#BreakingTheBias

1. Why do you feel there is still very little transformation within the technology environment in terms of ownership and participation?

I’m not sure what high school is like now and what is being told to young women about the technology environment and what kinds of jobs exist after studying – but certainly when I was in high school and varsity I wasn’t aware at all of the incredible jobs that exist in the tech space – they are creative, innovative, process oriented, client facing, product driven, fulfilling jobs that, in my opinion, woman are incredible at.

So maybe to answer your question with a question – do young girls and women know about how exciting, creative, expansive, fulfilling the tech space is (maybe we/I am not doing enough to tell women) and secondly, do they know how powerful they could be in this space? Women are intuitive, they listen, have empathy and these qualities are so important in building successful technology.

1. What do you believe we should be doing to challenge the status quo and get more women involved?

Potentially educate, inform, sand how young women how exciting this space is.

Remember when “Legally Blonde” came out and then women saw how maybe law wasn’t just for men – how you could encompass everything womanly and still be a smart, bad-ass lawyer.

We probably need more stories and examples of women being themselves (feminine and smart) in the tech space. We need more “Technically Blonde” stories so that we can break the stereotype that says, “tech is for men”. For me, Whitney Wolfe Herd from Bumble is top of mind when I think of an incredible woman in tech.

1. Within your own sphere of influence, tell us how Loop is supporting women and driving change.

Sharing my story has been something I have struggled with. However, this year I have leaned into this new chapter and already have received incredible messages from women. So, I hope that I can continue to be a positive example and will continue to push myself to share more and more of my journey in the hopes that it will inspire or help someone else as they are navigating this space.

As it’s turned out in my business, I am surrounded by amazing women who have different roles in the tech space and I am convinced over and over again that women will absolutely dominate in this arena. I will continue to support them in their journeys, inside and outside of Loop. And I look forward to the future women who will join us at Loop.

1. Tell us about your own journey as a female tech entrepreneur. What were some of the challenges you faced and what advice would you offer to women wanting to enter this space?

Building technology can be difficult but what is more difficult is scaling technology. It’s likely that the first time you build something you will use an outsourced development (dev) house – choose carefully at this point – look for dev houses that have had success in building out scalable technology. If you are like me (I’m not a developer) finding a technical partner can be a massive help in the journey.

And then my advice always: understand the problem you are solving, deeply!  Speak to and experience the daily lives of the people who will use the tech. You are then more likely to be really entrenched in your users’ lives and be able to monetise the technology.

For you personally, how will you approach #BreakTheBias this year, in celebration of International Women’s Day?

This is a really great question – I think I need to share my daily “Legally Blonde”/ “Technically Blonde” experience that #BreaksTheBias – I love being a woman in this space – some days I am in my PJs all day solving a problem, some days I’m wearing a killer outfit and I’m ready to go out and sell my software – every day is very fulfilling.