01.2021: Aicha Evans CEO of Zoox, New in FemTech, Upcoming Virtual Events, Jan Faves, Open Roles in Design & Eng
An e-newsletter for womxn and allies in tech
I’m happy you opened this email.
Hello and Happy Monday! Wow. You’ve almost made it through the first month of 2021. Congratulations. I hope you’re staying hydrated and ready to take on this year in full swing. We’re transitioning into a new era and as we reflect back on 2020, it’s incredulous what we’ve overcome to get here and how much we still have to do. With that in mind, I thought I would kick off this inaugural issue (pun intended) with a few relevant topics to prepare us for the months ahead.
What to Expect
This publication covers tech news, spotlights on womxn leaders and entrepreneurs in tech, job opportunities in design and eng, what we’re into each month, and general musings. We’re always open to feedback and suggestions so send them our way if you want to see something you’re not seeing. With that, let’s jump into it, shall we?
January Spotlight
With so much traction happening in AI and the self driving sector, we want to shine a light on an incredible leader, Aicha Evans, CEO of Zoox.
It’s no doubt that Aicha’s leadership is pushing Zoox to new levels. In a discussion on Nasdaq Governance Solution’s Self Driving Excellence video series, Aicha shares her inspiration to pursue AI, journey to leadership in autonomous driving, and best practices for entrepreneurs who want to develop an organization around an idea.
We will be following along as she takes a humble and confident approach to leading Zoox to a public/consumer launch in what we hope is 2021.
Zoox recently announced an acquisition by Amazon. In related news, Aurora’s acquisition of Uber ATG was also finalized last week, with many Uber employees announcing their new roles with Aurora on LinkedIn.
Today in FemTech
You might be wondering what FemTech is. Don’t worry, we got you. Thanks to our friends at FemTech Lab, Europe’s first fem-tech focused accelerator, we can share a pretty accurate definition.
When we tell you there’s a huuuuuge market opportunity within the realm of Femtech, we mean huge. The menopause market size alone is an estimated $600b. 😳
So, who are the key players right now? Early stage startup innovators of course.
Tabu, founded by entrepreneur Natalie Waltz, recently raised a friends and family round. The company focuses on supporting women with their sexual health as they navigate menopause.
With a sleek website, mission driven product, and a strong female founder, we can see this solution thriving in the market. I also had the pleasure of collaborating with Natalie on Cleo’s rebrand last year and realized immediately how lovely and talented she is. We’re hoping to bring her on our podcast and FemTech virtual series this year. Let us know if this sounds like something you or someone you know would be interested in joining!
Upcoming Virtual Events
Objective-She hosts virtual events to foster connection and community growth. Check out what we have coming up in the next few weeks!
2/26 7pm PT - Geek Girl Career x Objective-She: Dad’s in Tech
2/5 3pm PT - Lakshmi Ashok Moderates: Product Management Zero-to-One with Jackie Bavaro
3/8 5pm PT - TIP x Objective-She: Immigrant Womxn Leaders in Tech Panel
Annnnd if you want to get caught up on our past events, don’t you worry because we literally just uploaded all that good stuff right here. Ohh yessss.
January Favorites
[Not Sponsored]
Wellness: Theragun Pro
Reading: Principles by Ray Dalio
Productivity: Time Out (Mac OS user only)
Gratitude and Reflection
I know how hard last year was. And if it wasn’t for our growing community, core team, partners, speakers, friends and families, I don’t know how we would have gotten through. Thank you for being a part of this. It takes a village to build something meaningful, and we are so grateful for ours. Onwards!
Open Roles in Design & Eng
Designer - Consumer Experience, Stytch
Software Engineer Intern, Twilio
Software Engineer (Full Stack), Notion
See you next month!
Thanks for reading! If you like this newsletter, please share it on social media or forward to a friend — they can subscribe at objectiveshe.substack.com. And if you have thoughts on this month’s newsletter or suggestions to include in the future, feel free to reply to this email and let me know.