Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I'm really excited to be able to share my insights with the Women in Tech Global Conference this year.My name is Nancy Coblans, and I am the COO of Stellenium, where we build AI data centers for sovereign nations. So today, I really am excited to kind of have more of a conversation with you to kind of go under the hood as to what is it realistically like to enter as a minority or a female in the infrastructure and data center space and kinda share some of my insights, which I'm really excited to share with you.

And if you wanna share any questions as I'm chatting, like I'm saying, this is more of a conversation that I can have with you. I wanna make sure you get the value out of the next twenty minutes with me. Please do so. So let me just kinda start off in saying that I personally do not have a technical background, nor do I have a computer science background. So I came into the tech space as an operator. Right? So there is, there are spaces for us that are nontechnical to be able to see what the business side is like and to be able to build and scale from there. So that is really where my gift set, my gifts have come from is really focusing on being able to take a very large vision for a small to medium sized company and grow it to very, very large and be able to get really down and dirty into the operations, sales, and marketing component of these businesses.

And while that's happening, I am working side by side with our engineers, our technologists, and our executives on more of the technology side to ensure that their vision as to what the products and solutions are actually grow into what they are looking for. So let me kinda get started with kind of the infrastructure in AI data center space. So, we've been hearing a lot about data centers probably within the last year or so, mainly because of the insane, demand for AI and compute of AI. And so, realistically, the infrastructure space has just blown up within the last year. We personally do not, work within The US for any of our infrastructure projects due to how saturated it is. However, there's still so much opportunity with so many amazing companies that are looking to onboard specifically in engineering, being able to manage, facilitate the actual data centers themselves, as well as then the cloud compute solution side as well.

And so what the industry has really grown into is understanding that you need really a few main things in the infrastructure space for the data centers to be successful. First thing is you need power. Without power, there's no data centers. So let's talk about power for a second here. You know, currently, we consume about 6% of global power is consumed by data centers today. Within the next five years, we're expecting about 15% consumption of our global power source. Okay? This is huge in a sense that, those that are building data centers, whether AI, enabled or not, you need to be able to power, your your infrastructure. Right? And so what usually happens is that the number one priority and a place that we need as many hands on deck engineers and, solution providers is power.

So alternative power sources is great, but we are looking to ensure that we have to have reliable power for all of our data center infrastructure projects. So when we're talking about doing projects in Africa, Middle East, South America, APAC, one of the biggest things that we are looking for is reliable power. And what we do differently with Stellenium is that we build our own power source. It's called behind the meter, which enables us to be able to actually control, and mitigate any power issues that we may have if we were to pull from the grid. Usually, that is, managed by the government themselves. So that's one element to think of that is really important. The next is, you will need fiber. Right? We need Internet connectivity.

The more fiber connectivity, the better, as well as where are you actually building these data centers, specifically AI data centers is really important of where you're actually located because we have all the underwater, fiber connections globally, and so you need to figure out where you can be strategically to that.

That's something we need to think about. The next thing, especially when it comes to AI data centers. Right? So when we're talking about specifically using, NVIDIA GPUs, They require a lot of power, and a lot of compute power. Right? So with that, you need to cool down the physical hardware in and of itself. And, that for us, the technology that is used now is water cooled, data centers. So we're gonna need to be near water. And then the next thing is you need the demand. So you need to find strategically places where AI compute is an actual demand of a solution that they're looking for. Fortunately, for what we are doing in Solanium is we partner directly with governments and, foreign institutions to help them understand and define their own sovereign needs when it comes to AI and their compute power, as well as how are they gonna apply AI into their education, into their agriculture, into their medical systems, into their financial systems.

These are all questions that are all brand new for a lot of sovereign nations, and they are looking for solution providers like us to help them and support them with that. So I don't wanna bore you too much on the technicalities, but I wanted to share that even as a nontechnical person, I am working on the highest levels directly with presidents, prime ministers, government ministers to be able to understand what are they trying to do for their people.

The reason why I'm talking about that is it goes hand in hand with what we truly believe in and what we support, which is complete and total inclusivity to ensure that we have diverse innovation in every single project we do. Right? Just as we are trying to find solutions specific to and sensitive to the cultures and the different countries that we are working with because not only are we, you know, bringing solutions to them, we're building solutions local to their own people's needs. It is really important to understand how to be able to digest, and understand their own personal solutions they are looking for country to country versus region versus globally. Right? And that goes hand in hand with specifically the team members that we internally, hire and onboard as well, and that's really important to us. So how do you get into this type of industry? So this is kind of a strategy I've used kind of my entire career of the past twenty years.

I myself am a serial entrepreneur, and I have been able to get into legitimate rooms that, I if you were to go the regular routes, would not have worked out. So instead of kinda giving you high level information, I'd love to share kind of my techniques that have worked for me to be able to get interviews, to get, lunches, coffees with people, to actually connect with the right people. So are you if oh, I hope you guys are okay with this because, this is kinda where I feel like I wanna give you the most out of these next few minutes. Alright. So one of the things that is a huge framework that I have kind of fine tuned over the last twenty years is the degrees of separation in which you have with the network that you work with. Right? So LinkedIn, we all use LinkedIn. You know how you see your first, second, and third connections and degrees of connections?

I truly believe within two degrees of a connection. So a friend of a friend, you can meet and connect with anyone in the world. She's gotta work really hard at it and how to strategically connect with them. So one of the strategies that I tend to use is, you basically so if it's on LinkedIn and say this was me trying to find, my dream job that I'm trying to get I see there's a job opening at the company I wanna work for. This is a CEO or, you know, the person that is, that started the company I really, really admire. So what I typically do is I basically do a little due diligence and research on that person. What I find is I look specifically for one of, one or two people that continually comment on their posts and that they comment back that help me establish that they somehow know each other and that they have relationship with each other.

With that knowledge, then I start, following as well as I start commenting and engaging insightful things with that friend of the person I'm trying to connect with. From there, then I invite them through a LinkedIn message as I am really interested in x, y, and z that you are doing based on the research you've done. And I would love to have an informational, quick, little fifteen minute chat as I have questions of x, y, and z. Very, very important that you don't just say, hi. Do you have time for a fifteen minute chat? Give a specific reason as to why you are asking for their time, and more times than not, they will answer. So if you do this enough times, you will find the right person that'll go, of course, I would love to help you. I would love to share my insights.

Of course, I have all this information to give and support other people. Do you see what I'm saying? And from there, you build enough of a rapport with that person to then say, do you know anyone at x, y, and z company? And then he would, of course, say, yes. I do. And from there, you'll be able to make that direct connection where now you are not cold calling or call cold messaging a person. You are genuinely walked in the door, right, with a direct, introduction from a close, colleague of theirs, and you will instantly get that meeting with the person you're looking for. So that is something that has personally worked for me.

I'm more than happy to share more afterwards, but I think that, afterwards, but I think that I think is a great one to start with. And the main messaging with that and the idea is always be clear with your ask, and don't be afraid of how high up the totem pole you go. Right? Go for the CEOs, but find their friend of friends. Right? This is how we've been able to secure so much of our strategic partnerships. And then from there, you can get into personal networking events and all the things, and it grows from there. But if you were doing this just virtually, that is my best best kinda use case that I would suggest for you. Now I know we have talked so much about inclusivity. How do we support each other, one another?

And I feel like we've kind of been talked so much about that to a point that it kinda seems like it has fallen on deaf ears in in a few times. Right? Because we just hear about, oh, we need to help each other and all that stuff. But, I'm gonna go at this a little differently. So I have found that in the, rooms that I've been in where I genuinely am the only female, like, pretty much the last ten years of my life, I'm typically the only female in the room making these decisions. And what I have found that is very interesting when I'm in these rooms, when they invite someone new to the table or to the meetings, there's an interesting transaction of energy that occurs. What do I mean by that? So if I were to invite someone into this meeting or into this room, I am now accountable and responsible for the actions and or the things the person I am inviting into the room with.

What that means is that there is an unspoken code of accountability that also is this ironclad element of trust that is in those rooms that you better really trust the person you're bringing into this room because your reputation and your access is on the line. Very different than what we kind of understand as inclusivity of just let's bring and invite as many people. Does that make sense? And so when you flip the script in a sense that you understand there is a higher level of accountability, you wanna make sure that you communicate that accountability that is put on to you to the person you're inviting into that room. Does that make sense? And so as you do that, that helps the people you are inviting, I e your colleagues, whoever they are, when we are talking about more inclusivity and all of that. What that means is it raises the bar of our expectation of all of us to build trust together. Right?

And so that is how I have been able to build trust of allies, trust of others that are not, in good practice of, you know, just naturally wanting to be inclusive in the ways that they're directly looking for people of diverse backgrounds and experiences. They just go with what they know and what they're comfortable with because of the trust thing. I come in and say, let me help you see a better light by bringing in trustworthy people that not only have different perspectives and experiences, but will elevate our innovation while we do it. Right? So, again, it's coming back to the fact that if you are trying to seek that kind of access to those rooms or whatever, you have to think like the people that are in those rooms. You have to think of what are their top priorities. Right? Their top priorities usually are they have politics, so they have to deal with internal office politics. Right?

So their reputation is on the line. Then you're also thinking about they're also thinking about, well, if I have a project that's needing to move forward, how do I make that project move forward? Who are the people that'll support me? Right? Then the last one that usually is on everyone's mind is how do we create, more demand for our products and solutions, I e driving revenue. How do we drive more revenue? And so if you start speaking their language in that way and saying, I can get you those things, but you have to think a little bit differently, then they're gonna start hearing you a lot differently now than if it's just, hey, we just need to be more inclusive.

Do you see what I'm saying? How it's a different conversation. You're speaking their language. And then they go, Pause. I now understand why this is so important. And so I have found that, I have learned that language very, very well, and I have been able to, communicate very effectively. And I think the bigger thing too is establishing the right boundaries. Right? So, being usually the only female in the room, I get tested every single day whether or not they're gonna push my boundaries and my buttons. Right? How much can they take advantage? How much can they take, to kinda get out of me. Right? And it is my position and my duty to ensure that they understand that not only am I an equal, but I am bringing just as much value as they are.

So being able to stand in your ground and saying, no. Actually, this is what I'm able to bring to the table. These are the people that I'm bringing to the table, and now let's move forward and collaborate. Does that make sense? So, from there, then you can start massaging into the conversations after you build that trust with them that you can start peeling back those layers because right? It's it's a very daunting thing for new people or new ideas to come into a room most of the time. Right. Does that make sense? So as you start building trust and as you start peeling back layers of people and understanding who they are, we're all human, then when you start speaking their language, you can start introducing things like cultural sensitivities, unconscious biases. And you gotta say it in ways that, you know, you don't have these hot button words, if you will, but in a way that they truly can start getting an understanding on a level that is personable to them.

And that is where I have found the most success in a sense of now when you get to the end of kind of this this journey with them, now they are not only allies and advocates, but they're they're taking charge and saying, this is how we need to move forward. I've seen the results. I've seen the data. We've become more successful now because of what we've done of x, y, and z, and they won't even use the word inclusive. They won't use diverse or any of those words because to them, it's just numbers and data, and it just makes sense. Does that makes does that kinda give kind of a better color to what I'm explaining? And so, you know, I will give you a fun little story as to basically, you know, something that just happened two weeks ago. I was in Washington, DC.

I was a speaker at the IMF World Congress at their African summit, room full of, of ambassadors and ministers of finance of every single country in Africa just staring at me. I was on a panel of three other men four four other men, and it was just me, up there. And, you know, they were talking about how AI and technology is gonna transform, build, you know, build that, digital, the bridge to the digital divide, that kind of, you know, lingo. And I came out guns a blazing with, hey, AI data centers and sovereign AI data centers is where it's at if you guys wanna actually make, true momentum happen in your country. And by the time I finished that panel, I literally had a line of about 30 ambassadors waiting for me at this stage to talk to me and give me their business cards. And it was all because I was able to understand where they are coming from, right, and understand what their needs are in a sense of what kind of daunting, project and mission they had of they keep hearing AI, AI, AI.

Right? At the end of the day, they have to do something about it, and they just don't know where to go as a solution provide to find the right solution provider. And so I gave them the answer they needed in the way that they can understand it. Right? So, just wanted to give you a little bit of a tidbit with that. From that one panel, I was invited to multiple embassies literally the next day to speak with the ambassadors and ministers directly about building projects, Sovereign AI projects, and and partnering with them to be able to create an inclusive technological roadmap for their country.

So just a little fun little story on that. So any questions? So we have a few questions here. What would it take to give women apprenticeships to get into and thrive in the world of security? So, like I said, for getting apprenticeship apprenticeships or internships or externships, do what I just said about connecting directly with the with a friend, through LinkedIn. And I will tell you it's a numbers game, so please do not be discouraged. Okay? It really is a numbers game in a sense of to, like, how many people. I'm talking, like, you wanna message maybe, like I would make a goal of, like, message 20 people a day and just keep doing that.

You will get really good results, but just keep at it. And, yeah, I think that's all the questions I have. But, if any of you are interested in connecting with me after this, please email me at [email protected]. So that's s t e l l e n I u m dot com. And follow me on LinkedIn. I'm sharing a lot of information there. And, of course, please message me on LinkedIn. You guys are amazing, and I'm I'm so grateful to be a part of this community. Sincerely, like, this is how we're changing the world. So, again, thank