Poornima Vijayashanker

Poornima Vijayashanker is a prominent engineer, entrepreneur, and educator based in Palo Alto, California. She holds degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Duke University. Over her career, she has worked in various capacities, including as a founding engineer at Mint.com, where she played a crucial role in developing the platform from its inception until its acquisition by Intuit in 2009.12

In addition to her engineering work, Vijayashanker is the founder of Femgineer, a platform aimed at empowering women in technology through education and mentorship. She has also served as an entrepreneur-in-residence at 500 Startups and a mentor-in-residence at Techstars, where she focused on product development and technical recruiting.23

Vijayashanker is also an author and speaker, having published works such as How to Transform Your Ideas Into Software Products and co-authored Present! A Techie's Guide to Public Speaking. She has delivered a TEDx talk discussing the importance of tinkering and hands-on experience in engineering.12

Her advocacy for women in technology emphasizes the need for role models and the encouragement of women to pursue technical and leadership roles in engineering and finance.1