Athena Alliance began as small, quarterly gathering of women executives in quiet and interesting restaurants, for which the attendees would trade off footing the bill.
Dear Athena Members, Partners, and Supporters:
Athena Alliance began as small, quarterly gathering of women executives in quiet and interesting restaurants, for which the attendees would trade off footing the bill. The early goals of Athena were simple: to create an intimate environment through which a curated group of top female executives could learn from and support each other. At first these were gatherings of technology executives, simply because it matched to Coco’s background running a technology company herself.
The technology-centric theme quickly faded away as women invited others to the table. Chief marketing officers. Heads of human resources. Chief financial officers. Venture capitalists. It was all the things relationship-driven networking should be: organic, warm, authentic. These women weren’t gathering to collect business cards; they were gathering to learn from each other and to give each other strength. In doing so, they created stepping stones and career ladders for one another. Athena Alliance was born.
San Francisco and Silicon Valley, the heart of the organization, grew fast. Members popped up at a steady rate. Intuit and Autodesk came to the table as early corporate partners, setting the tone for long-term success. Seattle quickly followed as a thriving market, thanks to a significant investment from Microsoft, with many members, brands, and Athena ambassadors coming to the table with offerings of support. Then Boston joined with significant collaborative partnership with two investment leaders, OpenView Venture Partners, and TA Associates.
These are the roots of Athena’s ecosystem of connections and partnerships, built to empower women to lead at their highest level of impact, to help companies develop their top-tier female leadership, and to create sustainable, healthy businesses and communities.
But that was just the beginning. Now, Athena is on the precipice of expansion. Read on to see how we’ll continue to build our ecosystem across the U.S. and beyond.
Athena builds a stronghold in key cities in two ways. The first is an organic sprouting of members in a location. As a member base grows in any single city, it makes sense that we find a more formal home there. The second is a strategic targeting of key markets throughout the U.S. where we have a natural, simmering hub of opportunity—the right blend of progressive companies and corporations, potential CEO champions, investment firms, and our backbone: extraordinary female leadership.
We envision our first year in a new city to be guided by series of four events:
Once we’ve hosted these four events, we’ll no longer be looking to enter a region; we’ll have claimed a regional presence. This means we have a critical mass of members, including Pioneers (women on public or large private boards) and Aspiring Directors (women who today are ready to be recognized at the board level whether to join an outside board or be more relevant and elevated in stature with respect to their own board) across a region. Along with these members, we envision three to five investor partners and three to five corporate partners to help solidify our presence. Additionally, we’ll identify a noteworthy female leader in the region to be our regional ambassador.
By then, Athena will have developed an ecosystem where female leaders, at the top ranks of leadership, will be nurtured through white glove, one-on-one executive coaching and monthly salon events—intimate evenings hosted by existing members who have achieved a board seat.
Simultaneously, we will introduce these women to board influencers and decision makers in all locations, well in advance of opportunity. Our goal will be to enable women to be in the right place at the right time, or be a known thought leader within the right circles where she can shape opportunity for herself.
You don’t have to wait until we’re launching in a new city to join us at an event. Following is a list of upcoming Athena events. Are we coming to a city near you? We’d welcome an opportunity to meet you in person.
Any time there’s growth, there’s an opportunity to leap forward, to look behind—and even to stumble. As we develop and implement this framework for cultivating new regions, our goal is to maintain the intimacy and warmth of the culture we were founded upon. A place where existing female directors can lend a hand (and solid advice) to aspiring members; where members know they can call upon each other—and us—when they need some encouragement, or even just a friendly voice at the end of a chaotic week; where corporations and investors become intimately intertwined with the communities they serve.
As we grow, community and connection will continue to be at the center of our operations. Stick with us. The only way to go is up.
Now, onward.
© Athena Alliance 2024