18 days to win awards up to $1,500 at CreateHER Fest!

THIS ISSUE AT A GLANCE

• Black HERstory: Jessica Robinson → How the CEO of PurePoint International is dismantling cybersecurity's gatekeeping problem

• The Hackathon is LIVE: Win up to $1,500! → 18 days left to build for International Women's Day. New to hackathons? Last year's winners were first-timers.

• Office Hours with Yunny Chung → Microsoft Senior Software Engineer Yunny Chung hosts Q&A on AI engineering, Feb 22 at 1 PM EST

• Resource Drop 📚 → WiCyS AI Security Accelerator (just announced today!), UNIDIR Women in AI Fellowship, All Things AI scholarships, and more

Black HERstory: Jessica Robinson

Jessica Robinson: Building Infrastructure Where Cybersecurity's Gatekeeping Meets Its Match

When 4 million cybersecurity jobs sit unfilled globally and women represent only 24% of the workforce, the math isn't mathing. Jessica Robinson, CEO of PurePoint International and former vCISO for Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS), looked at that equation and decided to rewrite it entirely.

PurePoint International isn't your typical cybersecurity firm. Under Jessica's leadership, it became the #1 security company of choice for women-led and women-owned businesses globally—a distinction that earned the company the JCI Philippines-New York ICON of IMPACT Award for International Affairs and Women's Security. This recognition wasn't for aspirational statements. It was for measurable impact: creating cybersecurity infrastructure specifically designed to serve the businesses and leaders the industry routinely overlooks.

Jessica's work bridges a critical gap. While women hold advanced degrees at higher rates than men in cybersecurity and pursue certifications to get promoted at significantly higher rates, the field continues to hemorrhage female talent. Research shows that by age 35, women exit cybersecurity roles at rates 45% higher than men—often because they see no pathway forward when leadership teams contain no women at all (a reality for 16% of cybersecurity teams).

Jessica's response? Build the infrastructure herself.

Her track record includes:

• Board Chair of World Pulse, a global digital platform serving 75,000+ changemakers across 200+ countries and territories, where she champions holistic security, racial equity, and inclusion for women's digital spaces

• Board Member of Netlok, an authentication technology company advancing security innovation​

• Former Board Member of OWASP Foundation's Women in Application Security Committee (2017-2020), increasing visibility for women in AppSec​

• Keynote speaker featured on CNN and BBC, breaking down cyber threats and workforce development in accessible language—no jargon walls

• Top-rated speaker at RSAC 2023, one of cybersecurity's most influential conferences​

• Speaker at the United Nations on the intersection of cybersecurity, gender equity, and global infrastructure​

But here's where Jessica's work diverges from "inspiration" into systems change: PurePoint International provides CISO consulting, incident response, cyber governance, and security training specifically for financial services, insurance, law firms, health services, social enterprises, international nonprofits, and women-founded businesses. Jessica isn't waiting for corporations to fix their diversity problem. She's creating parallel infrastructure that centers women-led organizations from day one.

The urgency is measurable. ISC² projected women will represent 30% of the global cybersecurity workforce by 2025 and 35% by 2031—but only if the industry stops losing women at midcareer. Jessica's mentorship model addresses this directly: women who have family members or mentors in cybersecurity are 40% more likely to enter the field through educational pathways. Representation isn't theoretical. It's operational.

At CreateHER Fest, we recognize that Black HERstory Month isn't about celebrating individuals in isolation—it's about spotlighting the leaders actively constructing the pathways our community walks through. Jessica Robinson's work proves that when gatekeeping blocks the front door, you don't wait for permission. You build the infrastructure, open new entry points, and make sure the next generation doesn't have to fight the same battles.

The Hackathon is LIVE: Win awards up to $1500!

Missed the Learn-a-thon and Idea-thon? No problem. You can jump straight into the #75HER Hackathon now through March 7th.​

This is a participation-based hackathon—we're rewarding builders who engage with the community, incorporate feedback, and ship thoughtful solutions.​

The challenge: Form a team of 3-5 people and build tech that solves real problems. Think privacy-focused wellness apps, financial trackers, AI learning platforms—we want to see your creativity. New to hackathons? Perfect. Last year's winners were first-time hackers. You're in good company.​

Three tracks. Real prizes:

• 🤖 AI/ML – $600 (must use Goose, Block's open-source AI framework)​

• 🥽 AR/VR/XR – $500​

• ⛓️ Blockchain – $400​

To compete, you need to:

1. Register on Devpost: 75her-challenge.devpost.com

2. Complete CreateHER Fest registration: createherfest.com/75her-challenge

3. Finish the Onboarding Quest (details in the Participant Guide)​

4. Show up: Attend a workshop, join Discord discussions, or complete a build quest​

Key dates:

• Submissions close: March 7th​

• Demo Day: March 8th (International Women's Day), 9 AM EST​

• Winners announced: March 16th​

You have 18 days to build something that matters. See you on Demo Day. 🎯

Sponsors: Want to contribute to this movement? Email [email protected] to add to our prize pool. In-kind and monetary tiers available.

Office Hours with Yunny Chung

Join us for office hours with Yunny Chung, Senior Software Engineer at Microsoft.

Yunny leads the streaming bot messages initiative for Microsoft Teams—enabling developers to deliver live, AI-powered content in chat. Her work was showcased at the 2024 Microsoft Ignite Keynote, and she authored the official Streaming UX for Bots documentation.

What to expect: Drop in for a Q&A and presentation on getting started with building with AI, backend development, conversational AI, real-time features, or navigating your tech career as an engineer.

When: Sunday, February 22, 2026 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST​
Where: Virtual​
Who: Open to all #75HER participants and CreateHER Fest community members

COMMUNITY SURVEY

Enjoyed it? Share us with your network!

THIS WEEK’S RESOURCES

• WiCyS AI Security Accelerator Program

  • Get hands-on SANS AI security training, regulatory compliance instruction, 1:1 mentorship, SANS/GIAC certifications, and attendance at WiCyS 2026 Conference in Baltimore. Program targets unemployed, underemployed, and mid-career professionals transitioning into high-demand AI security roles.
    Learn More →

• UNIDIR Women in AI Fellowship 2026

  • Are you a woman diplomat or government representative (junior to mid-career) working on AI technology, security applications, or international policy? Week-long intensive training in Geneva with financial support for travel and accommodation. Fellows from developing countries prioritized. Deadline to Apply: Feb 24, 2026.
    Learn More →

• NYCEDC Founder Fellowship 2026

  • Are you a woman, Black, Latinx, or immigrant founder building technology, product, or impact-driven ventures? Get structured programming, coaching, and access to NYC's startup ecosystem. Focus on early-stage founders ready to scale. Applications close March 9, 2026. 
    Read More →

• All Things AI 2026 Conference Scholarships

  • Are you historically underrepresented in tech, a current student, unemployed/underemployed, or a veteran? All Things AI 2026 (Durham, NC) offers Ada Lovelace Underrepresented Scholarships, Student Scholarships, Unemployed/Underemployed Scholarships, and Veterans Scholarships—join thousands of technologists for world-class AI-focused content. Scholarships are limited and first-come, first-served.
    Apply Today →

Until next time,

Discover \ Design \ Deliver