The introduction of new technology changes everything. How we go about doing things like banking and shopping depends on it.
It affects how we take in information, communicate with people, and use various forms of entertainment. It may significantly affect who has access to what in terms of resources and opportunity.
An inclusive and self-aware creative community is essential if technology is to fulfill its potential as a force for social justice. Thus here, we shine a light on ten incredible ladies changing the face of the tech industry and the world for the better.
Melanie Perkins
- Co-founder and CEO of Canva
Canva, co-founded and led by Melanie Perkins, was valued at $40 billion by private investors in September 2021.
Perkins and Cameron Adams founded Canva in Sydney, Australia, in 2013. Investors were skeptical owing to its location. Canva has proven its doubters wrong by attracting 60 million monthly users to its freemium software, along with 500,000 teams from businesses like Intel and Zoom.
Canva's software creates appealing menus, resumes, and Instagram images.
Whitney Wolfe Herd
- Co-founder and CEO of Bumble
- First Self-Made Woman Billionaire in the World
Whitney Wolfe Herd, the creator of Bumble, is well-known among tech geeks and online daters.
Bumble's novel approach to online dating made a splash in 2014. Only women may initiate heterosexual matches. Herd calls Bumble a feminist dating app that empowers women to lead.
Whitney Wolfe Herd is the first self-made female billionaire in the world and the youngest woman in the US to take a business public. Bumble is now valued at $13 billion.
Odunayo Eweniyi
- Co-founder and COO of Piggyvest
- Co-founder and Partner of FirstCheck Africa
In 2016, 24-year-old Odunayo co-founded PiggyVest. PiggyVest, Nigeria's most successful fintech firm, was West Africa's first online savings and investing app. With over a million users, they're making a big difference in people's money management and savings.
She and Eloho Omame created FirstCheck Africa in January 2021. FirstCheck Africa is a women-led angel fund, developing a strong investor community and working with organizations to provide women access to the necessary networks.
Sasikala Devi
- Inventor of LungXpert
- Professor and Researcher at SASTRA Deemed-to-be-University
Dr. Sasikala Devi, like all great innovators, identified a massive issue and solved it when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020.
Dr. Devi is a researcher and professor at SASTRA Deemed-to-be-University in Tamil Nadu, India. She developed LungXpert, a cheap, 90% accurate prognostic tool based on artificial intelligence (AI) that detects cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, including the new coronavirus. She reviewed 500,000 Stanford University X-ray pictures to develop the system.
Dr. Devi responded promptly and used her skills to provide healthcare personnel with the necessary tools to save lives.
Stephanie Lampkin
- CEO of Blendoor
Stephanie Lampkin launched Blendoor to use technology to make the world more fair and equitable.
Blendoor, a data-driven recruitment tool, aims to reduce unconscious hiring prejudice, which Lampkin has seen throughout her career.
Stephanie told Women Who Code DC that Blendoor was partly inspired by Google rejecting her for not being "technical enough for a data analyst role" despite majoring in data analytics at Stanford. She aims to diversify IT firms and prove that non-programmers can create disruptive innovations via Blendoor.
Sarah Hawley
- Founder of Growmotely
- Co-founder of the League of Extraordinary Women
As CEO, Sarah Hawley worked to establish Grow My Team from the bottom up, a recruitment firm committed to acquiring and integrating the finest remote talent on a worldwide scale. Recently, Sarah has introduced a new business called Growmotely.
Hawley launched Growmotely, the first worldwide platform for finding, expanding, and managing remote teams, in August 2020.
Lilly Mittenthal
- Co-founder of Maro
Lilly Mittenthal, a user-centered designer who innovates for the greater good, created Maro in late 2020. It aids parents in navigating difficult growing-up discussions with their children
The app has a library of expert-vetted mental health resources and a journaling tool for parents to record important mental health information about their children, which they may submit to a specialist. The software may help parents understand anxiety science, explain it to youngsters, and integrate anxiety alleviation into family life.
Kristina Ashley Williams
- Founder and CEO of Unpacking
Kristina Ashley Williams is an artist, futurist, design strategist, critical race educator, social justice advocate, and tech entrepreneur.
In July 2020, Williams introduced Unpacking, a data-driven diversity training platform. According to research, traditional diversity training doesn't influence people's behavior. Kristina's novel and immersive method aim to narrow this perilous gap.
Unpacking offers user engagement via gamification. Users experience diversity and unintentional prejudice. Unpacking immerses players in collaborative, interactive gameplay.
