Sue Heilbronner didn’t set out to make the business world a better place for female entrepreneurs.
The federal prosecutor-turned-digital marketing executive has been managing or starting companies since 1999. But at a conference last year, she listened to a panel of six men talk about startups versus corporate business.
“If the topic was how to use a urinal, OK, yes. But there are thousands of women that could be on this panel,” Heilbronner said. “It probably didn’t occur to anyone” to add a female.
She got frustrated. And angry enough to do something about it. In June, she roped in Elizabeth Kraus, a local entrepreneur and angel investor, and together they started MergeLane, a 12-week accelerator program in Boulder for women-led businesses. On Tuesday, MergeLane will announce its first class of eight companies, which includes an online candy store, a digital-mapping service and a firm that turns data into stories.
“I’ve never identified as a female investor or a female CEO. And if I wasn’t bothered, I couldn’t expect anyone else to be,” Heilbronner said. “I really grew weary of seeing an imbalance that I couldn’t explain logically. It seemed to me the best way to address this was to create an accelerator (where teams) had at least one member who was a female in a leadership position.”
According to the National Association of Women Business Owners, the number of women-owned businesses nationwide has been on the rise, up 68 percent between 1997 to 2014. Comparably, the number of U.S. businesses grew 47 percent in the same period.
But the appearance that women are underrepresented, especially at tech companies, continues to plague the industry. Last year, Google took a stab and released its hiring numbers — and admitted it wasn’t good. Among its tech workers, 83 percent were men. Facebook, Twitter and others followed in an effort to provide more transparency on hiring practices. Locally, groups like Galvanize, which houses dozens of local startups, pushes diversity from its classes, where 30 to 50 percent are women, to its upcoming Demo Day, where nearly 50 percent of companies are run by women.
“I do feel there is more awareness about the diversity in technology and making a commitment to change,” said Terry Morreale, associate director of the National Center for Women & Information Technology in Boulder.
She said that there are more studies being done to look at gender and technology and the workplace. More companies are sharing hiring numbers and being transparent about their policies.
“We are encouraged because yes, people are making changes,” Morreale said.
The response to MergeLane was very supportive, Heilbronner said. Hundreds applied for the eight spots. Investors, mentors and supporters opened their arms. “Our list has more than 200 people,” Heilbronner said. MergeLane raised $1 million in six weeks.
Still, she added, “we were getting questions like, ‘How are you going to avoid being viewed as a Junior League?’ We got questions like that from astute business leaders. If those questions are still out there, there’s still a need for something like this.”
MergeLane, which gets a little equity from each company, planned to start its first class in September. But with all the feedback, it sped the start date to Feb. 2.
Courses are geared toward issues women leaders face, like being bold when raising money. Each company will have a CEO mentor working on leadership issues — not just content. And unlike similar crash-course programs, participants need only stay in Boulder for three weeks and not the entire 12. “We realize that a lot of people may not be able to leave their city for 12 weeks. That seems to have worked,” Heilbronner said.
“If there are 10 groups working on this issue, great. If there are 100, even better,” Heilbronner said. “If in three years, there is no need to do MergeLane, I will be thrilled.”
Tamara Chuang: 303-954-1209, tchuang@denverpost.com or twitter.com/Gadgetress
Mergelane class of 2015
Havenly — Redesigns interiors for a flat $185 per room. Based in Denver and New York, Havenly was founded by Lee Mayer, Emily Motayed and Jessie Dixon.
Idaciti — Helps financial analysts, investors and other people tell their data-based stories. Based in Las Vegas, Idaciti was founded by Emily Huang and Christine Tan.
Intelligent Eyes — A platform to help companies find the right business intelligence or data visualization tools. Based in Berkeley, Calif., and Boulder, Intelligent Eyes was founded by Debbie Taylor and Mark Leffers.
Mapistry — Digital mapping made easy to help analyze spatial data on civil engineering and construction projects. The Oakland, Calif.-based company was founded by Allie and Ryan Janoch.
Sugarwish — The ultimate candy gift lets recipients pick their favorite candies. Denver-based Sugarwish founded by Elisabeth Vezzani and Leslie Lyon.
TomboyX — Manufacturer and seller of clothes for “tomboys” that are made for women. Seattle-based TomboyX founded by Fran Dunaway and Naomi Gonzalez.
QuickZip Sheet Company — Makes a zip-on and off top sheet for cribs and other beds that makes it easy to change sheets. The Denver company was founded by Elizabeth Sopher and Caroline Portis
ZaZa — Maker of raw, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free desserts. Boulder-based ZaZa was founded by Elisabeth Saucier.
