A recent New York Times article by Tara Siegel Bernard looked into pay discrepancies between men and women at the top of their games—and their companies. Bernard quotes Hannah Riley Bowles, an associate professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, who says of studies on gender, negotiation and leadership, "We have found that if a man and a woman both attempt to negotiate for higher pay, people find a woman who does this, compared to one who does not, significantly less attractive."

And there are more challenges than pay discrepancies. Successful, entrepreneurial women are also confronted by a lack of role models, difficulty navigating an "opaque and clubby world" dominated by men, and left out of invitations to speak at conferences, even when positioned with phenomenal business experiences to share.

A few entrepreneurial women will come together next Thursday, May 27th, to address these challenges—particularly those faced in the process of raising venture capital. Jalak Jobanputra, the senior VP and venture investor at the New York City Investment Fund, will lead a discussion with female innovators who have done so successfully, including our very own Jen Bekman. The panel is part of the kick-off event of the Girls In Tech Entrepreneurship and Venture Series with ASTIA, a global non-profit working to propel women's participation as entrepreneurs.

The panel will also include the following panelists:

Heidi Messer – Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of LinkShare
Stephanie Sarka – Co-founder and SVP Product and Marketing and Executive Director of Overture Europe
Jenny Fleiss – Co-founder and President of Rent the Runway
Jen Bekman – Founder of 20x200

So, if you're a budding business-person (men and women, both!), looking for advice on how to start your own fundraising, or simply curious about how others in the field have paved their way, make sure to snap up a ticket in advance.

The GIT NYC Entrepreneurship and Venture Series Kick-Off with ASTIA
May 27th, 2010
6:30 - 9:30 p.m.
$5 (to benefit Girls in Tech)
DogPatch Labs, 36 E. 12th Street (between Broadway + University)