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Women create only 3% of startups, receive less than 10% of venture capital funding, and lead just 4% of Fortune 500 companies. Filmmakers Nora Poggi and Insiyah Saeed created a new documentary film, “She Started It,” to help change this status quo by encouraging more women to pursue entrepreneurship. Our co-founder Brienne is featured as part of this project.

“She Started It” tells the stories of five founders of technology companies, documenting the joys and challenges they faced raising capital, managing family relationships, and balancing life as young women with the demands of entrepreneurship.

Brienne first met Nora and Insiyah three years ago when both the documentary project and Entefy were just starting up. Speaking after the film’s premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival, Brienne told the 300 attendees, “It was rewarding to watch this amazing idea come to life. I’m thrilled to be a part of this film’s mission to attract more women to the technology industry.”

“She Started It” will be screened at universities, community centers, companies, and local theaters across the country as part of its continuing mission to encourage women to pursue technology careers. Share the trailer with anyone who inspires you.

Photographer: Deidre Locklear / “She Started It”

Modern tech companies, both startups and titans, are young. Their workers are young. Their brands are youthful. And the image of the 20-something founder is alive and well. So it is not surprising that the products these companies design are products intended for, and most easily used by, the young. But should this be the case?

Data shows that users aged 18-34 top rankings for device usage, app downloads, time-in-apps, and other categories that quantify digital technology usage. These users are, in aggregate, quicker to evaluate these technologies and faster to make new devices and services part of their lives. Rogers’ theory on the diffusion of innovation suggests why: digital natives maintain extensive social media networks, which expose them to new digital technologies early, and their baseline familiarity with such technologies makes them sufficiently adaptive to integrate new applications and services quickly.

But younger people clearly are not the only ones making widespread use of digital technology in their lives. Research shows that 58% of American adults age 50-64 and 30% of adults over 65 own smartphones. While they use smartphones at about half the rate of the 18-34 cohort, they are, interestingly, the leading users of tablets. Which suggests a much more nuanced picture of high technology use than is commonly presented. Differences in usage are not a matter of kind, but degree.

Now consider Emma Morano. The oldest person alive today, Ms. Morano is 116 years old, the last person on Earth from the 1800s. During her life, the first radio broadcasts were conducted and the first television sets appeared in living rooms. She had already lived for 107.5 years before the first iPhone was unveiled by Apple in 2007. How easy or difficult might Ms. Morano find using an iPhone? Many companies espouse accessibility, yet there are few examples of true universality in digital technology.

Imagine if we made digital technology universal—so easy and intuitive to use that it could enhance anybody’s life. It is almost cliché for a Silicon Valley company to define its mission as “making the world a better place.” Why should their products, then, make only some lives better? Some, but not all. The division creates a form of inequality, which makes digital technology, in effect, ageist.

But it doesn’t need to be that way. By designing apps and services that consider the needs of all users, billions of lives could be enhanced by products that improve productivity, expand communication, or enable creativity and invention. We think this is a worthy goal, and it’s why our vision of universal interaction informs and inspires everything we do.

It is enchanting to stroll through a forest full of towering trees. Thoughts turn to permanence and longevity, especially in the presence of centuries-old trees like the giant sequoias of Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove. How do trees thrive in ever-changing environments? What are their secrets to survival?

Forest ecologist Suzanne Simard gave a fascinating TED Talk describing her research into how trees communicate within the forest system. Her insights got us thinking about ways human teams can be optimized for success.

Trees are active communicators

From above ground, trees appear to exist in independent isolation. They would seem to be competing with one another for sun, shade, and food. But a look underground reveals that trees are social. A single tree can be in communication with 47 nearby ones. They create a network where multiple species communicate, share resources, and protect each other in ways that contribute to the health of the surrounding environment.

Teambuilding lesson: Design communication into the structure of the team and encourage team members to maintain direct links with each member of the team, not just a central figure like a team leader or manager. Research from Harvard Business School shows that effective teams are characterized by multiple overlapping communication channels.

Elder trees lead the community and help their offspring grow  

The survival of the grove is dependent on communication between trees. As in many human social circles, older trees are generally more connected and act as hubs within the network. They are the community orchestrators. This has a nutritional role within the forest system, as elder trees direct the transfer of nutrients through roots and fungi, prioritizing saplings to help them better survive environmental changes.

Teambuilding lesson: Leaders and more-experienced team members who prioritize knowledge transfer and mentoring are making direct contributions to the long-term capabilities of the team.

Trees plan for the future of the forest 

Trees are adept at managing present challenges using an awareness of the needs of the whole forest. To support photosynthesis, trees are able to alter the growth of individual branches to provide neighboring trees better access to sunlight. Upon a beetle attack, trees send warnings through the network to warn other trees. Elder trees can even reduce the size of their root systems to create space for younger trees’ root systems to grow into.

Teambuilding lesson: Teams should simultaneously focus on present challenges and longer-term goals. Effective teams use systems thinking to understand how current challenges are linked to longer-term goals.

For trees as for people, collaboration wins. Who knew that the whisper you hear when the wind blows through the forest was teambuilding advice?

Entefy supports entrepreneurs around the globe who are passionate about making a positive impact in the world. We recently welcomed to our office 15 students from Programa Jietec, a program that offers Colombian students the opportunity to meet with Silicon Valley companies and learn about pioneering technologies. This visit was arranged by our longtime advisor, Andreas Ramos, and the Executive Director of Fundacion Mujeres por Colombia, Isabel Londono Polo.

Entefy sibling co-founders, Alston Ghafourifar and Brienne Ghafourifar, answered questions during an engaging roundtable discussion with these students. Questions that covered topics ranging from innovation and fundraising to user growth and techniques for identifying success factors.

We were excited to see the high level of energy from the students, and we look forward to seeing how they make their mark on the world.

PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 13, 2016 — Entefy Inc. announced today the appointment of Lily Sarafan to its Board of Directors. As President and CEO of Home Care Assistance (HCA), Sarafan has led the company from Silicon Valley startup to global leader in consumer health, employing 6,500 employees across 150 domestic and international markets. HCA is consistently recognized as best-in-class in its consumer segment and one of the fastest growing companies in the world.

Sarafan extends her passion for leadership and entrepreneurship as an investor and a trusted advisor. She serves on a variety of boards, including the Stanford Alumni Association and the BerkeleyHaas BIT-AMENA Center. She is also a mentor for 500 Startups, a Founder Board Advisor at StartX, and has been a featured speaker at the White House and at conferences worldwide.

Entefy Chairman and CEO, Alston Ghafourifar, said, “Not only does Lily set the bar for any entrepreneur, her multi-disciplinary expertise makes her an invaluable resource to any venture. Also, her support in empowering women everywhere makes us proud to have her with us as the newest member of Entefy’s Board.”

Sarafan is one of Silicon Valley’s 40 Under 40 and has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., and Newsweek. She is also the co-author of an award-winning book series on healthy aging.

“Entefy is different,” Sarafan said. “Co-founders Alston and Brienne have set their sights on reimagining not only an entire sector but also the fundamental nature of communication.” Sarafan continued, “I believe Entefy is uniquely positioned to reach disruptive goals and transform how we communicate for the benefit of all. I’m delighted to be on this journey with the Entefy team.”

ABOUT ENTEFY

Entefy is building the first universal communicator—a smart platform that uses artificial intelligence to help you seamlessly interact with the people, services, and smart things in your life—all from a single application that runs beautifully on all your favorite devices. Our core technology combines digital communication with advanced computer vision and natural language processing to create a lightning fast and secure digital experience for people everywhere.

What were you doing in high school? Some of us may have been preoccupied with the latest trends or stressing out about exams. Our very own Jason Scharff, Software Engineering Intern and a high school Junior, envisioned encouraging students with computer science skills to develop tangible items to be used by others. Armed with this vision, he set off to co-host Menlo School’s first hackathon. Some 150 high school students came together from across California with a single objective: to code for 24 hours. Students with varying skill sets competed, from first time coders to a few with multiple hackathons under their belts.

“It actually works! A 24-hour period is able to actually convince people that programming is really a powerful tool,” said Jason.

Entefy’s co-founder, Brienne Ghafourifar, was invited to join the event as a judge.  “Our world, more than ever, needs risk-takers,” said Brienne. “We need the kind of people who are not afraid to try and fail. The kind of people who are willing to break things so that they can be rebuilt better. We need people like you.”

Congratulations to everyone who contributed to the success of Menlo School’s first hackathon!

Excited to celebrate along side more than 6,000 people in this year’s sold out Watermark Conference for Women marking it’s 21^st Anniversary. The one-day event offered access to engaging sessions, practical tools, inspirational stories on issues that matter most to women, valuable networking opportunities, career advice and professional development, money management, and life skills.

Co-Founder Brienne Ghafourifar was invited to speak on the panel entitled Strategies to Stand Out, Step Up, and Get Noticed. Brienne’s comments were focused by the conference organizers to her “bringing a fresh perspective,” based on her “experience raising funds and bringing an idea from concept to reality.”

From the stage, Brienne acknowledged the bold and heroic work of women who paved the way. “I would like to thank the women before who were able to pave this path so I can actually be in this seat and be with all of you.”

We tip our hats to women making their mark!

The Next Chapter of IoT: The Intelligence of Things, was the title of our co-founder Brienne Ghafourifar’s inspiring keynote address to a large audience at this year’s Harker School symposium. This year’s theme was, The Future of Data Science, Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics. Harker’s unique STEM conference is where students along with inventive startups and industry experts gather to discuss scientific research and innovation in Silicon Valley.

Brienne’s speech explored the explosive growth of IoT meeting the deep human need to communicate, spawning an entirely new paradigm of interaction.  “Although machines will fast become the primary generators and analyzers of data, it will always be about people,” said Brienne. “Artificial intelligence helps bridge the gap between people and machines. Entefy is seizing this opportunity and investing heavily in AI-enabled interactions to deliver the first universal interaction platform for people, things, and services.”

The audience dove into these ideas by way of seeking answers to their provoked questions and Brienne concluded her speech with an inspiring quote by Alan Kay: “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”

For those of you considering a career move in the tech world or wondering where to start yours, we’ve got just the list: The 11 hottest tech opportunities of 2016.

Occupations ranked on this list were chosen by projected growth rates and median pay reported by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The most recent projections were released on the BLS website in December 2015. BLS shows that total employment in the United States will increase by 6.5 percent (9.8 million) between 2014 and 2024. However, occupations within tech will grow at a much faster rate during this period.

Entefy hosted 20 students from INSEEC School of Business with campuses in Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Chambéry, London, Monaco, Geneva, Shanghai and right here in San Francisco. The MBA and design students visiting us are a highly motivated group with sights on Silicon Valley’s up and coming tech companies focused on “courageous innovation.”

We enjoyed their visit and wish them the best for a bright future ahead in their careers.