Celebrating Women in Tech

At a time when the focus of conversations about and by women in technology are largely focused on the challenges we face—which is entirely valid and absolutely necessary—I think we can miss out on an important opportunity: to highlight the stories of women technologists who are succeeding and role modeling for the next generation of women in tech.

I’ve often thought, “If I were a high school student interested in computer science, but all I saw or read about the field were negative, would I even want to try it?” Or, “If my children were going to college and considering a tech major, would I encourage them to pursue it, or steer them in another direction?”

Without access to the positive stories of the women who have stayed in tech and thrived, it’s difficult to imagine younger women seeing a path for themselves. Those stories are even harder to find for senior women of color in digital and tech roles.

At Capital One’s Women in Tech Demo Days last summer, I was heartened to see so many young women technologists using their skills to drive change and help tell the positive stories in our field. The event was a catalyst for conversation and connections. I saw women across industries and generations cultivating relationships. I witnessed the spark when they realized that while they may be one of only a few women on their team at work, they are not alone in tech and there are women and male allies in leadership who want to support them.

Organizations like Black Girls Code, Girls Who Code, and the Anita Borg Institute—all organizations that I’m proud to partner with and support through Capital One—do incredible work to elevate girls and women interested in tech, and I’m personally grateful for their critical efforts. Part of what they do is provide role models for girls and young women, whether they be volunteers teaching them to code or mentors to help them navigate their early career. As an additional way to connect women technologists to peers and experienced leaders, our team at Capital One  is thrilled to bring back Women in Tech Demo Days.

This year, we’ve partnered with Women Who Code and AngelHack to gather developers, designers, and entrepreneurs again in New York and Washington, D.C. to come together and do what women do best: solve problems. Teams of up to five participants will create digital solutions based on these concepts:

• Unconscious Bias: Create unique, technology-driven tools that can help anyone learn about how to identify, understand and improve the influence of unconscious bias in the workplace
• Powered by Perspective: Create a tool that helps male allies learn ways to support women in the workplace and tech community
• Investing in Networks: Build technology that helps women in tech find resources, events, and networking opportunities to connect with other women in tech in their region
• Celebrating Role Models: Develop a solution that highlights senior women leaders in tech and tells their stories, with the goal of inspiring girls and younger women to pursue tech careers

Our goal is to create the space for women and male allies to use their skills to not only overcome challenges, but to identify and highlight the positive stories of their peers and leaders in tech. We’re also continuing to facilitate relationship building in real-time with mentors, expert judges, and guests to offer feedback and support. The winning team in each city will win a $10,000 scholarship to General Assembly to broaden or deepen their tech and entrepreneurial skills, plus they’ll be recognized nationally by Women Who Code and travel to the Women in Tech Experience in Richmond, Virginia in November 2017.

It’s our hope that Women in Tech Demo Days will help continue the trend of more opportunities for women in tech to come together and drive change, sharing the stories of successful women technologists across industries and generations. To find out more about the event or register, visit www.womenintechdemoday.com and follow along on social media at #WITDemoDay.

I’d love to hear about the work in your companies and communities to support women in tech. Please share in the comments!