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Debbie Sterling

Founder & CEO, GoldieBlox

“Disrupted the pink aisle” of the toy industry with GoldieBlox – toys, games, and media designed to inspire the next generation of female engineers
TIME Magazine’s "Person of the Moment,” Business Insider’s "30 Women Who Are Changing the World,” and one of Fortune Magazine’s “40 Under 40”
Inspires groups to think outside the box, challenge the status quo, and achieve audacious goals

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An industry disruptor, Debbie Sterling is an engineer, entrepreneur, and one of the leaders in the movement toward getting girls interested in science, technology, engineering, and math. She is the founder and CEO of GoldieBlox, an award-winning company on a mission to "disrupt the pink aisle" with toys, games, and media focused on inspiring the next generation of female engineers.

Debbie Sterling launched GoldieBlox on Kickstarter, and in just a few years made significant strides in her quest to bridge the gender gap in STEM. Now recognized as a leader in children’s entertainment, GoldieBlox has reached billions of consumers through TV, radio, and digital with massively successful viral videos, the first free Super Bowl ad for a start-up, award-winning educational products, and a float at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Sterling has grown GoldieBlox's presence in more than 6,000 retail stores worldwide and her disruption of the toy industry has ignited a national conversation about breaking gender stereotypes in retail. She shares her story of building GoldieBlox with audiences – inspiring groups to think outside the box, challenge the status quo, and achieve audacious goals.

When Sterling heard from Steve Jobs at her Stanford graduation that she should "never settle" until she found her true passion, she took it to heart. After graduating from Stanford with a degree in mechanical engineering and product design, she experienced firsthand how significantly men outnumber women in science, technology, engineering and math. She then became obsessed with the notion of challenging gender stereotypes with a toy that would introduce girls to the joy of engineering at a young age.

Among many acknowledgements, Sterling has been named TIME Magazine’s "Person of the Moment,” Business Insider’s "30 Women Who Are Changing the World,” and was added to Fortune Magazine’s prestigious “40 Under 40” list. In 2015, she was inducted as a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship, a select group 'committed to helping develop the next generation of entrepreneurs around the world.'

Sterling continues to show young girls they can be anything when they grow up, including through the launch of the immensely popular GoldieBlox YouTube channel, featuring inspirational and educational videos that have over 100 million views and 660,000 subscribers. She has also been honored by the National Women’s History Museum with a “Living Legacy” Award for her work to empower and inspire girls around the world.

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Inspiring the Next Generation of Female Engineers

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Think Audacious, Spark Disruption. In this talk, Debbie shares her story of creating GoldieBlox – a disruptive children’s media company challenging gender stereotypes with the world’s first girl engineer character. From launching the start-up on Kickstarter to reaching billions of consumers through creative TV, radio, and digital campaigns, she has ignited a national conversation about breaking gender stereotypes and thinking differently. Drawing on her innovative entrepreneurial journey, Debbie demonstrates to audiences how to challenge the status quo, achieve audacious goals, and ultimately disrupt an industry.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Female Engineers. If you close your eyes and picture an engineer, you probably don’t envision Debbie Sterling. An engineer and founder of GoldieBlox, a toy company out to inspire the next generation of female engineers, Debbie shares how she has made it her mission in life to tackle the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and math. Audiences will walk away inspired to spark innovation and out-of-the-box thinking in their teams, organizations, and personal life.