Networking Tips: Go From Awkward to Awesome

May 10, 2012
Level Playing Field on Inc.com

This post is the second in an ongoing series written by Patricia Fletcher, Astia Board of Trustees Member, for her blog on Inc.com, Level Playing Field. 


"For those of us who are not natural extroverts, networking events can be painful. It stinks to be in a crowded room at one of those tall tables with no one to talk to, a small plate of cheese and grapes in front of you, a glass of cheap chardonnay in one hand and your business cards in the other."


Read the full post at Inc.com...

5 Steps to Game-Changing Relationships

May 8, 2012
Level Playing Field on Inc.com

This post is the first in an ongoing series written by Patricia Fletcher, Astia Board of Trustees Member, for her blog on Inc.com, Level Playing Field. Scholar-practitioner, experienced high-tech marketer and advocate for meaningful innovation, she is passionate about leveling the imbalanced technology playing field to include all the best innovators. In addition to serving on the Astia Board of Trustees, Dr. Fletcher happily lends her research, time, and voice to enable women to change the world through high growth entrepreneurship and board service. Follow her on Twitter @pkfletcher.

"Part of my work involves figuring out why some women succeed and others do not. Yet I’ve worked mostly with men in my career, and I’ve always heard that men have bigger, stronger, bolder, and all-around better networks than women. So when I meet wildly successful women, especially in the male-dominated tech industry, it seems only natural to ask them about the importance of their networks. These women often answer me by talking about relationships. At first I thought this was a fluke: I’m asking about networks, so why are they responding by talking about relationships?"

Read the full post at Inc.com... 

Personally Cool: Launch of Family Business Serves Menopausal Women

April 19, 2012
The Astia Interview Series on The NextWomen



Today is the first in a series of stories about the Astia Entrepreneurs. The Astia Series on Entrepreneurs is a new series on high-growth entrepreneurial teams brought to you by The NextWomen. The entrepreneurs are all part of Astia, the global venture-accelerator and network for women-led companies and have all terrific stories on how they are conquering their space. The Astia Series on Entrepreneurs is supported by Astia's sponsors.



To launch a company in the Life Science space, it nothing but challenging. To launch a product that is targeted at a female issue, which most men don't understand or want to understand, is a tough sell to the investment community. But Personally Cool overcame the challenges and just launched their product. Time for an Interview with Hugh Brownstone, the CEO and co-founder of Personally Cool.

Read the full post on The NextWomen