Meet the trailblazing women in STEAM+

FemWealth Issue #1

Welcome to FemWealth Issue #1!

Dear reader,

Thank you for being here.

This year’s Women’s History Month has been incredibly uplifting. It gives me joy and hope to see so many women | womxn, and allies coming together, to not only inspire but also address some of the most pressing issues related to gender equality. Honestly, this should happen every day, year-round.

I would love to continue in the spirit and high energy of Women’s History Month 2021. This is why I am starting FemWealth - a project I’ve been dreaming about for a long time. FemWealth will portray the bravest, most creative, intelligent, passionate, and powerful women | womxn worldwide.

I’m thrilled to share with you the first profiles of some of the most incredible women | womxn in STEAM + who inspire me every day:

SCIENCE

Emmanuelle Charpentier & Jennifer Doudna, 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Laureates

In 2020, Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier, a French scientist, Director of the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens in Berlin, and Dr. Jennifer Doudna, an American Professor at the University of California, Berkley were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their pioneering discovery of the gene-editing method CRISPR/Cas9, generally known as “genetic scissors”. 

This was the very first time in the more than a century-long history of the Nobel Foundation that a science Nobel Prize went to two women. Charpentier and Doudna entered the hall of fame of the “women who changed science” joining the ranks of pioneering researchers Marie Curie (1911), Irène Joliot-Curie (1935), Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin (1964), Ada E. Yonath (2009), Francis H. Arnold (2018), awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.   

Watch their Nobel Lectures: Emmanuelle Charpentier | Jennifer Doudna

Read: “A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution” by Jennifer A. Doudna, Samuel H. Sternberg 

TECHNOLOGY

Dame Stephanie Shirley, A Larger Than Life Character

A child refugee fleeing the Nazi regime during WWII, Dame Stephanie ‘Steve’ Shirley became one of the most iconic European software pioneers. Running her business from her living room ( and hiring a team of almost exclusively female programmers), while raising her son who was suffering from autism, she built a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Now a philanthropist she supports several autism charities.

Read her inspiring biography: Let It Go

Watch her graceful and humorous TED talk: Why do ambitious women have flat heads?

TECH INVESTMENTS

Christine Tsai, CEO and Founding Partner at 500 Startups

A long-time startup operator (including seven-year at Google, while it was still an early-stage startup), Christine Tsai is the CEO and Founding Partner of 500 Startups, the most active venture capital firm (they invested in +2400 companies internationally). Its mission is to uplift people and economies around the world through entrepreneurship. 500’s portfolio includes female-founded and led companies: Canva, Credit Karma, Grab a.o.

Watch Christine’s chat with Jason Calcanis here.

BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Bozoma Saint John, CMO Netflix

One of the most talented and highly successful marketing executives in the world, “Boz” is both a trailblazer and a powerhouse. Her career journey includes leadership roles at PepsiCo, Apple, Uber, and Endeavor. She is one of the most vocal champions of inclusiveness in business and technology. 

Listen to her podcast series with award-winning journalist Katie Curic: “Back to Biz with Katie and Bo‪z‬”.

Check out “The Badass Workshop” curated by Bozoma. 

Hélène Guillaume, Founder and CEO of wild.ai

Together with her all-star team, Hélène Guillaume built an AI-powered app that gives female athletes valuable insights for their training based on their physiology. The startup is uniquely positioned at the intersection between women’s health, sports, and DeepTech.

Download the app [Android, iOS] and power up your training. 

ARTS | Fashion

Virginie Viard, Fashion designer, and the creative director of Maison Chanel

Two years after taking the reins of the Maison Chanel, Virginie Viard is finding her voice and gaining critical acclaim. Reinventing the classical fashion show at the Grand Palais (now under renovation), Viard collaborated with director Sophia Coppola in 2020, and creators-duo Inez & Vinoodh in 2021 to create more intimate and engaging formats.   

Watch the recent Fall-Winter 2021/22 Ready-to-Wear Show and get inspired!

ARTS| Music & Cinema

Cynthia Erivo, Emmy, Grammy and Tony award-winning and Oscars nominated singer, actress, and songwriter

The London-born artist Cynthia Erivo started her career in British theater. Her career took off when she was cast to play Celine in the musical “The Color Purple”. The role took her to Broadway, and soon after, Holywood took notice of her.

Erivo played the title role in the movie Harriet, depicting the road to freedom of the escaped slave and abolitionist Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross)’s. Erivo was nominated for two Oscars in 2020: for best actress for her performance and the best original song, as co-writer and singer of the film's closing song "Stand Up."

Cynthia Erivo also stars as the “queen of soul” Aretha Franklin in the third season of National Geographic's series GENIUS: ARETHA, premiering today (March 21st).  

Watch her stunning “Stand Up” Oscars and  "What a Wonderful World” TED performances. 

Math

Professor Maryam Mirzakhani (1977-2017), the first and to-date only female awarded the Fields Medal, the highest professional honor (the Nobel prize equivalent) in mathematics.

As a child, the Iranian-born mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani dreamt of becoming a writer. It was her brother who got her interested in science. Math Olympiads offered her the opportunity to solve challenges and meet interesting mathematicians and friends at Sharif University. This increased her excitement for the field. After brilliant studies in Teheran, she pursued a Ph.D. at Harvard University. She later became a Professor of Mathematics at Stanford University  

In 2014, Mirzakhani was recognized for her contributions in the field of hyperbolic geometry, more precisely the dynamics of abstract surfaces.

Watch this short video and be blown away by the beauty of her mind! For the math nerds among you, watch this fascinating lecture by Prof. Mirzakhani. 

Who are the women | womxn who inspire you? Who would you love to read about?

Did you enjoy reading this? If yes, please tell your friends. I also welcome your feedback and thought on how I could make FemWealth more valuable for you. Thank you!