March is Women’s History Month, and that means we can’t let too much time pass without taking a moment to celebrate women in tech! Just like last month, when we celebrated Black History Month by highlighting the contributions of Black people to the digital space, we now want to lift up women who are doing the same. The technology and entrepreneurial landscapes have been traditionally dominated by men, which is why it’s all the more important to highlight female tech entrepreneurs paving the way for the future. We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite women in tech who are revolutionizing the industry and inspiring others to take risks and achieve their goals.
Women in Tech: Leah Solivan
Leah Solivan is the first tech entrepreneur up on our list. She is the founder and former CEO of TaskRabbit, the online marketplace that connects consumers directly to freelance workers for small tasks such as grocery shopping, yard work, TV mounting, and more. She founded the company in 2008, at which time it was called RunMyErrand. In 2010 the name changed to TaskRabbit. The company was acquired by IKEA in 2017. Since then, Solivan has been a General Partner at FUEL Capital, where she invests in early-stage companies across consumer technology, hardware, education, marketplaces, and retail.
Women in Tech: Kathleen Yu
Kathleen Yu is the founder and CEO of Rumarocket, an artificial intelligence tool that aids companies in talent recruitment and retention. Some of its features worth highlighting include integrations with current softwares, data mining for efficiency, and the ability to reduce turnover rates for certain positions. Yu pitched Rumarocket at Startup Weekend Manila in 2014 and successfully garnered $30,000 in funding from a private investor. As of December, 2021 Rumarocket was valued at 8 million dollars.
Women in Tech: Leslie Feinzaig
Leslie Feinzaig is the founder and CEO of Graham & Walker (formerly known as Female Founders Alliance), a community for female startup founders and entrepreneurs to support one another. The group began on Facebook when Feinzaig created a group and invited all the founders and tech startup leaders she knew. Today the company has expanded to offer the Accelerator Program, a 6-week nationwide, virtual program created to pre-seed and seed-stage founders raise outside capital for their businesses.
Women in Tech: Lauren Washington
Lauren Washington is a founder of KeepUp, co-founder of Black Women Talk Tech, and founder of Fundr. She became well-known when she launched Black Women Talk Tech with her co-founders. The company began as a conference specifically for Black women in tech to have a space to be seen, heard, and have their ideas invested in. In 2019, Washington founded Fundr, an online marketplace that automates seed investments for AI-vetted startups by creating portfolios for them on the site. Washington left the leadership team of Black Women Talk Tech in 2020 to focus solely on Fundr. In everything she does, Washington aims to help Black women in technology advance and succeed.
Women in Tech: Melanie Perkins
Melanie Perkins is an Australian tech entrepreneur who co-founded the popular graphic design site, Canva. She currently serves as CEO of the company. Perkins sought to create a platform that lowered the barrier of entry when it came to design. Indeed, Canva has exploded in the age of content creation as it allows anyone interested to create their own templates or work off of provided ones to make aesthetically pleasing content for everything from Instagram to work presentations. Perkins was named by Forbes as one of the world’s “Top Under 30 of the Decade” in 2020 and she is currently one of the youngest female CEOs of a startup valued at over $1 billion.
Women in Tech: Alice Bentnick
Alice Bentnick is the co-founder and CPO of Entrepreneur First, a UK-based firm that invests in driven entrepreneurs by placing successful applicants in 6-month cohorts with financial and networking resources. Cohort members can meet co-founders for their companies, receive support from seasoned founders, advisors, and investors, and have their living expenses paid for while taking part in the program.
Bentnick and her co-founder noticed that the applicants for EF’s programming were overwhelmingly male which led them to co-found Code First: Girls. The organization provides free web programming courses for women studying in university, giving more women in tech the confidence and skills to begin their own ventures. As of mid-2021, Girls who Code had taught over 28,000 women in the UK.
Women in Tech: Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon
Dr. Imafidon is the founder and CEO of Stemettes, a social enterprise created to inspire and support young women and non-binary people interested in careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Her mission with Stemettes is to help engage and connect young women and non-binary people who have not historically seen themselves represented in the STEM field. Dr. Imafidon is a child-prodigy, having been the youngest girl to pass A-level exams in computer science and math at age 11. She was also one of the youngest people to graduate from Oxford with a master’s in computer science, at the age of 20.
This list of tech ladies really only scratch the surface when it comes to successful women in tech. Hopefully they inspire you to look for innovation in new places and remember that women are a major tour de force in the tech entrepreneur community. As you move through this month, you may even want to consider ways that your company can do its part in helping women in tech gain the recognition they deserve! SEM Nexus is always excited to help champion diversity in the industry, whether it’s digital marketing, tech, or content creation.