????雅虎（Yahoo）周一宣布聘任瑪麗莎?梅耶爾為新一任掌門人，這對硅谷而言是一個強烈的信號。1999年，瑪麗莎于加入谷歌（Google），成為谷歌的第20名員工，當時谷歌還只是一個初創公司，未來充滿了不確定性。從歷史來看，很少有女性能夠加入或創辦企業并獲得經驗，從而像瑪麗莎?梅耶爾以及Facebook 的謝莉爾?桑德伯格那樣肩負起責任重大的職位。但現在我們看到了一些積極信號。

????在美國，越來越多的科技初創公司由女性參與創辦或經營。包括西海岸的Silver Tail、One King's Lane、CloudFlare、Get Satisfaction和AllVoices。在東海岸也出現眾多女性領導的初創企業：Birchbox、Kollabora、iRobot、Chomp、Blip、Hunch等。

????女性企業家數量確實在上升，但基數卻是很小：盡管在科技領域女性占有三分之一的崗位，但是女性參與創辦的風險資本支持的企業數量卻不到10%。

????當前環境對初次創業最有利。對初次創業的人員而言，資金密集度較低的行業是很好的選擇，如依托于云計算的數字媒體、商務應用和在線商務解決方案。云計算可節省基礎設施和開發工具的前期支出，為廣大新興企業家（包括女性）創造機遇，使他們有表達觀點、展現活力的平臺。

????為了促進女性在科技行業的發展，我們在此提出幾項具體的建議：

????風險投資公司聘用更多女性：女性企業家會尋找她們能夠獲得成功的投資環境。研究顯示擁有女性合伙人（甚至只有一位）的風險投資公司決定投資于女性創辦公司的可能性增加70%，因為企業家們認為這些公司正是她們想要開展業務的地方。同樣的，有眾多女性投資者的初期天使投資集團接洽的女性領導的公司數量也高出30%。

????美國科技行業中三分之二活躍的風險投資公司中連一位女性合伙人都沒有，但是聘用了一位女性合伙人的風險投資公司很可能發現更廣泛的交易。聘用成功企業家作為合伙人是風險投資公司長期以來的傳統。鑒于越來越多的女性企業家取得了成功，現在風險投資公司和天使投資集團也應該聘用這些女性領導人加入他們的行列。現在女性在高科技風險投資公司合伙人中只占7%，在天使投資者中占15%，所以還有很大的增長空間。

????聚焦由女性參與創立或運營的高增長企業：榜樣的力量不可小覷。如果女性不認為女企業家極具吸引力，她們就不會希望自己想成為那樣的人。讓女性們看到這樣的機遇，更多的女性就會決定成為企業家。在紐約、硅谷和其他地區有越來越多的女性創業者，商業記者們不妨多寫寫她們的故事。

????吸引具有廣泛背景的女性：技術公司招聘人才時可以擴大搜索范圍，而不僅僅局限于具有傳統科技背景的人才。雖然學技術專業的女性人數不斷增長，科技公司也可以在MBA學生、營銷項目和其他領域中找到優秀人才，這些領域對如今的科技世界而言同樣非常重要。

????創業孵化器通過吸引女性企業家獲得優勢：初創企業非常具有吸引力。尤其是有家庭的女性需要一個環境并從中獲得支持，在成為企業家的過程中面對無法預測的挑戰。孵化器可以發展一種模式，鼓勵各種類型的人成為企業家，從而形成差異化的特色。

????打破神話：長久以來存在一些錯誤觀念：要成為科技行業企業家，必須在科學、技術、工程或數學專業（STEM）取得學位；投資于女性領導的公司風險更大；女性無法在照顧家庭的同時成為一名能帶來高增長的企業家；女性只適合領導消費類公司。我們有數據顯示，所有這些觀點都是錯誤的，讓我們廣而告之吧。

????The announcement Monday that Yahoo (YHOO) selected Marissa Mayer as its new chief is a great signal for Silicon Valley. Marissa joined Google (GOOG) as its 20th employee back in 1999 when it was a fledgling company and had an uncertain future. Historically, few women joined or founded startups and gained the kind of experience that enabled Marissa Mayer and Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook (FB) to rise to their positions of responsibility. Yet, we are now seeing some positive signs.

????Across the US, we are seeing more and more tech startups co-founded or run by women. These include: Silver Tail, One King's Lane, CloudFlare, Get Satisfaction and AllVoices on the West Coast. On the East Coast there has also been an explosion of women-led startups: Birchbox, Kollabora, iRobot, Chomp, Blip, and Hunch just to name a few.

????While it is good to see this rise in the number of women entrepreneurs, it is off a small base: though women hold over one-third of the jobs in the tech space, less than 10% of venture-backed companies have women co-founders.

????The environment for first-time entrepreneurs has never been more favorable. Less capital-intensive sectors such as cloud computing-based digital media, business applications and online commerce solutions are natural points of entry for first-time entrepreneurs. Access to the cloud eliminates up-front expenditures for infrastructure and development tools, creating opportunity for a wide of range of new entrepreneurs, including women, to bring their ideas and dynamism to the table.

????Here are specific recommendations that we can implement to accelerate the pace of women in high-tech:

????Recruit more women into venture capital firms: Women entrepreneurs seek investment environments where they can succeed. Research shows that venture capital firms with even one female partner are 70% more likely to invest in a woman co-founded business, in part because the entrepreneurs recognize them as places where they want to take their business. Similarly, early stage angel investment groups with a significant number of women investors are shown to have 30% more women-led companies approaching them.

????Two thirds of active US venture firms in the tech sector do not have a single female partner, yet VCs who recruit one are likely to see a wider range of deals. Recruiting successful entrepreneurs as partners is a long tradition in venture capital. With the growing number of women entrepreneurs having successful outcomes, venture firms and angel groups now have the opportunity to recruit some of these leaders into their ranks. With women representing less than 7% of high tech VC partners and 15% of angel investors, we have plenty of opportunity for improvement.

????Spotlight high growth businesses co-founded or run by women: The impact of role models cannot be overestimated. If women don't "see it" as an attractive role, they won't want to "be it". Expose women to the opportunity, and more will make the decision to become entrepreneurs. The thriving communities of women founders in NY, Silicon Valley and other regions can serve as a source of stories for tech and business journalists.

????Attract women with a wide range of backgrounds: Tech companies can recruit great talent by widening their search beyond individuals with traditional tech backgrounds. While the number of women studying for technical degrees is on the rise, tech companies can also find great talent among MBA students, marketing programs and other fields which are so critical in today's tech world.

????Startup incubators can gain advantage by attracting women entrepreneurs: Startups are all-engrossing. Women with families, in particular, need an environment where they can find support as they meet the unpredictable challenges of entrepreneurship. Incubators can differentiate by developing formats that encourage all types of people to be entrepreneurs.

????Dispel the myths: There are long-held beliefs that simply aren't true: that you must have a STEM degree to be a tech entrepreneur; that investing in women-led companies is higher risk; that you can't have a family and be a high-growth entrepreneur at the same time; that women are only suited to consumer-oriented companies. We have the data that proves each of these wrong – let's share it widely.