Chicago Becomes Leading City for Female Tech Founders; Savills Studley Supports the Cause
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) October 05, 2015 -- Savills Studley, the leading global commercial real estate services firm specializing in tenant representation, is proud to announce it has partnered with Women Tech Founders, a community committed to providing inspiration and education to both established and aspiring women tech founders, as a year-long local sponsor.
Lisa Davidson, executive managing director of Savills Studley’s Chicago office and a commercial real estate leader with 30+ years in the industry, is heading the sponsorship for Women Tech Founders on behalf of the firm. Davidson, who was named a part of Women Tech Founders’ Leadership Council, will be speaking briefly at the organization’s next local event scheduled for October 19th at 1871 in the Merchandise Mart.
“Both the tech and commercial real estate industries have historically attracted few women, however, over the past 15 years; women have transformed these male-dominated industries,” said Davidson. “Female executives are beginning to break barriers becoming mentors, and allowing millennial entrepreneurs to see the opportunities for women across both industries.”
According to CoStar data, less than 15 percent of commercial real estate brokers are women. In comparison, Terri Brax, CEO of Women Tech Founders, notes that less than 10 percent of all startups are led by women, which also reflects the percentage of women who act as venture capitalists.
Technology, “is a tremendous opportunity for entrepreneurial and talented women,” said Brax. “We’ve created this community in an effort to ultimately overcome the challenges women have faced in founding tech companies and to support our fellow tech-entrepreneurs.”
According to Brax, with the support of influencers like Lisa Davidson and Savills Studley, Chicago now ranks as Forbes’ leading city for female tech founders with 30 percent of startups being women led, climbing from only three percent in January, when Women Tech Founders was launched.
The upcoming conference being held October 19 at 1871 is entitled Women Founders: Using Tech to Change the World. It will showcase emerging female tech influencers from around the world, including speakers Roya Mahboob, from Afghanistan, who was introduced as one of Time's Top 100 Most Influential People in the World;” veteran female tech leader, Desiree Vargas of GiveForward.com; and Kristi Ross of Dough and Tasty Trade.
For more details, visit: http://womentechfounders.com/.
About Savills Studley
Savills Studley is the leading commercial real estate services firm specializing in tenant representation. Founded in 1954, the firm pioneered the conflict-free business model of representing only tenants in their commercial real estate transactions. Today, supported by high quality market research and in-depth analysis, Savills Studley provides strategic real estate solutions to organizations across all industries. The firm’s comprehensive commercial real estate platform includes brokerage, project management, capital markets, consulting and corporate services. With 26 offices in the U.S. and a heritage of innovation, Savills Studley is well known for tenacious client advocacy and exceptional service.
The firm is part of London-headquartered Savills plc, the premier global real estate service provider with over 27,000 professionals and over 600 locations around the world. Savills plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SVS.L).
For more information, please visit http://www.savills-studley.com and follow us on Twitter @SavillsStudley and LinkedIn.
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Erin Holin, Savills Studley, +1 212.326.1024, [email protected]
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