UPDATED 21:09 EDT / OCTOBER 14 2015

NEWS

Grace Hopper Celebration: The epicenter of women in technology | #GHC15

This evening, John Furrier and Jeff Frick kicked off coverage of The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, on theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, by saying that they were sitting in “the epicenter of women in technology” in the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.

The three-day event, presented by the Anita Borg Institute for Women in Technology and the Association for Computing Machinery, is a hub of recruiting activity, with a wide variety of industries, universities and government agencies represented.

All about women engineers

Frick pointed out that these exhibitors are not looking for women to lead their marketing or HR departments. “This is all about women getting engineering jobs,” he said. He also felt that from a recruiting point of view, this is where you will find many qualified candidates.

The hosts commented on an environment filled with excitement, from a wall that asks attendees to “Post Your Proud Moments” to loud cheering as the event opened its doors.

Empowering a new generation

Furrier believes this is about empowering women. “This is a historic moment for a new generation of women in tech,” he said. He likes that it is no longer a male-driven culture, especially from his perspective as a DoD (Dad of Daughters). “It’s exciting to know that opportunity exists for our girls in this business and that there is a lot of mentoring too,” he continued.

Because the “fall tour” for theCUBE includes many events, Frick remarked that they hear a great deal about every company being a software company wrapped around their line of business. He feels that explains why companies such as Target, Macy’s, Capital One and Bank of America are exhibiting at the event.

Investors beware

Furrier mentioned a Facebook poll he posted that asked, “Is it not politically correct to say, ‘I love women in tech?’” As he explained, “Women bring a diversity and a different point of view that makes things better.” He not only supports growth for women in the industry, but the one area Furrier plans to investigate is who is investing in women. He wants to know which entrepreneurs are giving women an equal opportunity and providing more capital for women entrepreneurs.

He noted that including the male conversation is important and encourages all to visit https://www.crowdchat.net/GHC15 to discuss further the importance of women in the industry.

Watch the full video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of Grace Hopper Celebration of Woman In Computing. And join in on the conversation by CrowdChatting with theCUBE hosts.

Photo by SiliconANGLE

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