{"id":45353,"date":"2023-10-20T15:42:50","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/wyatt-roy-a-good-audience-for-female-founder-rock-stars-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:42:50","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:42:50","slug":"wyatt-roy-a-good-audience-for-female-founder-rock-stars-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/wyatt-roy-a-good-audience-for-female-founder-rock-stars-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"Wyatt Roy a good audience for female founder \u2018rock stars\u2019 – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Giving female founders a platform from which to be heard, and in turn inspire, is important in helping address the gender gap in tech, according to Assistant Minister for Innovation Wyatt Roy.<\/p>\n

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Roy, Minister for Women Michaelia Cash, and former City of Sydney mayor, and Australian Technology Park board member Lucy Turnbull, attended a Women in Innovation breakfast at Fishburners on Friday morning, but they were there to listen, not speak, LanzaTech Australia head Nicole Williamson says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWyatt Roy and Michaelia Cash made a point of saying, \u2018we\u2019re not here to talk, we\u2019re here to listen\u2019,\u201d Williamson says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey weren\u2019t bullshitting \u2013 they sat and listened for the hour and a half.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Giving the rock stars the spotlight<\/b><\/p>\n

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The event aimed to unpack how women have successfully made their mark in the startup world, the unique challenges that they currently face, and what needs to be done to reach gender equality in the area.<\/p>\n

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Speaking was a trio of female founders: Gen George from OneShift, Nikki Durkin from 99Dresses and Jess Wilson from Stashd.<\/p>\n

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Roy tells StartupSmart<\/i> it was an \u201cincredibly inspiring\u201d event.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt was a fantastic panel and I hope a lot of young girls want to be like them when they grow up,\u201d Roy says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe want our incredible female founders to be the rock stars they deserve, and to be the inspiration for the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

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With the increased attention paid to startups and innovation in the political sphere, it\u2019s important that the gender gap is addressed, according to Roy.<\/p>\n

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\u201cTo achieve the prosperity that we need to have, we need to utilise 100% of the population, not 50%,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere needs to be greater co-operation within the ecosystem and we need to grow that talent pool from an early age.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe have to get that entrepreneurial spirit into young women especially.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A wide-ranging discussion<\/b><\/p>\n

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The discussion ranged from the challenges the founders had to overcome, the barriers that are still in place, and how the government can assist with this problem.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt included advice for women about how to have the confidence to put themselves forward even when they\u2019re not 100% confident,\u201d Williamson says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s not about networking, it\u2019s about connecting. It\u2019s not pushing yourself forward, it\u2019s about how we can help each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Event organiser Anne-Marie Elias says those gathered were able to show the government there are many talented women working in tech who are willing to share their stories when given the opportunity.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt was a really good mix of people at various stages of growth,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere were very new startups and people that have been very successful. It gave the ministers a really good snapshot of the different stages of startups.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Celebrating the successes<\/b><\/p>\n

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Roy says events like this that bring attention to the work female founders are already doing are very important.<\/p>\n

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\u201cJust talking about it is a starting point,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe can act as a partner with the private sector and broader elements of society. We should be looking at the policy options to achieve that gender equality.\u201d<\/p>\n

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There were a number of suggestions put forward by the panel as ways to close this gender gap.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019ve got to start in schools,\u201d Elias says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe can\u2019t just be talking about entrepreneurialism when you\u2019re stuck in life; it\u2019s about getting STEM and entrepreneurial skills in school.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFor women it\u2019s about getting those networks. They\u2019re really struggling to have networks fort finance, and catching up with the private sector.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe three female founders on the panel all had to go overseas at one point \u2013 for finance or inspiration \u2013 and that\u2019s really sad. We need to keep those businesses here.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It was also about showing these female founders that they can communicate with the government and express the issues they are facing, Elias says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s very early days but one of the lines was that the doors in Canberra are open,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s really important for women entrepreneurs to actually understand that they\u2019re not unreachable.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Approaching a tipping point<\/b><\/p>\n

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Buzzy Tasks founder Lauren Trlin attended the event and says there was a \u201creally good energy\u201d in the room.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt was an inspiring morning,\u201d Trlin says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFor me being a female founder I feel like there\u2019s a tipping point coming. It\u2019s an exciting moment for us.<\/p>\n

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\u201cA few of us are getting to a point where amazing things are going to start happening, and it\u2019s good to see that politicians are aware of that.<\/p>\n

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\u201cTo be in a room full of inspiring women is mind-blowing to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s an exciting time to be involved with the startup sector, Williamson says, and there are positive signs that the gender gap in tech will be addressed.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re in a place right now where it feels like change is happening and it\u2019s happening at a startup speed not a dinosaur speed,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

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Trlin agrees, and says more female founders need to be shown as the role models that they are.<\/p>\n

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\u201cNot only do we need mentors, we need to be mentors,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Want to grow your business with Instagram?<\/i> StartupSmart School can help<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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