The unexpected paths of female tech entrepreneurs

Wednesday, 26 August, 2015

Software company Terem Technologies has conducted what it claims is the first study into the growth of female technology entrepreneurs, with surprising results.

In a survey of Australian female tech entrepreneurs, the company found that STEM training is not, in fact, as much of a requirement as had been assumed. Only 19% of entrepreneurs in the study had a STEM background, with 4% of these having a computer science background. The most commonly studied degrees were in business disciplines, with 41% of respondents qualified in business, commerce, economics or marketing.

According to entrepreneur Fiona Anson, the founder of job-matching app Workible, a lack of STEM experience may actually be an advantage. She explained, “Because of a lack of tech experience, women can look at a problem and think laterally about the solution without worrying about how hard/easy the tech will be to support the idea.”

Without personal expertise in software development, the majority of female tech entrepreneurs are managing tech teams. The survey found that 64% are managing teams to deliver on the technical execution of their start-up, with 50% outsourcing to developers and 14% employing tech talent.

However, Australian female tech entrepreneurs feel that there are still many hurdles to overcome. When asked why they thought only 19% of Australian start-ups are founded by women, the respondents cited the following hurdles:

Lack of expertise (34%)
Lack of confidence (30%)
Lack of supportive networks (27%)
Risk (27%)
Lack of women doing or interested in STEM (25%)
Life choices (25%)
Family responsibility (14%)

“The results paint a very mixed picture for women entering the tech start-up space,” said Terem Technologies CEO Scott Middleton, who hopes the survey will serve as inspiration for aspiring female entrepreneurs.

“The women we surveyed are overcoming all kinds of hurdles to succeed and thrive,” he said. “We hope that they will inspire many more like them and that the numbers of female entrepreneurs will climb rapidly as role models become more visible.”

The study can be viewed at http://www.terem.com.au/female-technology-entrepreneur-study.