Spotlight: A Female Tech Entreprenuer

The road to starting a technology company wasn't a straight line for me, as is often the case for female entrepreneurs, especially those who got into this arena as "second acts." Prior to founding Marked Private, I worked as an educator in the Briarcliff School District where, through numerous grants I was instrumental in obtaining, I was able to bring technology into the classroom and drive the development of the first school-wide technology curriculum. I was an advisor and evaluator of technology and key in mentoring young female students in the school district's STEM program.

While on hiatus from teaching to care for my three young children, I began exploring technology even further, and eventually formed Marked Private, a company that creates innovative and accessible technology to engage communities. Marked Private's first software platform was a hybrid of a physical product and accompanying online platform called Invite Bandz, which launched in 2012. Invite Bandz are coded wristbands that serve as an invite/RSVP mechanism, private chat area, gift wish list/registry, and photo gallery. The product enables kids to connect privately with friends before, during and after birthday parties and other special events. Invite Bandz are available at party stores and online retailers across the U.S., including Amazon, Party City and Shindigz.

While marketing Invite Bandz and working with companies like GameTruck and Bricks for Kidz, I saw the need for small to medium-sized businesses to have access to the same enterprise-level software platforms that large companies have to help grow and market their businesses and connect with their audiences in more meaningful ways. That, coupled with my passion for making technology accessible to all, led me to develop Marked Private's most recent product, enCappture, an affordable branded mobile application platform that drives customer engagement for companies of all types and sizes. At a time where all companies need a mobile app to stay relevant, I knew that building a mobile app platform that would give companies the opportunity to have their own branded mobile app without investing large amounts of money, time, and resources to develop and maintain it would be a vital and necessary product for organizations seeking to stay competitive, contemporary and connected in their market areas.

Today, enCappture is positioned for significant growth. The almost all-female team is poised for an explosive 2020 after spending 2019 beta testing the platform, planning and executing marketing initiatives and building sales and client success teams to service the avalanche of leads our initiatives have generated. As a female tech entrepreneur, my mission is to inspire girls to create new ways of disrupting small and medium-sized businesses. This dovetails nicely with our growth plan, which calls for focusing on R&D to build specialized features for industry verticals, which I'm hopeful will give me the opportunity to hire more women developers, coders, and account professionals.

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