If you’ve never attended an Emerson Exchange Global User’s conference, let me attempt to set the stage. Once a year, approximately 3,000 of the smartest engineers on the planet gather together for 4.5 days and nights of workshops, roadmaps, panel discussions, demonstrations and yes, a bit of revelry. Working at Emerson, I rub elbows with geniuses every day, but only in October am I immersed in the think tank of STEM knowledge that is Emerson Exchange. The knowledge sparked here betters this world and will change the next. As the strongly right-brained Social Media Community Manager for Emerson and woman among a sea of men, this can be a tad unnerving
Enter this year’s Women in Innovation luncheon and firecracker of a speaker that is Ingrid Vanderveldt. Ingrid, known as “IV” to her friends, is a tech entrepreneur, media personality, investor and philanthropist. She was the first Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) for Dell Inc. and is the Founder and Chairman of Empowering a Billion Women by 2020 (EBW2020) and Vanderveldt Global Investments.
On Tuesday of the event, I had the opportunity to hear Ingrid speak to a group of 400 women and men. Three hours, one presentation and one candid interview later, I’d unearthed sage professional advice and a renewed passion for my own abilities that I’m quite sure will help me conquer the world. Ingrid has a tendency to make you feel that way. Learn more about early Ingrid and her philosophy on entrepreneurship in this post. In Part 2, I continue the interview and provide some tips and strategies from Ingrid's presentation, "Unlocking the Power of Women as Key to Building a Winning Global Business Strategy."
Q: Tell me about mixing an education in architecture (a more creative field) with an MBA; what was the impetus for doing so and how has it helped you professionally?
A: I loved architecture and that led to my decision to go to SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). While in school, I joined the American Institute of Architectural Students and American Institute of Architects. I was elected to office as a National Director and helped lead initiatives in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. So, I became active in business at an early age. I traveled to AIA meetings across North America and the other attendees were almost all older businessmen. I got it into my head that if I also went to school for my JD/MBA, I could be a better contributor and become more knowledgeable about the community, business and development issues we were addressing.
So, I came to Texas and began my JD/MBA. While at UT (University of Texas) this thing called the internet came about. I decided I wanted to be part of this technological revolution; I dropped the JD and focused on my MBA. I wanted to become the next, female, Michael Dell.
Q: And what did your early professional years look like - what fields did you pursue and/or roles did you hold? And, who inspired you?
A: I began a magazine business while doing my MBA. I later launched and sold an internet personalization business, a data company, another internet company (which failed, miserably), a production business and two green energy companies.
Technology was the common thread in all of these business. And, though I never had a formal education in tech, I’ve always been surrounded by it. My dad was a technologist and he’s always inspired me.
Q: Define entrepreneur. It’s used far and wide these days, but what does entrepreneur mean to you?
A: Someone who has a dream and passion and is making a life doing that. You don’t always have to go it alone; you can be an entrepreneur within a company, like I was at Dell, where I was given the opportunity to pursue my passion through their innovations.
Interviewer: It sounds to me as if you are describing a spirit, a way of thinking that you embodied from a young age….
A: Many people say, “It’s something you’re born with,” but, but I feel strongly that entrepreneurship can be learned. I think so many of us are raised in environments where we are told we aren’t good enough, that we’re not smart enough or don’t have enough education, resources, or even the right family background to be successful in business. The reality is that none of that matters. Is there something inside of you that you want to birth to the world AND can you surround yourself with the right people to help bring that to life? That’s what matters. Those are the type of people we look for and want to support at EBW2020.
Q: At what point did you decide to shift your focus from empowering entrepreneurs to empowering WOMEN entrepreneurs; what was the impetus for this shift in mindset?
A: It wasn’t really a shift but a small pivot, because that passion that had always been there for me. I knew from the time that I was a kid, that I was called to help women and girls, but at that time, I didn’t know what that meant.
After launching and selling the aforementioned companies and helping a handful of other entrepreneurs begin their own companies (no big deal), Ingrid began to think about how to combine her penchant for business with her passion for missionary work. Her idea? Empower women entrepreneurs and, in turn, empower one billion women across the globe by providing them with education and handheld technology. But, how can one person empower one billion? Answer: A global technology partner.
Read Part 2: Get comfortable, Being uncomfortable. Learn more about: Empowering a Billion Women by 2020 (EBW2020)