The Cape Town / Stockholm Connect (CSC) initiative is preparing to host a solution-oriented webinar geared towards addressing gender inequalities in the local tech start-up space.
Taking place on Thursday, 30 September, the “Women in Tech” webinar also aims to identify solutions to some of these challenges, according to a statement.
Some of the issues to be tackled include the lack of mentorship for women in tech, the scarcity of investment in female-owned start-ups, and barriers to entry due to traditional gender roles.
Female-owned start-ups are vastly outnumbered by male-owned start-ups, with statistics indicating that only 26% of tech start-ups in SA are founded by women, says the statement.
“I hope that women tech entrepreneurs from Sweden and South Africa start a conversation that leads to change and hopefully concrete business opportunities too,” says Håkan Juholt, Swedish Ambassador to SA. “The digital world sees no borders; we build it together, let’s make sure that we make it gender equal.”
Launched earlier this year, CSC is a co-creation platform with the aim of strengthening ties between the tech industry in SA and Sweden.
It brings together companies, developers, customers, investors, entrepreneurs and institutions from across both countries via a series of activities. It serves as a meeting point and provides participants with matchmaking opportunities and company visits, while supporting individual requests.
CSC says during the online event, participants will discuss the latest trends in technology on both continents, whether female tech entrepreneurs receive sufficient support from industries and government, as well as what can be done to create a more equal situation.
Virtual networking opportunities will take place during the breakout sessions, the focus of which will be raising capital, scaling multi-nationally, and the female quotient.
“It is envisaged that, in the long-term, the discussions arising from the event will lead to intensified networking and cross-border collaboration between Swedish and South African female-owned start-ups and entrepreneurs.”
Alderman James Vos, mayoral committee member for economic opportunities in the City of Cape Town, adds: “Connecting Cape Town’s start-up businesses with other markets across the globe is an important aspect of growing our local economy and creating opportunities for growth and job creation.
“Cape Town’s tech industry has boomed in recent years and is on the precipice of even greater things. Last year, about R1.2 billion in disclosed investments were pumped into tech start-ups in the metro, across 46 deals − the highest in the country. But for the Mother City’s tech space to realise its full potential, we must strive to create a more diverse sector that really empowers women.”
Wesgro acting CEO Yaw Peprah concludes: “With Cape Town being the ‘Tech Capital of Africa’, it has an important role to play in fostering inclusivity and bringing more women into the tech sector.
“Although some strides have been made to advance women in tech, more needs to be done, which is why we fully support initiatives such as these. I strongly believe this will not only help introduce new viewpoints and ideas to the sector, but will also impact both countries’ potential for economic growth.”
To register for the virtual event, click here.
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