Luncheon to Celebrate 'Women in Tech'

A Thursday luncheon in downtown Honolulu will be dedicated to "celebrating women," acknowledging the many challenges but also highlighting the many accomplishments they've had in the local tech industry.

The importance of diversity, and the representation of women in particular, has been a growing drumbeat in the tech industry lately, although it's something that's been a concern for a long time. (The Maui Economic Development Board founded its statewide "Women In Technology" initiative in 1999.) And sparking a conversation about the topic can sometimes be fraught: see "Why No Women Want to be on a 'Women In Tech' Panel."

Of course, women are under-represented in corporate leadership in general, in Hawaii and the rest of the country.

Thursday's luncheon will focus on "ways women in Hawaii are doing better." Organized by the Hawaii Venture Capital Association, headed by Meli James of Sultan Ventures, the event will feature a panel that includes:

• Beth Carvin, President & CEO of Nobscot Corporation Beth Carvin is a nationally recognized expert on employee retention and diversity issues. Nobscot is a pioneer in exit interview management software founded in April 2000, and a recognized leader in Turnover Prediction Mapping having introduced the concept in 2002.

• Christine Lanning, President of Integrated Security Technologies A UH and HPU graduate, Christine Lanning became the first woman board member of PSA Security, the worlds largest electronic security cooperative. IST is a security systems integrator founded in 1998 that specializes in the design, installation, and maintenance of physical security systems.

• Chenoa Farnsworth, Managing Director of Blue Startups Chenoa Farnsworth is the managing director of the Hawaii Angels, Hawaii’s only angel capital investment network, and co-founder of Kolohala Ventures. Blue Startups is a technology accelerator concentrated on helping scalable-technology companies compete on a global scale.

• L.P. "NEENZ" Faleafine, Social Disrupter at Faleafine Enterprises, LLC Anchored by human-centered design, Neenz has developed the digital media strategies for some of Hawaii’s largest campaigns. Faleafine Enterprises is a human-centered, data-driven digital media marketing company and the parent company of digital media marketing agency Pono Media.

• Viil Lid, Ph.D., Co-Founder & CTO of MeetingSift A recent recipient of the HVCA's Technology Entrepreneur of the Year award, Dr. Viil Lid has been developing, researching, and teaching collaborative technology for the past two decades. MeetingsSift is an online platform that enables meeting leaders to plan and run more productive meetings.

The luncheon will be held at The Plaza Club (900 Fort St. Mall, 20th Floor) on Thursday, June 25, 2015 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $34 for HVCA members, $44 for non-members, and $20 for students (with student ID), available online through Eventbrite.

For more information, visit HVCA.org,