International Women's Day deserves our attention. It is an important day worldwide to celebrate the accomplishments of women and a day to acknowledge that there is a gender problem. It calls upon us to challenge conscious and unconscious bias, to value men's and women's contributions equally, and to find resolve in creating a more inclusive, gender-equal world. 

Today, I'm taking a moment to highlight a few talented women in the Bay Area that I am grateful to know. Please take the opportunity to learn about these women, their work, and support them in achieving their ambitions. In the year ahead, we'll continue to celebrate the women who inspire us to do better. 

VALERIE LUU AND KATIE KWAN,  RICE PAPER SCISSORS 

Meet Valerie Luu and Katie Kwan, the duo behind Rice Paper Scissors, a Vietnamese pop-up restaurant. They are a couple of my favorite people in San Francisco. Smart and multi-talented, full of energy and personality. After six years of operating as a pop-up, they will be opening a restaurant of their own! I am thrilled for them and excited to support this next chapter of their business and I hope you will too! Keep up with these two on Instagram @ricepapersf and please check out their Kickstarter and consider supporting the build out of their restaurant. Seeing these women secure a space in San Francisco has me feeling optimistic about the future of this city that is increasingly defined by a male-dominated tech workforce. 

NATASHA WONG, SELDOM SEEN

Meet Natasha Wong, Co-Founder of Seldom Seen, a boutique located in San Francisco's Hayes Valley curating a modern and urban style. Tash is a San Francisco native with an entrepreneurial spirit and is passionate about cultivating community and connections. She is smart, focused and full of determination. What is more, she is genuinely kind and supportive. It's been exciting to watch Tash and her business partner, Daniel, build their business. Follow along on their journey on Instagram @seldomseen and take part in their Phenomenal Woman campaign next weekend, March 18 + 19.  The campaign celebrates the achievements of women and a new generation of activists, but in particular, directs attention to intersectional feminism and how overlapping identities, such as race and ethnicity, impact varying experiences of discrimination.