SAN CARLOS, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 01/29/13 -- The next generation of entrepreneurs and technologists will discover careers of the future on Saturday, February 9th at the 2013 Dare 2B Digital Conference (#d2bd13), the San Francisco Bay Area's premier learning event for young women, parents and mentors. Dare 2B Digital features inspirational keynotes, hands-on workshops, demonstrations and a "Meet-a-Mentor" lunch. The event takes place at the Oracle Conference Center. Register at www.dare2bdigital.org.

Dare 2B Digital is presented by Invent Your Future Foundation, an organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

Tailored for young women in middle and high school, Dare 2B Digital explores technologies and ideas from girls' daily lives that translate into thrilling careers -- from inventing the "next big thing" in technology to researching cures for diseases. Hosted by former Nickelodeon star Jesse Draper, CEO, Valley Girl, Inc., and creator and host, "The Valley Girl Show," the program nurtures creativity and entrepreneurship through animation, mobile applications, eCommerce, digital communications and other topics.

Keynotes will wow you:

• Stanford University graduates Bettina Chen and Alice Brooks share their journey from engineering students to founding the Kickstarter success story of Maykah's Roominate, "the wired building toy for girls";
• Panel discussion with successful tech executives Sue Graham Johnston, vice president, Product Lifecycle & Technology, Oracle and Marie Tahir, vice president, Design, eBay Marketplaces;
• High-speed adventure seeker and award-winning kart racer Alina Cioletti, an Exercise Science major at Ashland University, shares plans to merge her passions in the classroom and on the racetrack.

"Dare 2B Digital is the launching pad for the post-Millennial generation -- whether you call them iGen or Gen Z -- and we're getting phenomenal support from parents, teachers and leaders in business and government who are catalysts in closing the gender gap," said Dare 2B Digital founder Ruth Stergiou, chief executive officer of Invent Your Future Foundation. "Dare 2B Digital is an incubator of dreams and possibilities -- matching girls who think big with mentors and resources to create, invent and achieve the incredible."

Get hands-on with new technology in workshops for girls:

• Technical Roles in Digital Animation - Pixar Animation Studios
• Lemonade Stand Modernized - eBay Innovate Group
• Cyber-Safety: Take Charge of Your Online Experience - Intel
• For the Full Shopping Experience...You've Got to Network the Mall - Brocade
• Mobile HTML5 Gaming Application - Mozilla
• Programming with Alice - Oracle Academy
• Create a Phone App Prototype - Iridescent
• EmPOWERed to Create Change - Girls for a Change

Stay ahead of the curve in workshops for parents:

• Keeping Kids Safe Online - Symantec
• Facebook for Parents - Facebook
• Tackling the Runaway Costs of College (Westface College Planning) and Finding the College STEM Program That's Right for Your Student (Henderson Frederick College Consulting)
• Inspiring Exploration in Technology, Science, and Engineering - Techbridge
• Student Tech Leaders Engage in STEM Learning - MOUSE Squad Student Tech
• Preparing Students for Engineering and IT Careers - Placer County Office of Education

"Oracle is proud to support the next generation of women technologists by hosting the 2013 Silicon Valley Dare 2B Digital," said Alison Derbenwick Miller, vice president, Oracle Academy. "For more than 20 years, Oracle has worked to advance education with state-of-the-art technology programs that awaken and deepen students' interest in computer science and engineering. We encourage students to explore the power of computer programming and the opportunities made available via computer science education. Events like Dare 2B Digital help encourage young women to create, design and build new products and technologies that will positively impact the future."

Conference Details

Girls in 7th to 10th grades, parents and mentors can register at www.dare2bdigital.org. Space is limited. Scholarships are available to girls from low-income communities.

Follow Dare 2B Digital on Twitter at @Dare2BDigital and #d2bd13 and like us on Facebook at "dare 2b digital."

2013 corporate partners: Oracle, eBay, Brocade, Cadence, Cisco, First Tech Federal Credit Union, Google, Intel, Mozilla, NetApp, Symantec and Rustin Communications. Community partners: Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, Black Girls Code, Computer Science Teachers Association, FEMinc, Girls For A Change, Girls Who Code, Iridescent, National Center for Women & Information Technology, Techbridge, Luna and News on Women. For partner opportunities, visit www.dare2bdigital.org.

Dare 2B Digital Expanding Nationwide

In 2012, the California State Legislature honored Dare 2B Digital with House Resolution No. 34. The measure recognizes the Dare 2B Digital Conference among outreach programs that foster more girls, women, and underrepresented minorities to consider STEM opportunities. (more: http://bit.ly/Vz1ZIK)

Invent Your Future Foundation is expanding the conference to Baltimore, Maryland in Fall 2013 and is seeing interest from the Midwest and areas such as North Carolina's Research Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill). To bring Dare 2B Digital to your region, visit www.dare2bdigital.org.

About Invent Your Future

Dare 2B Digital is presented by Invent Your Future Foundation, a program of Invent Your Future Enterprises. Invent Your Future specializes in the retention, development and acceleration of women leaders. Based on extensive research on the training needs of corporate managers and high potential leaders, the company offers talent development programs, skill-building events and organizational consulting. Visit www.inventyourfuture.com and follow @IYFnews.

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