With International Women's Day 2020 on the horizon, there's no better time to celebrate the women consistently killing it in the tech - or more specifically, app development - game. There are too many girl bosses in tech to list (and that's a great problem to have, we think), but we've curated some female trailblazers who are breaking glass ceilings in a traditionally male-dominated industry. It's hugely important to salute these women not only on International Women's Day, but every day as gender imbalance remains a huge problem in the technology industry. Still, in 2020, only 5% of leadership roles in tech are held by women (we were shocked too). So, by continuing the conversation around this issue, we're hoping this number will skyrocket.
Jean MacDonald
If you're on the hunt for some 'Girl Boss' inspiration, look no further. She's made it her mission to have girls seen and heard in the tech industry after observing and begrudging the lack of female app developers (kudos to you, Jane). As Founder of non-profit organisation 'App Camp for Girls' operating throughout the U.S. and Canada, she's made it her quest to advance gender equality in the tech industry - and that's a pretty epic quest to have.
App Camp For Girls aims to inspire the next generation. It gives young women realistic insights into tech careers (i.e. how awesome it is) and provides foundational skills and knowledge in software development. It basically covers all areas of app development, from idea formulation to pitching to building. Personally, we're just mad that we're too old to sign up.
Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE
Fun Fact alert: Anne-Marie passed A-Level Computing at 11 years old (and if that doesn't make you feel inadequate, we don't know what will). But in addition to an enviable career portfolio, Anne-Marie is also Founder and CEO of STEMettes.
"What's STEMettes?!" we hear you ask. It's basically an organisation that seeks to to encourage females to participate and thrive in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics sectors. In line with that, Anne-Marie is also co-founder of Outbox Incubator, a six week programme which is essentially Dragon's Den, but for the tech world. Plus she's host of the Evening Standard's Women Tech Charge podcast - it's pretty obvious to us that this girl has more hours in a day than Beyonce.
In addition to her own successes, she's a real champion for women, and it's clear to see why she made the Forbes Top 50 Global Women in Tech list.
Helen Milner OBE
This girl boss has definitely used her voice in the tech industry to give back, and that always deserves to be celebrated in our eyes. She's CEO of Good Things Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that's mission is to get the non-digitally-savvy comfortable with technology, in turn building their digital confidence. We were blown away to find that this organisation has provided over two million individuals with digital skills since its creation.
We think this initiative is so important. It's easy to forget that tech is now at the centre of everything we do in today's modern landscape, and lacking digital skills can easily propel you into a feeling of being excluded from society. So GTF's classes in staying safe online, finding employment and controlling finances online are life-changing for many.
Ida Tin
If you've heard the term "Femtech", it's because she coined it - and it's estimated to become a $50 billion industry by 2025. As co-founder and CEO of the fastest growing, science-based female health-tracking app 'Clue', Ida is flying the flag for women globally by giving them the tool and power to understand their bodies. She's a definite superhero.
And we're not the only ones who love what she's doing, with over 10 million app users which can help women to diagnose and monitor conditions such as PCOS. But her app goes much deeper than female health tracking, it's about empowerment and creating a more equal society.
I firmly believe that it is essential for women to encourage and help each other take up space in the industry and continue breaking gender stereotypes in order to pave the way for others
Linda Liukas
If this woman's story doesn't put fire in your belly, then nothing will. She's co-founder of Rails Girls which is a non-profit educational programming community, running in over 300 locations. The organisation was formed on the premise that technology - and app development - should be more accessible for women (our thoughts exactly), and they're making it their mission to educate and inspire women through global events... from Kenya to Japan and every country in between.
The Rails Girls' step-by-step guides are genius in explaining all things all development related, from building your app to HTML and CSS to testing. Whatever it is that you want to educate yourself on, you're covered.
In the name of getting more girls into coding, Liukas is also author of "Hello Ruby" (a.k.a. the best children's books ever). These aim to teach programming to children through fun stories, and, like Rails Girls, it's also a global phenomenon with publications in 25 languages.
Alice Bentinck
Not only is Alice smashing it in the start-up arena (she's co-founder of Entrepreneur First which has already helped build over 2000 startups), she's also co-founder of Code First: Girls. This awesome - and free - initiative helps to accelerate women's careers in tech by enabling individuals to learn coding at university alongside their degree.
This is so important. Awareness of the basic principles of programming is transferrable to so many careers - it's something we should all strive towards. What a genius initiative!
Alice just had to make our list because we love women who uplift other women to ensure they succeed. That's a real girl boss in our eyes.
Alaina Percival
Women Who Code is an internationally renowned not-for-profit organisation which encourages and celebrates ladies in technology. And Alaina is the CEO. Skill-developing, mentoring and networking don't scratch the surface of what this awesome organisation does for women in tech, all with the aim of seeing women succeed in technology careers.
If there was ever a pioneer for getting more females involved in technology, Alaina is just that.
We envision a world where women are proportionally represented as technical leaders, executives, founders, VCs, board members and software engineers
