Leap by YC — Where women in tech can talk about whatever we want

Awesome to see YC expand and continue experimenting. What features or changes do you plan to make next for Leap, @cadran_c?

I love Leap @cadran_c, I've been a member for months now and it's added so much value to my life as a woman in tech. 👩🏾‍💻 Leap is a safe space where we can ask questions, get support, spark debates and talk openly about the things we care about. There's an incredible diversity of perspectives and experiences plus candor with compassion. I'm really excited to see where the community goes in future. ✨✨

There's a trend in tech that when women start talking about stuff that impacts us, suddenly a storm blows up, usually kicked off by men. It goes from just trying to share a perspective to having to defend ourselves, explain ourselves, etc etc. I've never had to do that in Leap. It's amazing !!!!!!

Pros:

We can talk about anything we want with others who empathise. Refreshing to speak my mind without having to debate or justify my opinions.

Cons:

None so far, just hope it keeps growing and gets more global reach.

Love this idea! Many communities have an ingrained 'bro culture' about them, putting down women founders/devs seems commonplace in some areas, any community which does away with that culture is great in my books! Good luck with the future @cadran_c :D

👋 For the sake of fixing this issue where folks don't feel comfortable asking questions, what are the sorts of questions that users feel especially comfortable asking on Leap?

Hi everyone! I’m excited to share an experimental project I’ve been working on at YC over the last 10 months. Leap is an online community for women in tech to talk about whatever we want. Leap has ~1,500+ members who are founders, designers, marketers, software engineers, VCs, women in sales and operations, etc. I started building Leap because I didn’t have a place on the internet where I felt comfortable talking openly. I wondered what would happen if I created a community where the core culture was set by women, and the software and product decisions were also made by women. I couldn’t think of a social network defined that way, but I wanted to be part of one. Any feedback is appreciated! Thank you! Cadran

I've been watching Leap grow over the last year, and love seeing its evolution. I've also become legitimate friends w/ a few women that I've met through Leap. I wish this existed years ago, when I first entered the tech scene in San Francisco. Thank you, Cadran!

Pros:

Diverse topics, great networking opportunity, inspiring demonstrations of women helping women.

Cons:

There honestly aren't cons. Of course, the community will improve as more members join, which is inevitable given the quality of the forum.

Congrats Cadran! Been a huge fan of Leap. An online community of women in tech is something that has been sorely missing. I've enjoyed meeting and chatting with everyone. Really looking forward to future conversations and new connections on there.

I joined Leap around the same time I was gearing up to launch my nonprofit. So much of the growth of our organization in the last couple months is thanks to the incredible community of women on Leap who were willing to be generous with their time and advice. Thank you for creating this, @cadran_c!

I work at Y Combinator

Pros:

Great community of women talking about real issues as well as the small things in life.

Cons:

Community still growing, so looking forward to seeing how it changes as it expands

I'd love to test out this community but it requires a Facebook profile to Apply to Join :( I'd like to swap in a different network, maybe LinkedIn?

Supporting group of women and a platform where you won't get trolled ;)

Pros:

Great community.

Cons:

None.

I actually love LEAP, even though I have been a user for few weeks, I have already interacted quite a lot. I'm saying this knowing that I have been member of several female founders group on Facebook but I don't interact as much. That's maybe because I felt too exposed or uncomfortable. On LEAP, it feels so natural and I love to share , ask questions and get advice direct or indirect from women in the same situation I'm in as an early stage founder. I can't wait for it to grow more !

Pros:

It feels natural to interact with everyone, topics are super interesting yet diverse, Simple UI yet super effective! Love it!

Cons:

I don't see any. I thought the notifications emails would bother me but I actually love getting them and be updated on the topics I like!

Amazing job @cadran_c. Love it!

Is there a way to join leap without a Facebook profile?