It’s common knowledge that men still run most of the tech industry and this holds true for emerging tech fields such as AI and robotics. In a bid to increase representation of women in STEM, we spoke with leaders from around the world who are breaking ground in these exciting and ever-evolving fields.
First, the sobering facts. The percentage of women in leadership positions in the tech industry is low. Statistics vary depending on your source, but common figures put it between 10 and 28%. Given that women make up nearly half of the global workforce, this isn’t good enough.
In a chicken and the egg type scenario, this lack of representation is reflected on screen as well. According to a report from the University of Cambridge, just nine out of 116 AI professionals in key films are women. Researchers reviewed more than 1,400 films released between 1920 and 2020 and from them, chose the 142 most influential movies featuring artificial intelligence. From the 116 AI professionals identified, only nine of these were women, of which five worked for a man or were the child or partner of a more senior male AI engineer.
So, in order to hear directly from the women on the inside - the ones making an impact in exciting tech industries every day - we reached out to five women to ask about their experiences.
Meet the Women
Yvonne Soh
Yvonne is the CEO and Co-Founder of Noodle Factory, a revolutionary AI-powered teaching assistant platform based in Singapore. Yvonne didn’t pursue a computer science or engineering degree, but has always been deeply passionate about technology. Her journey into the tech industry began when she started selling internet lines to companies (technology evolves quickly!). As she delved deeper into the world of tech, she quickly transitioned into technical and product management roles in prominent tech companies.
Yvonne: “One aspect of product management that I found particularly fulfilling was sales enablement and training. Seeing how technology could empower sales teams and drive growth excited me immensely. After spending two decades in the big tech industry, I took a leap of faith and co-founded a corporate education company. In this venture, I focused on creating tech-enabled learning solutions tailored to companies' specific needs. Throughout this journey, we stumbled upon a pressing issue in education that we believed could be addressed with the power of AI. I've always held the belief that technology should not be an end in itself, but rather a means to improve and enhance various aspects of our lives.”
Tiffany Tong
Tiffany is Co-Founder and CEO of Aloi, a loan journey insight platform that empowers and finances grassroots entrepreneurs. Tiffany comes from three generations of migrant entrepreneurs and has always been interested in how societies develop. She worked in international development for 10 years in three different African countries.
Tiffany: “I learned about microfinance for the first time from my grandmother, who used to run a savings and credit circle in Hong Kong in the 50s, when she was a young refugee.”
Sonika Manandhar
Sonika works alongside Tiffany as Co-Founder and CTO at Aloi. She comes from a family of transportation micro-entrepreneurs in Kathmandu, Nepal. For 10 years, Sonika studied and worked as a computer engineer before starting Aloi.
Sonika: “When I was five years old, I remember riding in the front of the 12-seater minibus that my dad would drive every day. He would pick up women on their way to the market, and students on their way to school, and I felt like the most powerful tycoon in the world when he would let me collect fare from the passengers. Unfortunately, he had to let go of that minibus which earned us our living because it was polluting Nepal’s air. Fortunately, he was able to buy another nonpolluting minibus with a loan subsidised by the government.”
Shlomit Steinberg-Koch
Shlomit is the Co-Founder and CEO of Predicta Med, an Israel-based company harnessing the power of AI to identify and treat auto-immune diseases. She studied biomedical engineering at Technion University in Israel and one of her final projects was in the field of AI. It was in 2012, so AI was just beginning to gain traction, and her project was to develop an algorithm that would enable melanoma detection from home using a phone-based device. That was Shlomit’s first foot in the door into the healthcare space. From there, she joined a company called Mazor Robotics, which did robot-guided spine and brain surgeries, in product management and R&D roles. When Mazor was sold, Shlomit launched her own start-up.
Shlomit: “Today we have a platform that enables early detection of autoimmune disorders, which is also in the femtech space because 80% of autoimmune disorders are actually in women. We currently have a decision support platform that alerts the PCP (primary care physician) when we see a patient with an underlying autoimmune condition. The idea is to enable them to shorten the diagnostic process and, by that, prevent patient deterioration, hospitalisation, absenteeism and all of that. We're planning to launch the product to market by the end of this year and then start to get initial revenues next year.”
On finding a co-founder
Yvonne - “I met my co-founder while working in the tech industry. We were both employed at different big tech companies, and our paths crossed when I served as the partner manager responsible for managing the relationship with his company.”
Tiffany and Sonika - “We met in the summer of 2017 at the Singularity University Global Solutions Program hosted at the NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.”
Shlomit - “I think it's very important to have a very supportive co-founder. I wouldn't found a company on my own. It was very important for me to have a co-founder that can share some of the stress, some of the responsibility.”
On finding a gap in the market
Yvonne - “Before Noodle Factory, my co-founder and I embarked on a prior entrepreneurial journey by establishing Jam Factory, a corporate education company specialising in personalised training and tech-enabled learning solutions for businesses. During this venture, we served as educators ourselves and encountered a significant challenge - effectively scaling educator-student interactions and engagements. Experiencing this hurdle firsthand was a turning point for us. We became determined to find a solution that could enhance the educational experience and bridge the gap between educators and students on a broader scale. It was from this very challenge that the idea of using AI as a teaching assistant to support and empower educators to better engage their students emerged.”
Tiffany and Sonika - “Professionally, we had both worked with informal sector micro-entrepreneurs in our jobs at the World Bank and Microsoft Innovation Centre in Nepal. This was when we started seeing the problem and seeking ways to find a solution. We bonded over the goal of empowering grassroots micro-entrepreneurs when we met in the US.”
On the lack of female representation in senior leadership roles in tech-related industries
Yvonne - The underrepresentation of women in CEO or senior leadership roles within the tech industry is a concerning statistic, and it's something that I have definitely been aware of throughout my career. As a woman working in tech, I have personally experienced being mistaken as the "non-tech" person in the room on numerous occasions. While this could have been off-putting, I have chosen to view it as an opportunity to challenge stereotypes and drive positive change. My goal is not just to succeed as an individual entrepreneur but to pave the way for more women and underrepresented groups to break through the barriers and ascend to leadership roles in the tech industry.”
Sonika - “It was definitely motivating! We both worked in pretty male-dominated sectors for a long time, so we were used to it. Although, once we started, we understood it was different to work for an established company or organisation as a female in a male-dominated sector compared to our own startup.”
Tiffany - “I was not interested in starting anything in traditionally “female industries” for startups, e.g. cosmetics or wellness. There is nothing wrong with these sectors, but I wanted to find a way to make more space for women in industries where there is less representation.”
Shlomit - “When I started, I think it was maybe 5% or something - like very, very low. But I never looked at it as a barrier because I was never aiming to be average and, you know, for me, even if most women are not doing something it doesn't mean I want to do the same. On the contrary, I like being a kind of a pioneer or setting an example for others. I'm now getting many introductions to women in this field, or those that are thinking of becoming entrepreneurs, and I'm always very supportive and sharing my journey. I like to do that.”
On helping other women in the industry
Yvonne - “There is no reason that women and men are not equal in tech industries, and there will always be people who discriminate or try to discourage you, or have a bad first impression simply because you are a woman. But first impressions are just that - and they don't last. Remember, the tech industry needs the diverse perspectives and contributions of talented women like you. Embrace the opportunities, stay resilient, and pave the way for a more inclusive and innovative tech landscape. You have the power to make a significant impact, both in your career and in empowering future generations of women in tech.”
Tiffany and Sonika - “Learn to ignore what you perceive as other’s opinion of you. Going against the grain gives you more competitive advantage, camaraderie, and unique insights in the long run. And it’s more fun!”
Shlomit - “Every network can support you. I really believe in accelerators because you get to know founders like you and most have some kind of Whatsapp network where you can ask questions and feel you are in a very supportive environment. I think it's also very important to keep mental stability by doing any activity that makes you feel that you are lowering the stress, whether it's yoga, meditation, sport, going to a psychologist - whatever makes a person feel that they are getting their sanity back.”
On the power of emerging tech for tackling social and environmental issues
Yvonne - Firstly, it is crucial to acknowledge the significance of responsible development and deployment of AI. As with any technological advancement, there are inherent risks of misuse or unintended consequences. To mitigate these risks, robust regulations and ethical frameworks must be established. Industry stakeholders, policymakers, and researchers should collaborate to ensure that AI is utilised ethically and in ways that benefit society as a whole.
Furthermore, addressing social and environmental issues with AI requires a collective effort. Communities, governments, non-profit organisations, and the private sector must work together in a collaborative and inclusive manner. Only by fostering partnerships and engaging diverse perspectives can we develop comprehensive solutions that have a meaningful impact on these challenges.
Tiffany and Sonika - We think the future is linking emerging tech with appropriately designed user interfaces for currently marginalised populations. We don’t want to design and scale out-dated tech; we want to help the leapfrogging process, or else such populations would be left behind, again.
Shlomit - I don't see any other option because, today, everything is AI. It's a buzzword, but it stands behind the ability to learn from massive data sets. We have massive data sets because everything is online, everything is monitored, and I think that's a great opportunity to really learn and improve. So, I think that if we really want to see changes in the world, whether it's climate change, healthcare, child education etc, it will probably be based on AI and other emerging technologies.
Thank you to Yvonne Soh, Tiffany Tong, Sonika Manandhar and Shlomit Steinberg-Koch for speaking with Qissa!
