I'm a minority and a Silicon Valley 'trade secret'

I was lucky to have attended a high school with a focus on science and technology, so I never felt that a technical degree wasn't for girls. In my career, I think being an Asian-American woman has actually helped me.

I co-founded Maven Cosmetics so I could do a better job of creating makeup for women like me. Not surprisingly, we found that very few male VCs knew much about cosmetics. So I think that the pipeline problem of having fewer women in the business hurt all around -- by limiting diversity of investment for the VCs and by shutting out businesses that might otherwise get funding.

Tech is a male-dominated field, but I am fortunate in that I haven't felt that I've been the target of discrimination. In fact, I think a lot of companies work hard to diversify. Sometimes, it's easier to stand out if you're a woman and a minority -- it can be easier to remember me! If you meet 10 people and nine are male, you can say, "Oh yes, that woman is Sandi."

Still, I wish I had more peers because it can sometimes be lonely.

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