Lean In Girls: What It Will Take to Unlock the Power of Women’s Leadership

Though tech startups in the education space are more likely than those in other sectors to have a woman on their founding team, a recent survey showed that just 13% of edtech CEOs are women. This statistic stands in stark contrast to data indicating that women entrepreneurs tend to outperform men, building businesses that generate more revenue and job growth. Despite these results, along the way, women continue to confront systemic barriers to their success. A recent report showed the average funding size for women-owned companies was just 60% of that of men and another found that when women and men delivered similar pitches, startups led by men were favored by investors. Outcomes are even more stark for women of color. At the root of the challenges women face are stereotypes and biases about their capabilities that they are confronted with at an early age and deal with through adulthood. In this fireside chat, we talk candidly about these challenges and the role we can all play in interrupting the bias that contributes to them. We’ll also talk about getting real with women and girls about what they’re up against and the role we can all play in unlocking the power of their leadership to accelerate our collective impact.