It was great to see so many people at the TechFlash: Women in Tech event last night. It was a packed house, and we learned a lot from a fantastic panel and illuminating conversations in the halls.

Before things got rolling, we took some time to ask a few of the women in attendance how they got interested in technology and what advice they'd offer to young women looking to break into the tech business now. Read on for excerpts from their answers.

Adriana Neagu, president and CEO of Formotus:

How did you get into the tech business? "I was in high school in Romania, and I was wondering what university to go to since I was really good in math and physics. I ended up at the computer science department at a polytechnic there. Interestingly enough, when I got there, I realized that 51 percent were girls and 49 percent boys. So, I always felt that technology and women go very well together, never thought of it differently."

Advice:: "I think passion is the most important. If you love what you are doing, no mater what it is, you'll make it happen."

Holly Vance, attorney, K&L Gates:

How did you get into the tech business? "I have a science background, so I developed a practice that involves technology. ... I just find it fascinating."

Advice: "Just because you are a woman, you don't have to feel intimidated. ... There are just a ton of opportunities and women should be encouraged to seek them."

Shahla Aly, vice president at Microsoft:

How did you get into the tech business? "By accident. Someone suggested to me many years ago -- and I won't tell you how many years ago -- that I would be a great systems engineer at IBM. I applied to IBM, and convinced them to take me on as a systems engineer and that's how I broke into the technology industry."

Advice: "The technology industry is one of the few industries where you can have a very broad impact through a singular contribution, and so if you want to make an impact on the world, you want to join the technology industry. The other thing is, make sure you have a broad set of skills. Even though you are in the technology industry, it has to have application in order to have appreciation. Technology for the sake of technology is insufficient. You really need to think through how people are going to use it, and how it will enrich the lives of people in order to get that satisfaction when you see someone actually using it."

Ksenia Oustiougova, founder and CEO Lilipip Studios:

How did you get into the tech business? "(It was) my inability to figure out what was going on on my husband's laptop, particularly PowerPoint. I couldn't figure it out, and it made me mad. And I was like, I really want to crack it."

Advice: "You can still be afraid (of technology), but don't quit because of it."

Serena Glover, co-founder of Twango and former Microsoft employee:

How did you get into the tech business? "I worked at a research group at the University of Michigan in the very early 80s, and we were building the very early database and computer software engineering tools. And I worked for the chairman of the industrial operations and engineering department, and we were building software that people were using all over the world. And it was really, really fun, and exciting. And when I graduated, I got to go live in Europe and help the companies in Europe -- like Banca Italia and Fiat and IBM and others -- use this software to build large-scale systems."

Advice: "Get a really, really good technical background. And find a great company to work for -- and that can be small or large. And I think it is good for women to get experience at both big and small companies. And don't give up when you hit the glass ceiling, and you'll hit it at some point."

Linda Merrick and Mara Krieps of Pivotal Product Management:

How did you get into the tech business: Merrick: "I didn't actually have to break in. I was almost at the beginning in terms of technology in the Northwest, since I started programming when I was 16 years old. So, I was kind of an insider from the beginning... (I attended) the first high school in the state of Oregon to actually have a computer on-site, and I just said: 'You know what, that's the wave of the future and I want to be there. I want to ride the wave.' "

Advice: Krieps: "Be fearless. Do not take no for an answer, even if your training or education has nothing to do with tech. If you are smart and you work hard, you can very much make that transition into the tech industry."

Tara Prakriya, general manager for technical strategy at Microsoft:

How did you get into the tech business? "... I was in Philadelphia, and I was at Temple University and I was president of our little student computer club. I accidentally found myself in an internship opportunity at Merck & Co. ... working on their help desk, you know not really the most glamorous of positions, but I could finally see that technology affected what people were trying to get done. And finally seeing that connection made all of difference in the universe, and I realized that I wanted to solve their problem. ... My hook was seeing what the impact was going to be, and once I could understand the impact I was very, very interested in what that was going to look like."

Advice: "We make [software] seem intimidating, and it is not. ... Software is about people. If I could go back to school, I would get a degree in psychology. Software is an incredibly communal experience, and if you can understand that and work that piece of it and not shy away from it -- and that is actually a strength that women tend to have -- it can pay off dramatically."

Emer Dooley, lecturer at the University of Washington and executive director of the Alliance of Angels Seed Fund:

How did you get into the tech business? "My dad made me go into computer science when I was a kid -- in Ireland, in the 70s. I was woman in the class of 50. I was good at math and science, and I had no idea what I wanted to do so he said: 'Go do computer science.'"

Advice: "Find a mentor, find someone who is really going to help. I think it is something that men figured out way before -- always go work for the person, not the job."

Related content: Video highlights from the event.