Powerful women in tech: 15 amazing women changing the world
Why are women in tech so amazing? They're creative, innovative, and smart. Women have always been a part of the world of technology. However, being a woman in the tech industry is still challenging as they've often faced barriers to success that their male counterparts haven't had to deal with.
Fortunately for all of us, things are changing! Powerful women in tech like Sheryl Sandberg and Ellen Pao have paved the way for other female entrepreneurs and innovators. We're now seeing more women than ever before enter into this competitive industry where they can thrive. Successful digital transformation requires more female tech leaders to take an active part in the industry.
Here is a list of the top 15 most influential women in technology who prove just how awesome women in the tech industry can be! Support these women, follow them on Twitter and LinkedIn, and share this post with your network to inspire the next generation of female tech entrepreneurs.
1. Sheryl Sandberg
Sheryl is the Chief Operating Officer at Facebook, and she has a ton of experience with the tech industry. She was one of the first women to take on an executive role in Silicon Valley for her work as vice president of Global Online Sales & Operations at Google.
2. Carolyn Roder
Ceo and Founder of Hello Alice, Carolyn, is a woman changing the world. Hello Alice is an amazing organization that helps small businesses discover the most direct path to success.
3. Ellen Pao
Ellen is a lawyer and former venture capitalist. She's also an activist for diversity in tech and has been a huge inspiration for many of us interested in pursuing careers as entrepreneurs! Back in 2012, Ellen was the CEO of Reddit and became a figurehead for gender inequality in Silicon Valley.
4. Reshma Saujani
The Founder of Girls Who Code, Reshma, has spent her career working hard to help empower women through tech! Her nonprofit organization is working to close the gender gap in technology while teaching girls confidence and bravery through coding. A lifelong activist, Saujani was the first Indian American woman to run for U.S. Congress and is the author of three books.
5. Kyra Seay
Director of Social Innovation and Transformative Initiatives at Bumble, Kyra, is responsible for leading initiatives that help drive social good in society. She's passionate about diversity and inclusion, which is why she is dedicated to driving organizational change and innovation through the lens of cross-functional collaboration, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
6. Jess Mah
Jess is the Founder and CEO of inDinero, who has grown the company from zero to over 250 employees and has been featured in the Forbes and Inc 30 Under 30 Lists. Jessica left high school at age 15 to attend Bard College at Simon's Rock, studied computer science at U.C. Berkeley, went through Y Combinator, and is a member of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO).
7. Nancy Lublin
The Founder and CEO of Crisis Text Line, Nancy, is an inspiring woman in tech! She also founded Dress for Success which has helped more than two million people dress better to find work by providing professional attire at no cost.
8. Rachel Sklar
Founder of TheLi.st, Rachel is an influential woman in tech! She's been a part of the industry for over 15 years, and she has helped change the landscape of women in media. Rachel is also an entrepreneur who co-founded Change The Ratio, which increases visibility and opportunity for women in tech & new media, and TheLi.st, a network for professional women driven by that same mission.
9. Debbie Sterling
The Founder and CEO of GoldieBlox, Debbie, is an inspirational woman in tech! She invented GoldieBlox to try to introduce engineering and construction toys for girls at a time when there were no such products available. Now her company has grown into a toy company that's worth nearly $100 million, which is amazing because they're building problem-solving skills of the future leaders.
10. Kara Swisher
Founder of Recode, Kara, is a woman in tech who knows what she's talking about. She has had an impressive career that spans decades and ventures into different fields, from being the executive editor of both AOL Money & Finance as well as The Wall Street Journal Online to co-hosting Walt Mossberg's "Television Week" on NBC.
Today, Kara hosts the podcast “Sway” and writes a weekly column for The New York Times Opinion section. She is also co-host of the Pivot podcast for New York Media and an executive producer of the Code Conference.
11. Nikki Durkin
An Australian computer programmer, software engineer, and entrepreneur, Nikki is the Founder of CodeMakers - an app that teaches 8-12-year-old kids to code by 'modding' their favorite game: Minecraft! The company runs live online lessons, where a teacher and five kids will code their own Minecraft mod together and test it out on a shared Minecraft server.
12. Kimberly Bryant
The Founder and CEO of Black Girls Code, Kimberly, is an inspiring woman in tech who made a significant impact on the world! She started her company back in 2011 because she wanted more African-American females involved in technology. The organization has grown to work with over 16,000 girls in 50 cities across the United States.
13. Leah Busque
Founder & CEO at TaskRabbit Leah is an entrepreneur who founded Task Rabbit in 2008 after being laid off from a full-time job and struggling with unemployment. She wanted to create a company that "makes life easier" by connecting people with experts for short-term projects. Now, the company has expanded and is for all kinds of projects from handypersons to housekeepers! Today, Leah is a general partner at FUEL, an early-stage fund dedicated to becoming one of the most trusted firms in the venture.
14. Meg Whitman
CEO at Hewlett Packard Enterprise Meg is a woman in tech who's been working in technology since she was 12 years old when she wrote her first program on an Apple IIe computer. She held many leadership roles in companies like eBay and served as CEO of HP and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and is now serving as the CEO at Quibi, an entertainment platform.
15. Susan Wojcicki
CEO at YouTube Susan is a Google executive who manages many different projects, including YouTube, Google+, and ads. She is the head of one of the most popular websites in the world, with more than a billion users every month!
These amazing women are changing the world and paving the way for other women in tech. This is by far not an exhaustive list, but it's a good starting point! Let's inspire the new generation of girls to join them by celebrating their achievements.
Women have always been involved heavily in technology, but as things change, girls will need more if they want their voice to be heard or continue making advancements for future generations.
The remarkable women above have already started their tech journey and have made much headway for women globally to pursue. It is now our turn to help keep that going by providing encouragement along the way and letting them know how much we appreciate them paving the path for so many other women to follow.
There's still plenty that needs fixing. Here's hoping together, one day, we can change the world. Support these women, follow them on Twitter and LinkedIn, and share this post with your network to inspire the next generation of female tech entrepreneurs.
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Vera Smirnoff is the demand generation manager at EasySend. She covers digital transformation in insurance and banking and the latest trends in InsurTech and digital customer experience.
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