Entrepreneurship and technology do not know gender

As little girls we were always told that we are princesses and queens, but never that we are astronauts or will grow up and be engineers, pilots, or tech entrepreneurs. Little girls were encouraged to do the safe thing, being an entrepreneur was never something that we were pushed towards, let alone a tech entrepreneur.

Wamda recently shared that start-ups in MENA raised over $2B last year but just over 1% of that was invested in women-founded start-ups. Statistics such as these are frustrating to see and hear. There are so many women who are doing amazing things and are looking for investments – yet this is still happening.

For example, a lot of people view Play:Date as a cute little business which will not grow so much, it is unfortunate, as the family, parenting community is huge and not seeing that potential gap is simply a loss for investors. Some of the most successful brands globally have one thing in common – community. There is no power like the community coming together.

Why do you want the headache of being an entrepreneur and building a company? However, entrepreneurship and technology do not know gender, age, or race. Most creative entrepreneurs start off by telling someone an idea and are met with a mortified response such as are you crazy?

Entrepreneurs always think three or four steps ahead of everyone, their ideas are insane, and they cannot help it, they love the thrill of taking a risk – the highs and lows – everything that comes with it. Some individuals are naturally born to be an entrepreneur, some are simply not. You do not pursue entrepreneurship; you are born for it.

It would be great to see more women in technology, for every little girl to dream of getting into the technology world and actually pursue it. However, for that to happen, everyone in the ecosystem has a significant duty to ensure females are supported, that doors are open for everyone, regardless of gender, race, age.

Small changes go a long way, and that change starts with the effort of every individual. Here are some of the initiatives that have been planned at Play:Date :

• 80% of employee must be women
• Internship programs for mothers getting back into the workforce as well as student internships for women
• Setting aside 2 hours a week to support other women in the ecosystem.

These are examples of what organisations can do, it does not always have to be a big MNC that initiates change. Individuals can help as well by taking out the time to advise and support women & young girls on how to navigate the tech & business world.

VC’s and investment firms also have a huge responsibility, there is so much that can be done from their end to ensure women are encouraged to step into the technology world. Set aside time each week to meet different female founders and guide them. Invest time to support them.

Key Takeaways: 

• Wamda recently shared that start-ups in MENA raised over $2B last year but just over 1% of that was invested in women-founded start-ups.
• Entrepreneurs always think three or four steps ahead of everyone, their ideas are insane, and they cannot help it.
• Some individuals are naturally born to be an entrepreneur, some are simply not.
• You do not pursue entrepreneurship; you are born for it.
• Why do you want the headache of being an entrepreneur and building a company?
• Most creative entrepreneurs start off by telling someone an idea and are met with a mortified response such as are you crazy?

It would be great to see more women in technology, for every little girl to dream of getting into the technology world and actually pursue it.