Enosh: I want to. Is it okay if I chime in and actually take us back to the women leadership? Because I think it's a very good segue. We're living in a world today where, I think Milton Friedman defined for us that, "The business of business is business, right?" So all the companies out there are being measured by one thing and it's their bottom line and it's a shareholder economy. And, at the end of the day, technology, which was this great promise, kind of turned against us. Just-- just like you, I'm a mom, and I tell my kids today, technology is working against you. Their job is to capture your brain, to capture your mind, and you should not feel safe using technology. And the big question is how do we move companies from a shareholder economy, which at the end of the day, if you measure only the bottom line, then you really don't care about the real people problems, right? And can a diverse thinking in these companies, when it comes to AI and ethics and things that were talked about earlier here with Dr. Ming? Can we use technology with a different mindset and a different leadership to actually work for the people with solving their problems? Because we are living today in a world that, you know, I look at technology and I'm a techie, my husband's a techie, and we're scared of it. We are super, super scared of it for our children because we do feel that the fact that, you know, you're talking about payment apps, I'll tell you, you know, you think about all the dating apps that started off, "Oh, let me help you find a spouse." At the end of the day, no, they're out there to make money and they found that the way to make money is not really by finding you a partner, but by [laughs] creating a casino of human beings, right? Then, who do you win? So the idea of diversity and having a different mind-share and different thought leadership out there about solving people's problems is going to be what, at the end of the day, creates better solutions for our problems. So, I mean, I love cybersecurity and everything it tries to solve, but at the end of the day, because of the world we're living in, we need a mind shift at the leadership level. And this is why the Sheryl Sandberg's and so ons of the world, or other type of I think we mentioned when we prepared for this, Timnit Gebru, who tried to surface a lot of ethics in AI and got shut down in a very important company is, at the end of the day, unless we change how these companies think on the use of technology, we will not move the needle forward in making it super safe. >> Felicity Hassan: Thank you. Baat? >> Merav Bahat: But I do want to comment here. I mean, so I'm also, you know, our company is doing, again, cloud security and security is always important. But I don't want you to go away with-- with the thinking that technology is so scary and dangerous for our kids because technology is the only way kids at the periphery and kids in Africa, China, and other places can actually become-- you know, it's an education, it's a free education. You get everything in the Internet. You can learn anything, anything about sciences. And, you know, like, if you-- you compare the kids against, like, the 70s or even 60s, I know the Bill Gates of the world, the people that had access to computers don't shut down computers on your kids. That's the best way for them to-- to get alternative education, get them into the best places in tech. >> Felicity Hassan: Thank you. Okay. So-- So moving on to. Oh, one more question. Sorry. Go ahead. >> Okay. So first, good morning. My name is Tuesday Barnes. I'm the associate director for the Center for Women in Technology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. And I wanted to say just thank you all for being present. A lot of the work that we do in the Center for Women in Tech is to actually talk to our students about the importance of mentorship. So I was just curious, as you all are navigating your professional careers, what kind of social-- social supports or mentorship have you utilized and how important has that been in the work that you're currently doing? >> Felicity Hassan: That's a-- that's a great question. [crosstalk] >> Zaneilia Harris: Good question. Um... So I think it is very important to have mentorship and-- and someone to advocate for you is very, very important. So my experience, when I worked before I started my firm, was to-- I always paid attention. I was very aware of who was in the room and-- and found that I would just connect to people. One, I like to talk. So that's another thing. And-- but I also learned to listen. And, in doing so, connections can be made. So one of the things, because one of the young women came up to us before our session started and she was asking us some questions, and I told her that one of the things I encourage my daughter to do is to become comfortable being uncomfortable. Going up to people that you may be afraid to talk to because you're afraid that they may tell you no. It is okay. They're either going to say yes or they're going to say no and-- but do it anyway. Take the step anyway. So what I would encourage your students to do is to-- because they have access to everything with the computer through LinkedIn. LinkedIn is your friend, in this case, because you have access to connect to people that you wouldn't normally have access to. I know I didn't. I had to go to things in order to meet people and to see people and go up to them, but they can start with using the technology that they have and connecting that way. And you can do messages, you can message people and ask them questions. Like today, I literally saw this woman get-- she reached out. She responded to a post on LinkedIn and she said, "Can I call you because I have a student that will be interested and working for Nike." And the woman responded and put her email address in comment. I was like, "Oh, I wouldn't have done that." But she put her email in the comment section. Yes, she can reach out to me, so don't be afraid. Tell them to not be afraid to put themselves out there and connect to people that they think can help them get to where they want to be. >> Assaf Rappaport: Yeah, I-- I want to suggest another model that worked really well, at least for me personally. So definitely mentors are important, but never neglect what I would call a kind of, instead of mentorship, peer-ship. Kind of, look for people that are one year or two years ahead of you, and sometimes the advice that they can give you from that perspective are much more relevant than someone, a great person, a great mentor that you might have 20 years because the problem that you're facing, the problem that they were facing, you know, a lot has changed. So I found that peer-ship in a way allowed me to learn a lot. And so a combination of a mentor-ship, but don't forget peer-ship as well. >> Felicity Hassan: Yeah, that's a great point. And I feel like, also, we hear time and time again that women are over-mentored and under-sponsored and making sure that you've actually got people who will not only give you guidance, but will also kind of speak up and advocate for you in a room that where you are not, and will and will drive you forward. So definitely, I think the the sponsorship component is something which-- which is really important, as well, for women. >> Merav Bahat: Absolutely. I think, and when we talk about mentors, I know that I also studied I had women leadership at-- at Harvard like eight years back. And we're talking about, "Yeah, you have to find a woman mentor." I don't think it's a woman or a man. I really here with the staff. And by the way, I use a staff or peer. You know, whatever mentor-ship, like, you know, he's like a-- >> Assaf Rappaport: Peer. Peer. >> Merav Bahat: Peer. Like he's like a year ahead, you know, very successful company. You want to be just like him. So, yeah, you know, I get his advice, right? That's the way I guess, to do it. Doesn't matter, men, women, everybody is happy to contribute and help. Right? >> Felicity Hassan: That's a really good point. I think sometimes-- sometimes when you look up and you're looking for somebody like yourself, you're looking for a black leader, you're looking for a woman leader. And those are the people who tend to be, sort of, somewhat over utilized for mentorship and sponsorship. So, sometimes, taking a broader lens and just thinking about anyone who can help you and support you in your career and building those relationships I think is equally, if not more valuable. Okay. So-- so what is the secret to women securing greater investment? I mean, we could probably be up here all day on this, but, you know, WeForum found that women started 49% of new businesses in the US in 2021, up from 28% the year before. So women are starting a vast amount of businesses. 2021 was probably the greatest year for VC investment as well, of which 2% of that VC funding went to women. Uh, only 8%, you know, Dr. Ming mentioned, you know, only 8% of of VC founders partners are women. So how are we-- how can we start to break the cycle in terms of, like, securing more investment for women? Women in tech, women investors. >> Baat Enosh: Happy to share on the early stages, which is where our startup is. I think-- first, I think it's important to understand that the last 15 years of 0% interest defined a huge and important sort of influence of the VC ecosystem. So it used to be a bit more of a niche and, all of a sudden, a lot of money flew into tech, a lot of cheap money. And so, all of a sudden VCs, faced with incredible amounts of money that they were able to hand out, and I'm going to use the word hand out, more so than in history. And it's interesting that when I speak to VCs and ask them, "Do you see yourself as a gatekeeper?" Like, do you see yourself as the person who decides where this world is going? Is it going this direction or do you see it going that direction? They all shy away and say, "No, I'm just, you know, I'm channeling money." And I think a live example of that was what we saw with FTX and, you know, the saga of SBF and uh, the company... I forgot the company's name. Huh? FTX is the-- is the company? [crosstalk] I thought it was just the coin. So FTX basically was funded by VCs. There was a hype, everyone jumped in, but no one did the due diligence to understand what was behind it. And when you ask them today and they speak out very loudly, there's a great podcast of prominent VCs. They shy away from the accountability and saying, you know, "This was our mistake. We led a lot of money and hurt a lot of people along the process, everyone who invested in there in that." And so, when I look at the early stages, I look today at how VCs and how institutional investments are made. There's still, at the early stages, a lot of, sort of, I call it what I feel is the right thing to do versus very definitive guidelines on should I invest in this company or not. So there's two parameters: One of them is, are you a hype company? Are you in the right space? And the second one is, do I see myself in the problem you're trying to solve? Do I relate to it? And there's another component which is really interesting and effective for women is that the very, very early stage VCs, they expect you to have brought in money from your friends and family. And I always was curious about that because, not quantitatively but qualitatively, from what I've seen, women shy more taking money from their friends and their family. It's just something in how we are brought up. We feel like it's not the right thing to do. I see a lot of heads nodding here I'm not going to say a raise of hand who's going to take money from friends, but at the end of the day, the system is built today where it's an expectation that you have managed to to collect money from your friends and that they will invest in you. So, I think, from everything that I kind of shared right now, from my observation, there's a big re-haul needed if we want to include different kind of systems, different kind of founders in this system and how it operates around fund-raising. >> Felicity Hassan: That's a great point. Zaneilia, you-- Anything you would add here? >> Zaneilia Harris: Well, I mean, even in you discussing how start ups begin, and where they're getting their initial funding, that automatically knocks out African Americans. We-- we can't go to our families and ask, "Hey, can you give me $100,000 because I got something in the garage that I'm building." I wish we could, but we can't. I started my company on credit cards and a small inheritance I got from my dad. And I will tell you, last year I was really angry because, you know, I was-- I wanted to expand and I was like, "Okay, well, you know, I have an advisory board. I have I know my financials. I understand that." And but when I put myself out there and went to a financial institution, I got declined. And I was very angry because I knew I had my stuff together. I have an accountant degree, daggonit [laughs] so I knew my numbers. Again, talking to my advisory team and getting their input. One of-- one of the women on my advisory team worked in business banking and still got denied. And then when I took it up to the next level, I found out that they mistakenly denied me but still wouldn't give me any funding. So when I think of that and-- and the fact that I've had to, you know, build-- to build my firm based on credit cards and, you know, being very specific on how I spend money. It has been-- It can be discouraging. But I said, I keep telling myself that by doing this, I am going to open the doors so that others do not have to go through this. But education is key on understanding your numbers, understanding what is required. Again, going back to expanding your network, you do. You have to put yourself in situations where you may be the only one in the room and, most of the time, we are. I stand out. I am a black woman with no hair. You should know me, right? And I have a big mouth. So, you know, I go in the room and I-- and I'm-- and I try to observe. But also, when I need to make a point, I will go up to people. I have no problems going up to you and asking you for what you know, to get information, get insight, and to-- to learn. But, a lot of times, we don't even have the opportunities to learn. So, my response to that is that you all need to be open minded and see that there is more talent out there beyond what you know, beyond your friends, beyond your circle and beyond your community. >> Felicity Hassan: It's a great point. Anything that you would add here? [applause] >> Merav Bahat: Yeah. I think I seen, you know, since I was, like two years back. And I see-- I see this change. I seen that some of the top voices in the world are actually really open to investing in women. You know, it's not like women or men that really. But they were happy to put the money on a company that is led by women. So, I don't know, like maybe it's a little bit of a change, but I mean, we have to be optimistic. And, by the way, there are a lot of VCs in the world and you only need to get money from one. So it's doable. It's just, let's think positively about it. And like, yeah, I think your story. So you're the first, and then it'll be others, and we shouldn't really-- I mean my-- my advice, the way I think about things, I don't want to be a victim of anything. I want to think optimistically and just win, change-- change the numbers. >> Felicity Hassan: Yeah. Continue driving, continue driving forward. And, as you said, as the advice you've given your daughter, it's taking risks. It's making yourself uncomfortable. It's continuing to, sort of, push forward because that's the only way. That we're going to kind of normalize. >> Merav Bahat: There is a momentum. Like, if you talk to like the biggest VCs in the world, they are aware of that. They want to change that. Like everybody wants to change it. Everybody has daughters, right? For our own future. >> Baat Enosh: But reminding you of the 2% that went to women led companies, like, we can't forget the data. [crosstalk] >> Felicity Hassan: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, hold up one second because let's get-- let's get a mic out-- out there. >> Yes. Thank you. Interesting conversation. But the idea that things are changing, for whom? We have to be careful that our own experience, based on our background, our culture and whatnot, may, I don't care how many visas they are, but if you look like me, or other, or considered in the other, it is not the same story. So I do not want to hear that things are changing and things are changing. For whom? And the VCs. Quite frankly, she just said it. So, for her to say that, and then, you know, you I have to point out to you, that that's like putting your head in the sand. So please, let's honestly think about the world we live in. The fact of the matter that different groups are treated differently. So we like to get all the information, but we have to be careful not to sweep under the carpet what's actually happening in the world right here, right now. If I walk into the bank and ask them for a loan for my company and you walk into the bank and ask them if you can, who you think is going to get the loan, regardless of my credentials. And I have a lot. So please be careful about giving the impression and I want to go back. I'm taking you back to you about the Internet. You talked about you both you and your husband are in tech and you're actually scared and you should be scared. Well, you said that all the people in Africa and all about the place, they need access to Internet, but we have to have a balance. It's a great is a place out there with trafficking, with this, with people trying to go after your children and whatnot. So we need to get all the facts and we need to find something that balances. What is happening is not that it shouldn't happen, but the point about it is, people are dying because they're being exposed and people are dying from drug overdoses, and that all the Internet and all these apps. So let's put that out there, too. Thank you. >> Felicity Hassan: I think it's a great point. Yeah, a really great point. Well made. And I think it kind of comes back to the importance. The importance of balance and the importance of difference and the importance of injecting that difference into leadership, leadership in our organizations so that we are so it does become more normal to be to be a black woman, securing funding, to be a woman, securing funding. You know, the importance of intersectionality is absolutely critical. And actually, it kind of raises a good point around where I wanted to kind of close out, which was really how can-- how can we from a-- from a tech and an entrepreneurial perspective, is there ways in which we might be able to support progress in an environment where women's rights appear to be eroding? >> Merav Bahat: It's-- I'll jump in. I think that yeah, like when you prioritize the problems in the world, obviously women's safety is-- is definitely the highest one. You know-- You know, still there are women that are not safe in their homes and definitely cannot think about career or getting raised any money for anything because it's not even safe. So yeah, that's-- that's if-- we need to prioritize, you know, the problems of the world where we should focus on. Definitely, you know, I think that-- that's a that's a top one women's safety around the world. >> Felicity Hassan: Absolutely. And I think, though, there's plenty of technology which is kind of gearing towards giving access to finance through non-traditional methods as well, which I think is definitely interesting because, to your point, I think sometimes it's been challenging because of historical bias towards, like, who secures funding. So I think there's some interesting advances in technology there. But anything I would add? >> Baat Enosh: To that-- Back to-- I mean, we're all living now in an accelerated influence of AI in our life. And, you know, I don't need to say ChatGPT and how it's going to affect probably everything we do in our lives and back to what Dr. Ming said. At the end of the day, when we're coming from a world of power that was dominated by a very select group of people and the data, I mean, if we all close our eyes and imagine a pilot and imagine a flight attendant, we all know what gender we're going to envision for each. And the data out there today represents a world that is very reflective of that power balance. And when I say power, it's not about power going to war. It's about people who are influencing my life. How do I manage myself? How do my kids or how are they going to manage their lives? And I'm very aware of my white privilege in this conversation. So to-- to build a whole tech world on a set of data that represents one point of balance of power is going to lead us in a very, very wrong way unless we put a lot of attention into understanding how these biases are going to affect the products that we produce and the solutions that we create. And what do we need to do from an ethical perspective to create the next set of solutions that are out there that are based, not on the old power dynamics that we're all familiar with. So that's kind of my take. >> Felicity Hassan: That's a good point. Assaf, you had you had mentioned this earlier in terms of like your first business and your first iteration of your business where, you know, just bringing in kind of difference and sort of embracing-- embracing like everybody coming into the organization would have kind of led to a product which, from your perspective, feels like it would have been more representative of the people who were potentially buying. >> Assaf Rappaport: By the way, that's the reason, unlike what I'm more optimistic on that side, I think that-- Diversity is not only value. It's business value. And that's the important. I think that when you have scientific when you have an I felt-- I have scratches on my head from, like, not doing that. And so I learned, on my flesh, what's-- what's the importance for the business. Forget about my personal values and how do I value them. For my investors, for them, they're making more money. They need a diverse, diversified team from all minorities. By the way, women is-- is the largest representative. But as we said, from any underrepresented minority that we have. So, the importance of that, and that's why I'm optimistic, because people understand that eventually you'll make a better business, and also a better culture, and better values, and better people. But it's also a business aspect. >> Felicity Hassan: Yeah. And I think, you know, that's probably that seems to be kind of where the dominoes lie in terms of, you know, if we-- if we push more people into leadership, if we understand the challenges, if the people like holding the purse strings now, you know, have those different perspectives, then maybe-- maybe kind of different decisions are made on that, kind of like, that social spectrum about the direction that we go in. Okay. Thank you so much for your for all of your input today. I really appreciate it. Thank you again for Parliament 51, P51 for for hosting us along with the Library of Congress. I think this is a fascinating conversation. We, like Dr. Ming, probably could have been here for hours upon hours talking about talking about investment in women and how technology can drive change. But for now, I would like to-- I would like to say thank you and pass back over to Natalie. [applause] >> Natalie Burclaff: Thank you, everyone, for your attendance this morning. On behalf of the Science, Technology and Business division, I'd like to thank our fantastic speakers one more time. [applause] Thank you again to Dr. Ming. I am definitely thinking about what kind of tree I'm going to plant when I leave work today. Felicity, thank you for posing important questions that are really hard to answer in such a short amount of time. Zaneilia, Baat, Merav, Assaf, I'm so honored that you were willing to share your perspectives and experiences with really challenging questions that there's no easy answers to. Thank you, also, to Kate Zwaard, Danielle Alliri for your remarks, and to Parliament 51 for being a partner in this event in the Science, Technology and business division where I am, we have wide ranging collections in business and economics, sciences, and engineering. But, the best part is getting to share our collections and knowledge with you, whether that's through webinars or lectures like these or through our website or blog posts. So we always invite curious minds to visit us online or in our science and business reading room. So, thank you again for joining us today. [applause]