Women in Tech is the new networking event dedicated to the women of the Brainport region working with technology. The first edition of the event (The Design edition) took place on the 23d of October in High Tech Campus.

Co-organiser Ingelou Stol was “amazed” by the outcome of the first edition. “The event was sold out, there were more than 300 women, with lots of enthusiasm, so yes, I think we will make this a yearly event.” Listen to what else Ingelou Stol told reporter Erika van der Merwe from Innovation Origins. 

At present, the percentage of women working in technology worldwide is still relatively low. For example, only 26 per cent of all Microsoft employees and 31 per cent of all Google employees are female, and this percentage drops lower when it comes to leadership or actual tech jobs.

"We work in an environment heavily dominated by men, and we need more women,” says Ingelou Stol, one of the organisers of Women in Tech event. “Having key women in senior leadership roles will positively encourage other females to join an organisation that is supportive of advancing women’s careers, thus increasing overall company growth and productivity. A lot of the women that are present at Women in Tech work with mostly male colleagues and male bosses, so that’s why it’s good to bring those women together.”

And that is why three women working in High Tech Campus – Eline van Uden, Ingelou Stol, and Nina Hoff – decided to create a networking event for women in tech from the Brainport region. Ingelou Stol tells us how it all started: “The past years I was a reporter and news anchor on the Dutch radio and television. It’s my passion to tell stories that others find difficult to understand. It is amazing to see when someone really gets it. And that is also what I’m doing at High Tech Campus Eindhoven, I make stories about the technologies that are created here. From photonic chips to autonomous driving."

"I met Eline and Nina, while I was making a video about their amazing work. Eline used to work at Lifesense, as a startup that is creating smart underwear, to help people with incontinence. Now she works at Imec. Nina is CEO of byFlow, a startup that developed a 3D food printer, that can print more than 50 different ingredients. Really awesome. Nina and Eline organised Girls Day last year at the High Tech Campus, and we wanted to do more. And that’s why we decided to start Women in Tech.”

Eline van Uden, Nina Hoff & Ingelou Stol

Women in Tech is created by women and for women, but it does imply that women in tech would most benefit from gender-specific networking: “Mixed gender networking events are very important, and we do not prefer women-only events necessarily,” says Ingelou Stol. “This is just a nice way to put Women in Tech into the spotlights, so they can get to know each other and connect. Nina, Eline and I are young women who are enthusiastic about tech, and we would like to share this passion!”

Diversity is the key to the development in all the spheres – and in technology as well. “Research shows that diverse teams perform better,” tells us Ingelou. “Individuals from different genders, races, backgrounds and experiences bring different perspectives that can lead to innovative solutions.”

To create space and moment in time for women to network, to talk about their career and work life and to listen to the inspiring stories from female leaders in technology is the ambition of Women in Tech. And women of the Brainport region seem to welcome this initiative – as early as two weeks before the event Ingelou already told us: “The event is fully booked (300 women, woohoo!), so you see there is a demand for it. Women in Tech is going to be amazing!”

This article was published at Innovation Origins.