{"id":38025,"date":"2023-10-20T14:53:44","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T14:53:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/how-this-entrepreneur-built-a-global-organisation-helping-to-empower-women-in-tech-and-improve-startup-diversity-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T14:53:44","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T14:53:44","slug":"how-this-entrepreneur-built-a-global-organisation-helping-to-empower-women-in-tech-and-improve-startup-diversity-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/how-this-entrepreneur-built-a-global-organisation-helping-to-empower-women-in-tech-and-improve-startup-diversity-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"How this entrepreneur built a global organisation helping to empower women in tech and improve startup diversity – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/div>\n

When Adriana Gascoigne joined a Silicon Valley startup in 2007 there was one big problem.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After getting a job at GUBA, she quickly discovered she was the only woman in the entire company.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a big problem,\u201d Gascoigne tells StartupSmart.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI was going to work every day and looking around thinking, \u2018I\u2019m having such a blast, why aren\u2019t more women applying for positions?\u2019.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBut I realised that it\u2019s not they weren\u2019t necessarily not wanting to apply; it\u2019s that they didn\u2019t know the positions even existed. Companies have to take responsibility and be accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Instead of ignoring the issue or leaving the job, Gascoigne decided to make a real difference.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So she created Girls in Tech<\/a>, a not-for-profit group focusing on \u201cengagement, education and empowerment of influential women in technology\u201d.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was one of the first organisations at that time that existed for women in the startup world,\u201d Gascoigne says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A global movement<\/strong><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Since then, the growth has been massive. Girls in Tech now has\u00a058\u00a0chapters around the world, and will be establishing a branch in Australia in the next few months.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really jaw-dropping,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI never knew it was going to grow so fast or going to be so lucrative. I didn\u2019t know women around the world were going to open up chapters or that we\u2019d make such a huge impact.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not only helping women in Silicon Valley build startups, we\u2019re helping women around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Girls in Tech will be launching in Australia imminently and holding a conference in Melbourne, and Gascoigne says she can\u2019t wait for it to get off the ground here.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really excited to be in Australia,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a huge opportunity and there are great institutions here so you can keep and retain talent and help build a tech ecosystem and startup ecosystem.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about building a network, building a culture with immigration reform, tax relief reform and making sure the infrastructure is there to help expand the opportunities to really create a tech ecosystem that fosters growth and entrepreneurialism, and enables women in particular to be support to launch companies and not be scared of doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

Still work to be done<\/strong><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the near-decade since Gascoigne launched the non-profit she says things are getting better, but there\u2019s still a lot of work to be done.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is improving significantly but there\u2019s still a long way to go,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have seen some headway. Companies are becoming more accountable for different things like recruitment tactics, the training they offer, work-life balance for expecting mothers and compensation parity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAll these things we\u2019ve lacked over so many years and now people are really flagging it and doing something about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To keep this momentum going, she says it\u2019s crucial that the diversity issues become more than just a debate.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOur motto this year is be part of the dialogue and be part of the solution,\u201d Gascoigne says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to hold all the stakeholders accountable \u2013 the big companies, government entities, institutions and incubators.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Focusing on the simple things<\/strong><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

In terms of advice for startups looking to improve their internal diversity, Gascoigne says it\u2019s about the simple things.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to be creative in how you write job descriptions,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThink about what resonates with men versus women and don\u2019t use \u2018code ninja\u2019 \u2013 that might deter women from applying.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The team actually doing the hiring should also be gender diverse, she says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt shouldn\u2019t be all men but it typically is,\u201d Gascoigne says<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou can bring outside people to serve on the committee.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It also involves creating a workplace that isn\u2019t too male-focused as well, with Gascoigne pointing to things like Star Wars<\/em> posters and beer pong tables.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Follow StartupSmart on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> and SoundCloud<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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