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Bianca Gates
CEO and Co-Founder at Birdies
Bianca Gates is a prominent figure as the Co-Founder and CEO of Birdies, a revolutionary company that introduced fashionable flats doubling as comfortable slippers.
Before her entrepreneurial venture at Birdies, Bianca served as a Sales Executive at Meta, collaborating with industry leaders in retail and gaming to enhance their business scalability through data analytics.
Hailing from Southern California, Bianca is the firstborn of Latin American immigrants and an alumna of the University of California, Irvine, where she pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in International/Global Studies.
Bianca Gates is dedicated to empowering women to fulfill their aspirations, initiating the pioneering Lean In Circle in partnership with Sheryl Sandberg in 2013, which has now expanded to over 75,000 Circles spanning 181 countries globally.
An advocate for early-stage entrepreneurs, Bianca also contributes her expertise as a Board Member at The Hamlin School, an esteemed all-girls institution in San Francisco, where she resides with her spouse and two children.
Highlights
It was an honor being a judge at this year’s Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula’s Youth of the Year alongside these incredible leaders Marissa Mayer Aaron Levie Ryan Roslansky and Mamoon Hamid. Thank you to Meena Harris and Nik Ajagu for nominating me to be a judge this year and to Jenny Obiaya for your leadership and love of such an important organization.
Congratulations to this year’s winner, Anderson Ortiz. Your perseverance, tenacity, courage, positivity, leadership and love for your family is so inspiring and I can’t wait to see everything you accomplish in the future. 👏🙌💪🎉
A little about BGCP:
BGCP was founded in 1958 to give at-risk young people a safe place where they could build positive peer and adult relationships. Youth joined the Club, connected with adult role models, and participated in activities. After they turned 18 and graduated from high school, most Club kids found entry-level manufacturing jobs that could support a family and lead to a long-term career.
Safety and relationships are now as necessary as ever, but they are not enough. Today’s Club youth must experience school success, build 21st century skills, and find a pathway to post-secondary education or training so they can participate in and benefit from Silicon Valley opportunities.
Students don’t need a longer school day; they need a longer learning day and a longer learning year. They need expanded learning time opportunities to fill in gaps, reinforce what they are learning in school, and develop the academic mindsets and habits that lead to success in school and beyond.
This is where BGCP makes a difference. We partner with families and schools to provide youth with the opportunities all kids need.
Honored to share our journey building Birdies with the amazing Jill Martin on The Today Show this morning. 🤗🥰🤩
For anyone questioning their ability to start something, this is your sign to just get started. No experience required to make your vision a reality. Just start. ⭐️❤️🤗🙌🚀
