Picture the founder of a start-up and you’ll probably think of someone like Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, Jack Dorsey who started Twitter, or maybe Elon Musk who plans to take Space X to Mars. One noticeable thing all these people have in common? They’re all men. In fact, most of the headlines about successful tech start-ups put men at the front and center, but there are female role models to be found who may inspire you to write your own business plan.
Blendoor
Ever felt that your job application isn’t being taken seriously because you’re a woman and/or person of color? Blendoor is an app that aims to cut out the unconscious bias around recruiting by hiding details such as names and photos, so hiring managers aren’t basing their decisions on race, age or sex. Blendoor also helps candidates get matched to the right companies and helps them through the interview process. The app was founded by Stephanie Lampkin, an entrepreneur who wants to be one of the few black women to raise $1 million in investment.
Bloomer Tech
Women’s health has been in the news a lot recently, with studies showing that women are more likely to die from heart attacks due to doctors not understanding the different symptoms between the sexes. Bloomer Tech is creating a range of wearable healthcare products for women such as the Bloomer Bra, a heart rate monitor you can wear all day that could be used to diagnose heart problems and other health issues in women. The start-up was founded by three women: Alicia Chong Rodriguez, Aceil Halaby, and Monica Abarca who studied together at MIT.
4D Healthware
It’s not always easy to launch a start-up. Not only do you need a team of people who are techy, such as those who offer comprehensive web design and SEO services for your business, you also need to understand the industry you want to work in and what people need.
4D Healthware was started by Star Cunningham, a former IBM Executive who didn’t work in healthcare, yet saw the importance of better patient monitoring. 4D Healthware uses wearable devices and other remote monitoring devices to help doctors deliver the best possible care to patients, offering a wide range of solutions to the healthcare industry.
Callisto
Callisto is a non-profit start-up that helps people who’ve suffered from sexual assault. They can report an assault via the app, with a few details about the perpetrator, and the app will look for any matches from other people who’ve reported the same individual. This helps to identify people who are repeat offenders, so they can be reported to authorities. Callisto was founded by Jess Ladd, who has received a number of awards for the software.
Full Harvest
Food waste is a big environmental concern, which is why Christine Moseley started Full Harvest. It aims to connect people such as farmers who have too much produce, with people who can use it, for example, those who run juice bars. This B2B platform allows sellers to get rid of ugly or ‘imperfect’ produce that wouldn’t normally sell in the grocery store, but is still tasty and useable.