Women in Tech: The Benefits of Having Female Founders

Many people believe this is because STEM subjects aren’t targeted towards girls and young women at the crucial school age; others detect an unconscious bias towards female candidates by male tech leaders.

Whatever the reason for the disparity (women only make up about 25% of tech jobs), what’s clear is that tech companies benefit hugely when women enter the picture.

The Female Perspective

The first and most obvious benefit of having a company steered by women is access to the female perspective. Though the gap between men and women has narrowed in recent decades, there’s no denying that most women simply have a different experience of the world. For a company that’s aiming to create tech marketed at women to any degree, having that female perspective is vital.

Going further, the lack of female founders and employees in tech has actually created a gap in the market for sophisticated, female-centric tech such as menstruation/ovulation apps – in other words, we’re all missing a trick!

Diversity of Thought

"Diversity" may be an overused word at the moment, but if you want to run a successful business it should be at the top of your list of priorities. As explained here, diversity simply makes us work smarter and harder.

Working within a group of people who all have similar backgrounds and life experiences results in stagnation; working with people who all have a different perspective on the world will bring fresh ideas to the table, time and time again. That extends not only to women, but to people of colour, LGBT men and women, and people with disabilities.

In tech, where women are in a minority, female leadership will create an environment in which a diverse range of voices and opinions can be heard and utilised.

Communication and Collaboration

Sweeping statements such as "women are better at communicating than men" can be unhelpful and divisive. However, while we should never judge an individual based upon stereotypes about their gender, there is evidence to suggest that female managers and employees are, overall, better at forging professional relationships, collaborating, and – yes, it’s true – communicating.

Knowing this shouldn’t lead us to have preconceptions about male or female employees, but it is a good indication that having several women in leadership positions will ultimately facilitate a healthy and communicative company culture.

Financial Gain

When you look into the research you’ll find that, time and again, companies that embrace female leadership do better financially. So ultimately, if your main concern is the bottom line, then female founders or board members are the way to go.

And remember, though the tide is slowly turning on this issue, we still have a way to go. If you’re looking to inject fresh life into your company, or are seeking an exciting start-up to fund, the best way to get ahead of the curve is to go where the women are. If you would like to chat to us anytime feel free to request a callback.