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Bernhardt is the founder and chief executive of software company ThoughWare. She also founded Women in Technology and co-founded the Australian Women in IT and Science Entity.<\/p>\n
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Last year, Bernhardt became the first Australian inducted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame in Silicon Valley.<\/p>\n
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She has also been awarded an Order of Australia, and oversees a number of initiatives designed to raise the profile of women in technology and break perceptions of technology careers.<\/p>\n
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One of her key tips for female-led tech start-ups is \u201cresilience, resilience, resilience\u201d.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhat will occur more frequently than success is failure and being hit by curve balls. Retain your internal strength, believe in what you are doing and be resilient,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
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\u201cGet up that one more time from being knocked down. Remember why you are doing this and retain your passion and pride. Get up and keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Durkin started her first business at the tender age of 15. She designed T-shirts and had them printed and drop-shipped from China, and sold them through eBay.<\/p>\n
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After finishing high school, Durkin started working on 99dresses.com, which aims to create an \u201cinfinite closet\u201d of free fashion for women.<\/p>\n
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Last year, Durkin won an iAward for Best Australian Startup, and soon after was accepted into Y Combinator in the United States. She graduated from Y Combinator in March this year.<\/p>\n
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\u201cPersonally I think it\u2019s fantastic to be a woman in tech because there are so few of us, and the great thing about that is that no one is solving problems that exclusively affect women,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThere\u2019s less competition, and more room to stand out and create something awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cSo my tips for any budding female tech entrepreneur would be to find a tech co-founder \u2013 if you don\u2019t code yourself \u2013 solve a problem you are passionate about and just do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Hunter has been working in the IT industry for nearly 15 years. She has worked for a wide range of companies including Palm, 3Com, Samsung, Cisco Systems, Xero and Zendesk.<\/p>\n
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In 2006, Hunter moved from the United Kingdom to Australia. Then in 2008, she set up BENCH PR, which specialises in the business-to-business and technology markets.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAt industry events, you get used to being in a small minority \u2013 I\u2019ve been mistaken for the waitress many times,\u201d Hunter says.<\/p>\n
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Hunter\u2019s advice to other female tech entrepreneurs is to do your homework, practice what you preach and outsource to the professionals.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIf you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about, you\u2019ll get found out pretty soon. Be clear about your offer and how you add value to your customers,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
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\u201cYou need to be using technology in your business, trying new tech products and understand how they work, first-hand\u2026 Focus on what you do best and outsource the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Kendall is currently in the process of moving to San Francisco to join the co-founders of YouTube on a new magazine publishing website called Zeen.com.<\/p>\n
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She will be heading up marketing, communications and external community for the website and its parent company AVOS.<\/p>\n
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Kendall has been working in the magazine and publishing industry for five years, and was previously the digital director of Niche Media.<\/p>\n
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She\u2019s worked across titles including Dumbo Feather, The Conversation, Marketing, Desktop<\/i> and Macworld<\/i>, and originally started out as an editor and journalist.<\/p>\n
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Kendall is founder of The Fetch and is particularly active in the start-up and social media space, with more than 37,000 followers on Twitter.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhat women need to do is just push forward\u2026 The more we can show the journey of local entrepreneurs being successful, this will be when a lot of these things get evened out,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
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