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When Carisa Ganelli attended Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University to obtain her MBA, she recalls encountering male prejudice regarding women's math abilities. "None of them wanted women to be on their math teams, believing we didn't have what it took to solve problems and win," she said.
In case any of those guys haven't kept up with the news, please note that Ganelli went on to enjoy an accomplished career as a marketing executive in the emerging e-commerce market where she applied her analytical skills to create successful digital and mobile strategies for top brands. And more recently, in a sector still dominated by males, she founded and is CEO of LightningBuy, a Bridgeport-based startup that will dramatically simplify how e-retailers sell, and consumers purchase, products via mobile devices.
It's been nearly three years since Ganelli decided that the next chapter in her remarkable career would be as an entrepreneur. She quit her job and labored hard to develop and test the product. In February 2012, she was ready to pursue financing by pitching the business to angel investors. Amazingly, on just the third pitch, she raised the eyebrows of some investors and a conversation began about her business model. She was...