The Influencers

Adriana Gascoigne

TexT and PhoTograPh by Kyle Thornburg PhoTograPh by Ziv gillaT

Adriana Gascoigne, 38, sees the innovation in technology. It’s a type of innovation not limited to her roles in technology, which have spanned both global brands and start-up spaces. Wishing to further the visibility of women in the technology industry, Adriana founded the non-profit organization, Girls in Tech, in 2007. Established with the mission to empower women with professional aspirations in technology, Girls in Tech mentors women across 47 international chapters with Adriana at the headquarters’ helm in San Francisco.

Your professional timeline has led you through an assortment of titles as well as offices around the world. What has been the unifying element or passion in your career?

There are a few things, but one thing I’m most definitely grateful for is the exposure and impact I’ve had through international relations with people all across the globe. I’ve been fortunate enough to explore my creativity and apply all of my skills and talents through building my company, mentorship activities within my organization, and program development—all of which I’m passionate about.

One of the components of Girls in Tech is identifying which areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are most appealing to young women. Which areas of STEM enabled you to envision a career for yourself in technology as a young woman?

I’d say I primarily fall on the tech side. The design and illustration coupled with product development and product marketing have all played a role in how I have been able to envision my career as a young woman. What falls into an overarching category in all of this, I would say, is the psychology behind user behaviors, which is a general asset that I’ve been able to improve on as I’ve strengthened my career

Can you remember an event or phenomenon that showed you your idea for Girls in Tech had a valuable place in modern society?

There are a couple of instances that stand out for me. One of which is when 200 women in the tech industry came out of the woodwork for our first event in San Francisco. Another memorable instance was when I received a letter from a young high school girl, saying “thank goodness for Girls in Tech,” stating it changed her, “life, schooling, future career, and livelihood.”

What type of support or foresight does Girls in Tech offer that you might have benefitted from during the start of your own career?

I wish I had access to 90 percent of what I’m building when I was starting my own career! We offer some amazing resources under pillars in education, mentorship, professional growth opportunities, and team building.

The diverse programs offered by Girls in Tech cover everything from social learning to tech lab workshops. In what way would you like to grow the curriculum or influence of your organization in the future?

I would like to continue to focus on the five trademark programs which we’ve created: Catalyst Conference, Lady Pitch Night, Bootcamps, Hackathons, XChange. I would also like to develop a platform to showcase female entrepreneurs and their products. Eventually, it would be great to build a Girls in Tech Fund to help fund women-run start-ups

What products, interactions or realizations from your work with Girls in Tech that have surprised you most?

It’s always great to see how women everywhere are hungry to learn, grow, and share stories. You learn how similar all women are when you take away the layers, and we are pretty strong, focused, and driven!

What humbles me the most is that a lot of people have heard of Girls in Tech, love the concept, and want to help us. I find that all I have to do is ask for the help!

Who are the women who have had the most formative impacts on your life—professionally and personally?

My mom, who has amazing values consisting of fortitude, integrity, and resourcefulness. My best friend, who’s an Engineer at Tesla. Her work ethic and passion are unmatched. Aung San Suu Kyi, because she’s a fearless and selfless leader! Two mentors during my college internships. They were Latina women who always looked after me and genuinely wanted me to succeed. I loved that they challenged my thinking and held me accountable. This taught me the concept of “no excuses in the workplace.”

The Influencers

Natalia Burina

TexT by Kyle Thornburg PhoTograPhy by Coriander STaSi

For Natalia Burina, software engineering errs on the side of charisma. As a young entrepreneur, Natalia’s upbringing was rich with her Yugoslavian heritage and an obvious diligence, which influenced her to study applied math and computer science at the University of Washington. It was from this foundation that Natalia worked for powerhouses such as eBay and Microsoft, where she built consumer products used by millions of users. With newfound roots in San Francisco, Natalia co-founded Parable, a photo-networking app fusing users’ thoughts, emotion, and images as one.

Your parents influenced your foray into computer science after immigrating to the United States, but you also have many liberal arts passions. Was it always clear you’d intertwine these interests in your career?

Not at all! Early on in my career I worked as a software engineer. The job was highly technical and required a great degree of specialization.

A successful consumer product inspires strong emotions in its users. I find that studying examples of good design, psychology, architecture, and art is a great guide for building successful products.

I have always been a voracious reader and loved to write. Language is a powerful tool that fascinates me. As someone who speaks three languages, I recognize how language shapes our experience of the world. For startup founders, the skill to communicate and write well is essential. A well-crafted email can change the fate of a business. Great founders communicate effectively with users, press, and investors.

What part did your professional history play in your cultivation of Parable in 2014?

My career has been dedicated to building software products from the very beginning. I have worked in almost all roles in the industry.

In 2012 my co-founder and I built an app called Flockish. StubHub! thought it was interesting and acquired it. At eBay I learned that high quality images have the power to drive a business. This year alone the world will create more photos than ever. With Parable, we applied the skills we learned in building Flockish and set out to take advantage of the visual web.

Describe the experience of releasing an app like Parable, into an industry comprised of your colleagues, consumers, and critiques.

Building Parable has been an incredible adventure! A short time after we launched, Apple featured Parable on the App Store. It meant a lot to us that they liked our design. Parable also garnered acquisition interest from Facebook and Pinterest. At one point we had so much traffic that we reached capacity with our email servers. The greatest reward is seeing endearing and creative posts from our users. Many love it because it is an opportunity to interact with people from all corners of the globe.

In what ways does Parable enable you differently as a professional than in your past?

As a startup founder I took on roles that were new to me. I learned how to market, and work with users, partners and press. I love the breadth of work with Parable. The best part is the freedom to define and build something new.

How do you maintain momentum working in such a competitive industry?

I enjoy tackling hard problems. However, to gain and maintain momentum you have to surround yourself with smart people. A great team will challenge and push you. When everyone on the team has high standards, you don’t have to worry about momentum.

Do you have a life philosophy?

I believe in simplicity. My favorite quote is attributed to da Vinci, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” It also captures my approach to product development. .

Who are the women who inspire you most?

My mother and grandmother, I owe my success to them. Both faced enormous obstacles with dignity. My mother re-built a successful career as a software engineer at Microsoft after we immigrated to the United States. My grandmother came from a simple peasant background and witnessed multiple wars. She stressed education and forged an independent path for herself. They taught me to persist and manage difficult situations with grace.

The Influencers

Lara Eurdolian

TexT by Kyle Thornburg PhoTograPhy by James King

Lara Eurdolian, 31, navigates the blogosphere with a stylesavvy compass. With a background that integrates branding and beauty, Lara launched her career in marketing with NARS and Jurlique, after graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology. She went on become a brand consultant for entities like Kiehl’s, Skyn Iceland, and Avon. All the while, she amassed an outlook of her own. This point-of-view came to fruition in 2009 when Lara started the beauty and lifestyle blog, Pretty Connected, and again in 2014 when she founded In His Clothes, a blog that examines the influence of menswear in women’s style. Lara’s blogging and branding presence has led her to partner with the likes of COVERGIRL, Aveeno, and Essie, and to catalogue culture along the way.

At the start of your career, as a consultant and social media strategist, what was most important to you?

Staying current, creating meaningful (original) content and getting results. We transitioned so quickly from a print to digital world where suddenly we could track influence and results in a completely new way. The rise of social media was this exciting time where you could try different things and get to know your audience in a way that wasn’t possible before.

How did you find a marriage between your own perspective and the perspective that would become Pretty Connected?

They are very intertwined in that the blog is all about sharing products and experiences that I’m excited about and feel will benefit my readers. If the content I’m putting out has no value to my audience or is off subject, then it doesn’t warrant being on the site.

How do you ensure that you are remaining inspired from blog post to blog post, project to project?

My site is more of a lifestyle than a job, so I have to love it or something has to change. It is a highly personal thing and it’s not easy, but at the end of the day I’m very fortunate to have so many relationships with brands and to have the control to create content that continues to excite.

You can’t do it all (that’s a lesson we all learn at some point) but if you don’t constantly evaluate your content and opportunities then you’ll never grow. You can’t be afraid to evolve and find creative ways to partner with brands as well as try new things that keeps things fresh.

In His Clothes stands on a different fashion platform than Pretty Connected. Describe what that’s like for you.

Pretty Connected’s main focus is beauty, but there is a strong lifestyle component that spans fashion, travel, and home. It doesn’t have rules as much as a curation of things I enjoy and think my readers would be interested in.

In His Clothes has a very specific concept without a lot of gray area. It’s all about borrowing from the boys and then adding a feminine twist; Converse with dresses, motorcycle jackets with heels. The Instagram handle for the account @ inhisclothes is particularly fun since we’re constantly featuring different women and how they interpret trends, whereas @prettyconnected is more focused around new product launches and my style posts.

What characteristics help you to identify a brand that you would like to partner with?

I generally go for products and brands I use and get excited to talk about. A partnership is two sided and I only want my name associated with brands and products that I love and use. It just has to make sense for my brand and otherwise I try not to put limitations and just be open to how I can creatively partner with brands. I have a strong marketing background so it’s easy to pick out when something feels forced or off brand.

If you weren’t a blogger and brand ambassador, what do you think you would do for a profession?

I would have stayed on track with my marketing career and continued to work in beauty. It’s an industry that has always been very good to me and one I enjoy.

Who are the women who have had the most formative impacts on your life—professionally and personally?

It’s actually been mostly men that have had the biggest influence on my career. The former head of creative at NARS, Todd Smith taught me a lot about branding and not cutting corners to make something beautiful. My former colleague at both Jurlique and Kiehl’s, Jeremy Goldman, was incredibly influential in pushing me to make the leap from traditional marketing to digital. And my boyfriend and partner in the blog, James King who’s from the digital advertising world gave me the confidence to go a consulting route and pushes me to grow and create everyday