Being a woman in technology is a super power. While we continually hear about the incredible women making headway in San Francisco, New York, or London, it’s also important that we pay close attention to what is going on right near our homes. With Avionos being located in the heart of Chicago, we wanted to help highlight what being a part of this technology community is all about. Read below for a little hometown pride as we highlight a few incredible female run tech companies right here in our great city, Chicago!
Jellyvision
Jellyvision is an interactive employee communication software company, currently run by a female CEO, Amanda Lannert. Essentially, their software, ALEX, helps people make smart decisions about their health, benefits, and finances in a way that’s easy to understand. The goal is improve people lives by “speaking human.” ALEX is used by more than 1,500 companies with more than 18 million employees in total. Amanda Lannert joined the company back in 2000. Under her leadership, Jellyvision has been one of Chicago’s fastest growing tech companies. She was named not only CEO of the Year at the Moxie Awards in both 2014 and 2015, but also highlighted as ITA’s CEO of the year in 2018 and recognized as 2016’s Industry Champion by the Illinois Technology Association — not to mention all of her profiles in the Chicago Tribunes, Crain’s, and so much more. Hello accomplishments!
G2 (G2 Crowd)
G2, formerly known as G2 Crowd, is a peer-to-peer, business solutions review platform headquartered in Chicago. Their real-time and unbiased user reviews help people objectively assess what is best for their business. Their review platform leverages more than 650,000 independent as well as authenticated user reviews. Those reviews are read by more than 3 million buyers each month! The goal is to help make purchasing business technology as easy as buying a consumer product. Jori Ford is the senior director, content and SEO, for G2. She was named to Crain’s Tech 50 of 2018, who stated that since she took over earlier that year, the organic traffic has been up 40%. She calls herself a “search geek” and leverages paid search insights to innovate optimization for measurable performance. In the local area, she’s volunteered as a Women Build Team Lead for Habitat for Humanity Chicago. Women of power and success getting involved help pave the way for the next generation of leading ladies!
ExplORer Surgical
ExplORer Surgical is a data-driven approach to managing and improving the most complex surgical procedures. Essentially, it’s an interactive surgical playbook that aims to promote the finest teamwork in the operating rooms. With its tailored checklists, it provides workflow management — working for both medical device companies and hospitals. ExplORer Surgical began as a project for a business-plan competition at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Now it’s raised millions of dollars and tons of customers. ExplORer Surgical co-founder and CEO, Jennifer Fried, has a background in both business and health care. Having started her work as a healthcare venture capitalist, she founded the company while she was an MBA student at Booth School of Business, University of Chicago. In 2015, she lead the company’s team to second place at the Chicago Booth New Venture Challenge and later won first place in the MedTech Innovator Midwest Region competition. She’s been highlighted and featured in Crain’s Chicago Business, The Wall Street Journal, and the Chicago Tribune.
Avionos
Here at Avionos, we too are made up of some incredible female leaders. Two of our practice leads, Mary Koberstein and Mousumi Behari, have experience, words of wisdom, and passion. Check out their advice for women currently pursuing a role in the tech field: “Go for it! Don’t be intimidated by others with more experience in the industry. By nature, the tech industry is ever changing and innovating, so focus on highlighting your strengths, your passions, and your point of view on innovative topics.” – Mary Koberstein “The thing I would drive home the most is, learn. Educate yourself on the topic. When you feel educated on the topic, you’re able to speak very confidently and a confident woman who can walk into a room, own the room, and own the topic, is a successful woman.” – Mousumi Behari For more on being a woman in technology at Avionos, read up on our Q&A with the Avionos women!
