Technology startups are constantly in the news for some superlative or the other – their sky high valuation, their exponential user growth, or their who’s who of investors. But frequently left out of the conversation are women; not only in regards to leadership roles, but also as employees, and targeted users and clients of the product/service. Accordingly, this week we’re featuring organizations that weave together women and tech.
Tech jobs are some of the fastest growing in the country, yet girls are being left behind. By 2020, there will be 1.4 million jobs available in computing related fields. U.S. graduates are on track to fill 29% of those jobs. Women are on track to fill just 3%. Girls Who Code is building the largest pipeline of future female engineers in the United States. Today there are over 10,000 graduates of their programs and over 60 major companies who have pledged to hire alumni.
Black Girls CODE is devoted to showing the world that black girls can code, and do so much more. By reaching out to the community through workshops and after school programs, Black Girls CODE introduces computer coding lessons to young girls from underrepresented communities in programming languages such as Scratch or Ruby on Rails. Black Girls CODE’s ultimate goal is to provide African-American youth with the skills to occupy some of the 1.4 million computing job openings expected to be available in the U.S. by 2020, and to train 1 million girls by 2040.
Hack the Hood is an award-winning non-profit that introduces low-income youth of color to careers in tech by hiring and training them to build websites for real small businesses in their own communities. During 6-week “Bootcamps,” young people gain valuable hands-on experience, build a portfolio, and learn about opportunities in the tech industry, as well as building critical technical, leadership, entrepreneurship, and life skills with mentorship from staff and tech professionals working in the field.
Women Who Tech, a nonprofit organization started in 2008, brings together talented and renowned women breaking new ground in technology to transform the world and inspire change. Women Who Tech exists to break down barriers and get more women startups founded, to mobilize a network of women startups, and to highlight that women-led startups have big exits. With over 90% of investor money going to male-founded startups, Women Who Tech is working to provide female-founded startups with the funding, advice, and guidance they need to be as successful as their male counterparts.
Girls in Tech is a global nonprofit focused on the engagement, education and empowerment of girls and women who are passionate about technology. Girls in Tech aims to accelerate the growth of innovative women entering into the high-tech industry and building startups. They achieve this through the creation of proprietary, innovative programming and strategic global partnerships. Girls in Tech exists for anyone with an interest in technology, startups and providing women with a platform for growth. But they operate with the spirit of the girl within all of us—fearless, lively and determined.
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