Contacts:
Kathy Wilson
Tier One Partners for Astia
781-652-0499
kwilson@tieronepr.com

Kelly Rohrs
Edelman for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
212-819-4852
Kelly.rohrs@edelman.com


First Annual �We Own It Summit� to Explore Women�s Participation in High-Growth Businesses, June 8, 2010 in New York

Summit Convened to Identify Solutions to Promote Women�s Entrepreneurship; Speakers Include Thought Leaders such as Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, Esther Dyson and Brad Feld

SAN FRANCISCO, NEW YORK AND LONDON � May 27, 2010 ― Astia, a premier venture accelerator that targets exceptional startups with women on their founding teams, today announced it is convening the first annual We Own It Summit in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and 24 entrepreneur, investor and academic institutions. The Summit will bring together entrepreneurs, investors and leaders of organizations and institutions advocating, promoting, accelerating and researching women�s participation in high-growth entrepreneurship on Tuesday, June 8, 2010 at New York University�s School of Law.

The We Own It Summit has three primary objectives: to create linkages and a network across the sectors of academia, government, nonprofit, investment and entrepreneurship; to build a clear agenda to support women entrepreneurs and investors; and, to effect real change by identifying research topics, framing policy ideas and articulating actions for advocates.

The conference will include debate panel sessions and workshops focusing on:
�    The scarcity of women-led high-growth startups and women investors,
�    The unique hurdles that women face in leading high-growth companies, and
�    The low levels of participation of women in the commercialization of science.   

The We Own It Summit has attracted as speakers a variety of thought leaders across business, the sciences, government and academia.  They include:
�    Kris Appel - Encore Path, Inc.  
�    Brad Feld - Foundry Group
�    Susan Lyne - Gilt Groupe
�    Michelle Dipp - GlaxoSmithKline
�    Nicholas M. Donofrio - IBM Fellow Emeritus, Innovation and Technology
�    Kristine Brandt - Invesco Private Capital
�    Alexa von Tobel - LearnVest
�    Catherine Ashcraft - National Center for Women and Information Technology
�    Sukhinder Singh Cassidy - Polyvore, formerly of EIR Accel and Google
�    Penny Pickett - U.S. Small Business Administration

The Summit is by invitation only. To be considered for participation in the Summit, a request for an invitation may be emailed to invitation@weownitsummit.com.

Media who would like to attend can contact Kathy Wilson at kwilson@tieronepr.com or Kelly Rohrs at kelly.rohrs@edelman.com.

The full agenda for the day can be found at http://www.weownitsummit.com/agenda.html. For more information on the speakers, visit http://www.weownitsummit.com/speakers.html.

ABOUT THE WE OWN IT SUMMIT
Convened by Astia and funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Ernst & Young, Microsoft, New York University and the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, the We Own It Summit represents a cross-section of entrepreneurs, investors, academia, government, media, non-profit and industry organizations focused on breaking down barriers for women in high-growth entrepreneurship�across the pipeline�from college graduate to company founder and CEO. The We Own It Summit will focus on addressing the myths, money, motivations, metrics and solutions for women's participation in high-growth entrepreneurship.

The organizations involved in planning  the We Own It Summit include ACTiVATE, Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, Astia, Aurora UK Women�s Enterprise Task Force, Babson College, 85 Broads, California State University Northridge, Stanford: The Clayman Institute for Gender Research, Delta Economics, The Diana Project, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and Executives (FWE&E), Girls in Tech, GoldenSeeds, Illuminate Ventures, The International Museum of Women, National Center for Women & Information Technology, The Next Woman, The Op Ed Project, Simmons College School of Management, Springboard Enterprises, SVB Financial, Women 2.0 and Women Presidents Organization.

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