“Women communicate differently, I think. There are certain characteristics to a woman, like multitasking, problem-solving, being able to listen and cultivate certain relationships and distinguish how a relationship will benefit the longevity of the company.” ~ Adriana Gascoigne, Founder and CEO of Girls in Tech
Summary: Adriana Gascoigne is an American technology executive and activist, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Girls in Tech, a global non-profit dedicated to empowering, educating, and mentoring women in the technology industry. Founded in 2007, Girls in Tech claims 60 chapters with upwards of 50,000 members worldwide. The organization’s focus is not just on women in professional roles. It also offers support to anyone with an interest in technology, providing women with a platform for growth in the field.
Nationality: Israeli
Industry: Technology
Q: How do you try to convince kids, young women, that tech is a great place for them to go? on venturebeat.com
A: Girls In Tech, we have different workshops for K-12. We expose the awesomeness in the tech industry and the STEM fields. We do app-building workshops for iOS and Android. From concept to wireframing, to actually getting it built, to marketing it, we teach [girls] how to deploy their apps. Once they see something on the App Store, they’re very excited. That’s one workshop. We can expose them and get them inspired to build and design on their own.
We do business-plan-building courses as well. If they have an idea within the tech industry, a business that they want to create, we help them through that process. We have a workshop that does that. We focus on shadowing, to get them exposed to what it’s like for a woman to work in a tech company. We do more simple things, like how to use Microsoft Office, so they can be experts with different programs once they move into high school or college.
We try to make things very engaging, interactive, and interesting at a very young age. We want girls to not only learn skills, but also feel empowered and excited and curious about doing more, about venturing toward studying in college within the tech sector.
