Introducing the Finalists for the Inaugural 2017 Inclusion for Impact Awards from PagerDuty, Crunchbase, and SaaStr

The 2017 Inclusion for Impact Awards finalists have been selected amid a flurry of nominations coming in the final days. Out of the nearly 100 entries submitted for review, the selection committee identified the top women business executives and industry leaders across all listed categories. Nominations were received from influential members of the technology and venture capital communities who view the candidates as exceptional in their profession, as well as in their inclusion and diversity endeavors. These accomplished women and men have made a difference in 2017 and who will continue to make a difference in bringing about positive diversity changes in tech.

“It is great to step back and recognize individuals and firms that have put themselves out there to address diversity and inclusion as core to their business. Hopefully through these initiatives we can create a culture in tech that is inclusive.” said Gené Teare, Head of Content, Crunchbase.

Finalists were vetted by members of Crunchbase and PagerDuty. Data from Crunchbase was also used to aid in the selection process.

For a detailed description on the categories, please refer to our previous blog post.

The Change Agent

• Erica Baker, Sr. Engineering Manager, Patreon
• Amanda Hesser, CEO, Food52
• Merrill Stubbs, President, Food52
• Pooja Sankar, CEO, Piazza Technologies
• Aubrey Blanche, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Atlassian
• Erin Reilly, VP, Social Impact, Twilio

The Influencer

• Aileen Lee, Founder & Partner, Cowboy Ventures
• Cyan Banister, Founders Fund, Partner
• Kristen Green, Founding Partner, Forefronners Ventures
• Karen Peacock, COO, Intercom
• Claire Hughes Johnson, COO, Stripe
• April Underwood, VP Product, Slack

The Fearless Female Founder

• Rachel Carlson, CEO & Co-Founder, Guild Education
• Laura Weidman Powers, Co-Founder, CEO of Code2040
• Kieran Snyder, Co-Founder & CEO of Textio
• Michel Feaster, CEO & Co-Founder, Usermind
• Sarah Nahm, CEO, Lever
• Stephanie Lampkin, Founder & CEO, Blendoor (StartX F15)

The Inclusion Innovators

• Mike Cannon-Brookes, CEO & Co-Founder, Atlassian
• Candice Morgan, Head of D&I, Pinterest
• Harry Glaser, CEO & Co-Founder, Periscope Data
• Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, CEO and Founder of theBoardlist
• Rachel Williams, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion, StubHub
• Sonja Gittens-Ottley, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Asana

The winners will be announced and celebrated at the exclusive SaaStr 2018 Diversity Party on February 6, 2018. They will also have $500 donated to an organization of their choice in their names. The reception will honor the winners’ journeys, as well as provide a unique networking opportunity for leaders to share best practices and make new connections for change.