International Women’s Day, a global celebration of females’ social, economic, cultural and political achievements globally, falls on the 8th of March this year. The 2023 theme, ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality,’ aims to promote further diversity and inclusion of women in the tech world. It also plans to explore the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities whilst shining a light on the importance of women’s rights in digital spaces and addressing online gender-based violence.

According to Explodingtopics.com, women currently hold only 26.7% of tech-related jobs worldwide. Perhaps more concerning for the future, when it comes to the next generation of female techpreneurs, figures from UNwomen.org show there is currently a minority of women in STEM education at 35 per cent, with just 3 per cent of those studying information and communications technology.

With International Women’s Day just around the corner, and technology providing endless opportunities to reshape the world, we take a look at some female tech founders who are making a notable difference through innovation.

Lucie Basch, Co-founder, Too Good To Go

Just one successful platform developed by a female is a popular anti-food waste app, Too Good To Go. First launching in North America in 2020, it connects customers to local restaurants and stores so that they can purchase surplus food near closing time, meaning less food is binned. Hugely popular across most European cities, an estimated one hundred and sixty-four thousand businesses and sixty-two million users have signed up. On helping people achieve their dreams, Lucie Basch, Co-founder, previously advised people to “understand your passion and just do it. Everything is possible as long as you follow what you’re passionate about.”

Julie Collins, Founder, Planet FWD

Planet FWD is one of the fastest-growing tech tools available online. Established by female entrepreneur Julie Collins in San Francisco in 2019, it helps companies track their carbon footprint so they can make informed changes to how they do things. Through this clever software, businesses can help build carbon-neutral products, develop climate plans, and put a net zero commitment in place. A hugely successful venture, recent figures from Crunchbase state the company recently raised over 15 million dollars.

Whitney Wolfe Herd, Founder, Bumble 

Perhaps one of the most famous tech brands produced by a woman, the dating app Bumble first came to life in 2014. Revolutionizing the way people meet, techpreneur Whitney was originally one of the Co-founders of rival Tinder. After noticing a gap in the market for technology that would enable women to make the first move in dating, she created an app that would grow to have over fifty-five million users worldwide. If that’s not inspiring enough, this female leader was named in the TIME 100 list. Today, Texas-based Bumble is estimated to be worth over three billion dollars.

Julia Hartz, Co-founder, Eventbrite

A hugely popular digital event organisation and ticket-selling platform, Eventbrite is another major company Co-founded by a female. Developed in 2006 by Telecommunications graduate Julia Hartz, the brand has seen her become one of the most recognisable women in the world of innovation. Said to be worth over two hundred million dollars, Eventbrite has landed Julia on Fortune Magazine’s 40 under 40 business leaders on numerous occasions. An advocate for women in tech, she recently credited female comprehension for helping her grow into the successful woman she has become, “while traditionally viewed as a feminine trait, a weakness, even, empathy has now emerged as a critical business strength, and a requirement to succeed as a great leader. Sure, there are some really great minds out there, great thinkers who are renowned for what they do, but without empathy, they’re not great leaders.”

Leah Busque, Founder, TaskRabbit

Online marketplace for those needing odd jobs completed, TaskRabbit was the brainchild of female entrepreneur Leah Busque. The concept was first developed when she and her husband realized they had run out of dog food. The platform connects users to people called Taskers, to paying handyman-type tasks, including cleaning and moving. Acquired by IKEA in 2017, the company currently serves over fifty-two US, UK and Canadian cities. What makes Leah even more interesting is her background in STEM, having chosen to pursue a career in computer science in 2001, which was seen as unusual for a female at the time. Today she has become one of the most admired women in Silicon Valley.

Melanie Perkins, Co-founder of Canva Australian-born Canva, was the brainchild of female tech entrepreneur Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht. The platform, which allows users to create top-of-the-range graphics seamlessly, has soared in popularity due to its ease of use. It’s estimated Canva currently has over ten million users in one hundred and seventy-nine countries. What’s more, the software platform was recently valued at over one billion dollars. Speaking about inclusivity and women in tech, Canvas People Operation’s Lead, Linda Lin, recently said, “Women in tech, as a minority, we obviously feel passionate about gender equality, but for there to be real, sustainable change, it needs to be driven by those who are a part of the majority.”