Coding, software development, tech, and business: all spaces that are inherently dominated by men. The tech industry has a bad reputation when it comes to gender equality and parity, with women making up just 21% of the UK’s tech industry and black women making up less than 3%.
According to a recent UNESCO Science report, women remain a minority in both STEM education and careers, representing only 28% of engineering graduates, 22% of artificial intelligence workers and less than one-third of tech sector employees globally. Further, it’s been reported that 49.5% of women in tech have experienced sexism in the last year, with 66.9% believing that they are paid unfairly compared t their male counterparts. In fact, figures show that the gender pay gap at European tech startups is 19%.
The gender gap in digital tech needs to be addressed. There just are not enough women in tech, and they’re not being supported to progress in this space.
Creating a more inclusive tech space can create more innovative, more sustainable solutions for the betterment of all. Women have, for far too long, been facing additional hurdles in accessing opportunities and getting their voices heard, ventures funded and vocations fulfilled.
In Europe’s dynamic tech and startup ecosystem, we have seen many impactful innovations and inspiring women create solutions to address the digital equality gap. These range from solutions that tackle the finance-knowledge gap, the gender health gap, access to opportunities, and beyond. Here, we highlight 10 female-led organisations that are part of this inspirational cohort:
Female Invest: This startup aims to address the financial gender gap, striving to make investing a more equitable space by providing a secure and trustworthy source of knowledge. The impact-led company has established a platform that enhances financial literacy for all and is now working towards constructing a trading platform that can help members achieve improved sustainable financial results. Based in Copenhagen and founded in 2019, Female Invest has secured €6.1 million. By tackling one of the most prominent issues of our time, financial gender inequality, Female Invest is striving to create a more equitable financial world.
Her Impact: With a focus on honesty and a culture of giving back, Her Impact has become the premier recruitment platform for women across Europe. The website and app provide a space for women to discover and develop their skills with guidance from leading experts in their fields. Unique talents are valued, and the platform prides itself on fostering open and honest conversations. In addition to their work with individual job seekers, Her Impact also offers valuable services for B2B partners. They provide access to preselected CVs of highly educated and motivated women, offer opportunities for internal talent development through mentoring, and help boost employer branding through a strong commitment to women’s empowerment. Based in Warsaw, Her Impact has been making a difference in the lives of women throughout Europe since 2019.
Your Juno: Based in London, YourJuno aims to empower women and non-binary individuals with the financial knowledge and confidence needed to build their wealth. The company believes that wealth is not just about owning assets, but also about the freedom it provides to pursue education, leave a toxic relationship, or start a business. Your Juno recognizes that closing the gender gap in financial literacy is only one step towards achieving gender equity, but believes that knowledge is power and a crucial starting point. To support its mission, Your Juno has raised €2.2 million in funding.
Daye: London-based female-founded Daye is a company focused on gynaecological health and offers a range of products and services to support vaginal treatment. Their tampon-based at-home vaginal microbiome screening kit enables women to easily test themselves for infections like thrush and bacterial vaginosis, as well as disruptions to the microbiome that could increase the risk of STIs, gynaecological cancers, fertility, and IVF complications. The company is also set to launch a comprehensive digital platform for gynaecological health, with a mission to reduce pain, shame, and wasted time for women navigating their health journey from menarche to menopause. Founded in 2017 it has raised a total funding amount of $17.1 million.
Hertility Health: Founded in 2019, Hertiity Health is using digital tech to narrow the gender healthcare gap. The UK-based team helps women to better understand their reproductive health and infertility risks, working with leading world experts to provide personalised care pathways that help with all aspects of women’s health, including symptom management, egg freezing and IVF. In recognising the sensitive nature of these results, Hertility Health also offers fertility counselling to those in need. On average, 1 in 5 Hertility Health users has been found to have a previously undiagnosed reproductive condition which has been revealed as a result of testing with Hertility Health. Hertility Health was born out of pure frustration with the lack of research into women’s health and the lack of support available to women who were curious or worried about their reproductive health.
WaveMakers.io: Founded by Katja Kolmetz, Wavemakers aims to empower women to become authentic leaders, equipping them with the skills and know-how they need to thrive. It offers an educational programme that provides both practical tools and real-life experimentation to that participants can unleash and reach their leadership potential. Women are underrepresented in leadership positions in the tech space, on a global level, through equipping more women with the skills and know-how they need, Wavemkares is helping change that outlook. It offers a community space so that participants can join a growing network, enabling them to continue growing and developing personally and professionally.
Code First Girls: On a mission to bring about more parity in the tech space, Code First Girls was founded n the UK in 2013. It’s since transitioned from a social enterprise to a rapidly accelerating profit-making business. The organisation empowers more women to access careers in tech and become developers by connecting them with companies, helping businesses find top-tier talent and women access opportunities previously closed off to them. Code First Girls has now helped over 80k women learn to code and by working with companies globally, is boosting employability, diversity and social mobility, and transforming local economies and communities.
CodeOp: Based in Barcelona, CodeOp is a pioneering coding school for women and the trans and gender non-conforming community. Founded in 2018, the school offers beginner and advanced-level boot camps to students to equip them with the skills needed to become leading developers and data engineers in their fields. All-women coding schools make up less than 1% of all coding schools worldwide – a contributing factor to the current gender disparity in the tech industry. CodeOp aims to create a supportive learning space, giving underrepresented voices the skills they need to reach their potential in tech, and change the face of this male-dominated industry. CodeOp offers technical education programs taught by senior-level engineers. The school is supported by an exceptional board of directors—70% of which are women
Hormona: Founded in 2019 in London as an online community, Hormona has evolved into a platform empowering women to take control of their health and their hormones. The startup aims to revolutionise women’s health through tech, targeting hormonal imbalances – a problem which impacts 80% of women. Hormone imbalance can be a sign of different underlying health issues and has been too long under-discussed and underrepresented in healthcare. Hormona has developed a hormone monitoring system that makes hormone tracking natural and easy, empowering women with beneficial and actionable insights into their health. The idea is to make it personal and digital so that it can be accessible to each and every woman.
Founderland: Born in Berlin, Founderland was launched to level the playing field in tech, supporting women of colour founders to grow sustainable businesses, and empowering them through community, education, and investor-readiness support. The company was launched in 2020 and has been supported by Google.org, Google for Startups, R/GA, and Vital Voices to fuel its mission. Members are able to access a thriving network, mentorship, free and discounted business tools & services, inspirational events, workshops, and support with fundraising. The team believes in creating an inclusive, intersectional standard for Europe’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, and they are breaking down barriers and getting rid of the gender gap one member at a time.
By the way: If you’re a corporate or investor looking for exciting startups in a specific market for a potential investment or acquisition, check out our Startup Sourcing Service!
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