Last Friday, on International Women’s Day, the University of North Florida hosted PS27’s Female Founders Forum, a convention hosted by women entrepreneurs for women entrepreneurs. 

In attendance were female representatives from VyStar Credit Union, Florida Blue and JEA, among other businesses that value the presence of women in their workplace. This year’s keynote speaker was Sheila Lirio Marcelo, founder and CEO of Ohai.ai and former CEO of Care.com. 

According to the event’s program book, its goals are “to foster a better, more just community by illuminating and elevating the importance of women’s inclusion.”

The convention contained numerous booths at the front of the building, where attendees could learn about each company, what it does, where it is located, and how to get involved. One booth was set up for attendees to take a headshot photo for their resumes and LinkedIn accounts.

After exploring the booths, attendees entered the auditorium for the keynote speech, where Marcelo shared her story to inspire potential female entrepreneurs in the audience. 

Marcelo shared many personal experiences and stories about her career as an entrepreneur and businesswoman. She talked about her college pregnancy, the founding of Care.com, and its eventual sale to IAC for $500 million.

Marcelo, wife and mother of two, said she is a family-oriented woman who has incorporated that into her successful career, between founding Care.com—a website that connected families with local nannies, her latest pursuit of founding Ohai.ai—a household AI assistant built for families. 

Her mantra, “[be] intense with outcomes, but be chill with people,” has helped her and many others succeed. “Always assume anyone you talk to is smart and knows your agenda,” she said.

The PS27 Foundation is a non-profit that provides educational resources to startup companies to help them grow. It hosts several of these forums yearly, including the Black Founders Forum and Veteran Founders Forum.

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