The number of women starting their own business in the UK grew by 42% between 2010-2016, with almost a third of new businesses now founded by women. These stats are encouraging, and although no official statistics exist for the number of women with startups in Shoreditch, there are some high profile female CEOs in the area who are top of their field, who we call the female all-stars of Tech City.
CEO Christa Quarles of OpenTable is not based in Shoreditch but she has certainly made waves in the US and now UK tech industries with her strong female influence. As a child of seven she knew she had differentiate herself from her siblings. This attitude gave her the grounding and determination needed to “steer into potentially hard-charging, male-dominated industries”. Also, as a Phi Beta Kappa sorority graduate, Christa Quarles is also a firm believer in the sisterhood within the worldwide tech community.
She said: “In Silicon Valley today there is a sisterhood of women who are supporting each other, telling each other about board opportunities, giving each other business ideas.”
Sarah Drinkwater, Head of Google’s entrepreneur campus, near Old Street Roundabout, launched the space in 2012 when the London startup scene was starting to take off. Now the space hosts hundreds of community-run programs and events to help other small businesses and startups reach their potential. Read or watch any interview with the charismatic Sarah and you can sense her genuine excitement and enthusiasm for the diversity in the London tech startup scene.
“It’s now 38% female and with over 160 nationalities,” she said.
Sarah is an inspiring mentor who regularly speaks about women in tech and communities. She’s opened the doors to many mothers, by establishing the UK’s first baby-friendly startup school, Campus for Mums. Her contribution of the London technology startup scene is contagious.
In 2015 Rupert Murdoch bought Sarah Wood’s Unruly or £58 million, a Shoreditch-based company she had co-founded back in 2006. Despite being in the tech world, Unruly’s culture is such that 44% of the board, 45% of managers, and 48% of the total workforce are female. At Unruly you can bring your pets and children to work.
Wood said: “I dislike the separation between work and home. I don’t think it’s particularly helpful and when I come to work I want to bring my whole self. I don’t put on a professional shell.”
The former lecturer was this year named one of the 500 most influential people in Britain.
Decoded is an organisation whose aim is to improve digital literacy through teaching people how to code. They help people understand what is going on behind the screen, as well as equipping them with all the skills they need to create their own code. She co-founded Decoded in 2011 and since then has won numerous awards including UK Start-UP Entrepreneur of the year, Woman of the Future award in Technology; has been credited by esteemed publications, under various guises, as influential in the London tech scene and a top woman in business. She is truly a pioneer, and inspirational to boot. Decoded is based just off Old Street, right in the heart of Tech City.
These are only a few of the female CEOs, directors, founders and owners who operate in East London and the Shoreditch area. But we’re looking for more. The Stage are trying to drive female entrepreneurs in the area to add their business to their interactive resource: Tech City. They want to gather enough business names so that we can develop the map further, to allow users to filter by ‘Female CEO’.
So if you’re a female Shoreditch-based business owner, or know someone who is, submit your business on the Add A Business button in the bottom right-hand corner of the map. Make sure you mention ‘female CEO’ in the additional info box.