Debbie Sterling • Tue Mar 14 2023
March 14, 2023
PART OF THE ECONOMIC CLUB OF SOUTHWESTERN MICHIGAN SPEAKER SERIES - SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT
Debbie Sterling, founder and CEO of GoldieBlox, is a driving force in the STEM industry, a powerful voice for women, and a leader for the next generation of female engineers.
During her presentation “When ‘No’ Leads to Innovation,” Sterling shares her entrepreneurial journey and the story of how she and her team overcame rejection by thinking audaciously about how to challenge the status quo, all in the name of helping close the gender gap in STEM. Defying claims that girls tend to demonstrate less interest in science, math, and engineering, Sterling challenges others to look beyond stereotypes to see the potential of what women and girls can achieve.
While enrolled in engineering at Stanford University, Sterling was concerned with the absence of women in her program. After graduating, she knew that needed to change. She set out to disrupt the toy industry by creating GoldieBlox, a multimedia toy company designed to foster creative exploration, ignite creativity, and develop spatial skills in young girls.
GoldieBlox's Kickstarter campaign led to $1 million in sales, was sold in Toys "R" Us, and was a best-seller on Amazon. The app now has over 1 million downloads and over 1 million toys have been sold across more than 6,000 major worldwide retailers.
Register for Student Q&A Session
Co-presented with Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber.
Please make the right choice and stay home if you are not feeling well.