When women started entering the world of working (outside of their own homes), the job market was not nearly as broad as it is today. While in 2018, around 46.9% of women made up the labor force, the tech field is still mainly comprised of men.
There are so many amazing women in tech. They’re inventing apps, starting companies, and even changing how we interact with technology. We wanted to highlight four women specifically that we believe are inspiring the next generation of women in tech.
4 Amazing Women in Tech
Jennifer Pahlka
Jennifer Pahlka is the founder and the executive director for Code for America, which is a company bringing technology to the government. They use principles from the digital age to help improve how the government serves the public and solves community problems.
In addition to creating this non-profit, Pahlka has made several other great accomplishments. In 2013 and 2014, she served as the U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer in the White House of Science and Technology Policy. In this role, she helped to found the United States Digital Service.
Pahlka has received countless awards and currently serves on the Defense Innovation Board.
Elisabet de los Pinos
Elisabet de los Pinos is the founding CEO of Aura Biosciences. She created the company from “the ground up,” and today, she still continues to lead Aura’s strategy and operations. Aura is focused on developing new therapies and ways to target and destroy select cancer cells without harming any tissue.
Before creating Aura, Elisabet worked in the oncology business unit at Eli Lilly & Co. During her time there, she helped with the market launch of a drug aimed at treating lung cancer in Europe. She’s previously completed fellowships and gotten her Ph.D in molecular biology and her MBA from IE Business School. Elisabet has won several awards and even made the “Top 40 Under 40” list in 2010 as a mass high tech for “Women to Watch.”
To sum it up, Elisabet de los Pinos is making a name for herself and saving lives in the process – we couldn’t be more inspired!
Julia Hartz
Named as one of the “Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs,” by Fortune Magazine, Julia Hartz is a woman of many trades. She is an entrepreneur, investor, and CEO and co-founder of Eventbrite, which is a global ticket and event technology company that is used all over the world. Hartz is well-known for constantly empowering women in the tech.
Before co-founding Eventbrite, she first worked at MTV and FX. And she has also invested in a number of other companies such as Minted and Playa Capital Company.
Susan Wojcicki
Susan Wojcicki is the CEO of YouTube, and she has a rather impressive history in tech before joining the streaming giant. Wojcicki helped in the founding of Google and was Google’s first marketing manager in 1999.
Wojcicki studied humanities in college, and it wasn’t until her senior year that she took her first computer science class. She graduated from Harvard after studying literature and history. And later, she got not only her Masters in Technology but also a Masters in Business Administration.
If you’ve ever considered a career in technology but were thrown off by the lack of women in the field: Don’t be. Women are making a massive impact in technology, and there are so many stories there to inspire us.
Are you a woman in tech or considering pursuing a career in technology? Let us know in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!
Alyson Pittman is a contributing writer for WBD and a JR marketing associate for Excite Creative Studios, an Atlanta-based creative agency.
Alyson graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelors of Business Administration and a concentration in Marketing. She was in multiple organizations at KSU where she held leadership positions. As a part of the Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority, Alyson held the Social Coordinator position and planned/promoted large events.