By: Shellye Archambeau

When I was a young girl, I knew that I wanted to run my own business someday. In fact, I would end up leading almost every club or team that I got involved in at school. However, by the time I actually began my career, I was well aware that the odds were not entirely in my favor due to my gender and ethnicity. I didn’t let that get in the way, though, and worked hard to prove myself. Today, I am proud to be the CEO of MetricStream, a leading technology company that I helped build from the ground up.

That being said, I know how daunting it is to be a woman, and especially a female entrepreneur in the field of technology, where the lack of gender diversity is a serious cause for concern. Silicon Valley Bank’s recent “U.S. Startup Outlook 2016” report found that 66 percent of startups have no women on their boards, and 46 percent have no women in executive positions. However, about a quarter of respondents (26 percent) said that they have programs in place to increase the number of women in leadership roles. And therein lies the good news – things are slowly but surely changing.

Women Rising

Copia, Privail, and Senseware are three of the hottest tech startups in the U.S. today. They’re also all led by women. CEO and co-founders Komal Ahmad, Anwaar Al-Zireeni, and Serene Almomen are showing the world that women can build and run tech-centered businesses just as successfully as men.

The tech industry is fast realizing this, which is why Google Entrepreneurs, for instance, initiated the #40Forward effort, committing $1 million to 40-startup focused organizations to increase the representation of women in their respective tech communities. Meanwhile, an increasing number of startup accelerators are coming forward to support women entrepreneurs.

Women are also speaking up. They’re bringing attention to their challenges as tech entrepreneurs. And they’re joining hands to support each other. Today, there are startup communities like Women’s Startup Lab, Startup Chicks, and Women Who Startup, as well as organizations like Watermark, who are doing some incredible work in encouraging, mentoring, and nurturing female tech entrepreneurs.

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