Dundee to welcome leading 'Girl Geek'

One of the rising stars of Silicon Valley will visit Dundee next week to meet with other women hoping to make their mark in the traditionally male-dominated world of technology.

Shanna Tellerman, named the world's Best Young Tech Entrepreneur by Business Week magazine, will help to launch the Girl Geek Speaker Series 2010.

The Girl Geek Scotland organisation helps women to succeed in creative technology fields, and was formed in late 2008 by Morna Simpson, a lecturer in Interactive Media Design at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, part of the University of Dundee, and colleagues.

Taking place at Dundee Contemporary Arts on Tuesday, February 9th, the launch event will see Shannatalk about how she became 'an accidental entrepreneur', and how her company, Wild Pockets, has set out to redefine games development.

She will discuss a range of topics including how to attract funding for start-up companies, and the advantages and disadvantages of being a young woman CEO in Silicon Valley. As well as having the opportunity to learn from one of the rising tech stars of their generation, attendees will enjoy diner and drinks, and take advantage of networking opportunities with other participants.

Shanna said that empowering women in technology was a personal passion of hers, and that she jumped at any opportunity to support initiatives like Girl Geek.

'I believe that the opportunities for women and the impact they will have on the future of technology is tremendous - we simply need to get more women involved at every level,' she said.

'It is important for more women to study computer science and engineering, start companies, enter into traditionally male-dominated tech industries like gaming, and get even more women funding companies as angels and/or venture capitalists.'

'Organisations like Girl Geek will be the drivers behind making this happen. I don't think we could do it without the organisations that help to provide women with a glimpse into the opportunities available.'

'With the rise of social/casual games I also believe women will be in higher demand in the coming years at both small and large companies alike. Women are dominating the industry on the player side and it is more important than ever for women to inspire the creative direction of games.'

During her Girl Geek lecture, Shanna will discuss her own path from university to entrepreneurialism. She will also talk about Wild Pockets, and the company's vision of creating a single source community and platform for independent game developers.

Shanna says she believes that innovation occurs when people are free to be creative in small teams, and that this is where the breakthroughs in every industry occur. The goal of Wild Pockets is to enable people to explore, experiment, collaborate and build games by speeding up and simplifying the process at every step.

It can be used online through a browser, an interesting technological advancement which increases accessibility. This means it is free to learn from and cheap to use as a development tool - users only pay fees when their company starts to make money.

Since the inception of Girl Geek Scotland, a group has been established in each of the four major Scottish cities, and project collaborations extend to groups in Leeds and Newcastle

There are plans for further growth that will help women in Scotland to develop their inner 'geekness' with support from a wide community of professionals and like-minded peers, who will also be encouraging entrepreneurialism.

During 2010, Girl Geek Scotland will hold a series of events to help women succeed in business. As the first speaker of the year, Shanna will also attend Girl Geek events in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow.

Residential Workshops, designed to equip women with the skills to turn their business dreams into reality, and to develop a strategy to deal with particular challenges they face in the workplace, will also take place.

Morna Simpson welcomed Shanna to Dundee, saying, 'Shanna is the perfect International speaker for Dundee and to launch our programme for 2010. Wildpockets is open-source and through this, we could see a return to 'bedroom games development' that Dundee is so famous for.

'It promises to open up the market to small and micro-businesses and is the perfect tool for people with a love of games and some entrepreneurial flare. Our national speaker is Dr Sophia Lycouris, who has developed interdisciplinary choreography using artificial intelligence, robotics and dance and will have great appeal to those from a media arts and imaging background.'

All guests in the speaker series will become part of a video archive, which will be available, at www.girlgeekscotland.co.uk

Shanna will launch the Girl Geek Speaker Series 2010 at DCA Meeting Room on Tuesday, February 9th. The event begins at 6.45pm, and tickets cost £10, or £5 for students with a valid matriculation card.

www.dundee.ac.uk

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