Changing the ratio of women in STEM.
Mary Carty FRSA
CEO Wilson & Keys. Co-Founder AwakenHub & AwakenAngels. International Board Director. Writer. Innovation Expert. Creative Strategist. Consultant. Mentor and Advisor.
In a wide-reaching keynote on leadership at InspireFest, Margaret Burgraff VP Intel’s Software and Services group, advised women not to be fear driven; to dream their biggest dreams and have the courage to write them down.
Don’t be fear driven
For 110 girls, July the 27th marked a watershed moment as they embarked on the first ever incubator for girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). Over the next six weeks, participants from across the EU will take part in activities and events aimed at supporting girls aged 11 to 22 with their business ideas.
Outbox is split into two phases starting with a three-week ‘Germination’ followed by a public ‘Demo Day’ on 15th August and culminates with a three-week ‘Incubation’ period. Demo day will see angels and mentors pledging money, time and support to girls on the programme.
Many projects at Outbox are concerned with the most pressing issues of our age; food security, bio diversity and chronic illness. Solutions to these problems are being found through better germinating seeds, habitats for bees and wearable technology.
What does an entrepreneur look like?
Outbox Incubator gives voice and supports girls who have told us they are not being taken seriously at school, at home or by their peers because their interest in STEM is “weird” and “is not for girls”. Outbox Incubator provides a network of like-minded girls who’s talent, industry and interest in STEM is normal and is celebrated.
These young women are proof that society’s conception of the entrepreneur, the tech genius, the superstar founder and the scientist is exclusively male. They show us that our cultural and gender biases need revising.
Skills over safety
Research has shown that parents want safe careers for their daughters; preferring them to choose caring professions, catering and education. Outbox Incubator is on a mission to empower girls, and their parents, to choose skills over safety and reach for the stars. We want to show that girls can choose STEM and thrive.
These girls are not fear driven. They are leaders and role models. It’s time to change the ratio together!
Follow us on our adventure on @outboxincubator
Enterprise Partner Marketing at NVIDIA
9 年Look at you Margaret Burgraff! I have always been a fan of your leadership and its a treasure that you spoke at InspireFest. The gals in Women in Big Data Forum https://bit.ly/1JaLGef would love to hear from you too. Big Data <=> IOT.
Knowledge Optimization Manager at Logitech
9 年Excellent work Mary we have a program which i would love to get some women on board with its a dual education (apprenticeship style) programme which FIT are piloting this year with the support of industry and government. Our current champions of the program are: Accenture, AOL, IBM, PFH, SAP, Version 1, CIX and many more The aim of the programme is to equip candidates with the technical skills and applied learning required by industry, in a timely fashion, to address the growing skills shortage in the sector. We believe that the FIT ICT Associate Professional programme provides an ideal route for developing bespoke ICT talent at a time when tech skills are paramount.
I'm so proud of you Mary Carty!
Growth Focused Fractional CMO | Strategic Advisor for Professional Services Firms & B2Bs in Ireland, UK & USA. Founder of Marketing Clever. Speaker on Marketing & Growth. Non-Executive Director.
9 年Best of luck Mary Carty!
Consultant
9 年Huge congrats on your work Mary, inspiring women everywhere.