It is an exciting time in the tech space not just because of the advancements fueled by Artificial Intelligence and Industry 4.0 but also due to the variety of up-and-coming talent, particularly those who are women.
The term ‘Women in STEM’ has been gaining traction as more women graduate with STEM degrees and eventually find employment in their respective fields. On the surface, it seems as though we have made progress in equalising the playing field, but is this progress truly sustainable when a lack of female leadership is still lacking?
The current tech landscape and wage bias
Singapore currently boasts a percentage of over 41 per cent of women in the tech workforce, nearly double the global average of 28 per cent. However, the global percentage of women leaders still remains at a startling 10.9 per cent, holding either senior-level or CEO positions.
Women are usually paid less than men to do the same task. Women in STEM are no exception to this as well. Whilst my continued work in the field has helped me gain the salary that I deserve, it was not an easy task to get there.
In the past, even when positions were created for me (because they needed a person like me in their team to take it forward), I was told I could not be paid what I rightly deserved. At such times, I had to weigh between pursuing the opportunity and championing my own dignity.
Such wage gaps, along with workplace gender bias and a shortage of female role models, are among the various glass ceilings faced by women in the tech industry when it comes to advancements in their careers. This leads to a lack of women leaders, and having little to no representation is what leads many young workers to feel discouraged and isolated and eventually leave the industry altogether.
Women as innovators and business leaders
When I started commercialising technologies, initially, I started facing challenges that any brown woman would face. But I like to think of myself as being more than an ordinary brown woman; I’m a fighter, I’m a survivor.
Even after being the inventor, innovator, and business face of the medical device that I had invented, I was asked to take a backseat, as a brown woman with a kind heart ‘presumably’ cannot run a business in the med-tech ecosystem.
Ironically this came from a woman. I had to turn a deaf ear towards demotivating criticisms, continue believing in myself, keep delivering, and continue with my excellence. This is my strategy to excel in my purpose-driven commitments.
With my continued excellence, I went on to become one of the top 100 women in technology in Singapore and one of MIT Tech Review’s 35 innovators under 35.
From my own experience, I believe that every woman, alongside multitasking, can be empathetic leaders who can bring different perspectives to the table. Women are needed in every stage, from the design and development of innovation to building ventures around it.
This belief is what propelled me to take up the task of building Let-Lab in Singapore.
Let-Lab in Singapore
I was pregnant when I was given the opportunity to build and lead Singapore’s first industry 4.0-focused startup accelerator, Let-Lab. As a fearless, relentless person who never backed down from opportunities, I decided to leave the comfortable corporate job that was tailor-made for me and jumped straight into the project.
It was almost a one-woman show trying to persuade corporate companies why it is necessary to engage startups to address unmet needs within the company and infuse innovation into the fragment to give it a competitive edge.
Being a woman with a STEM background and a PHD helped me convince stakeholders within the corporation to work with innovative startups over their traditional suppliers. It helped me convince them of how startups can give customised and better solutions for a lower cost. While working within a corporation, I’m also establishing an ecosystem of industry 4.0 players who can proudly call Singapore their global headquarters.
Let-Lab empowers startups with resources and innovations and simultaneously fosters an ecosystem of partners, which includes tech companies, academic institutions, startup hubs and relevant investors. Start-ups within the Let-Lab’s ecosystem will have the opportunity to interact with domain experts, develop industry solutions and implement pilot programmes with the facilities of an OEM.
Also Read: Why it’s time to hit ‘refresh’ when it comes to addressing the gender diversity gap in the IT sector
As Let-Lab aims to empower innovators to go above and beyond with their ventures, I saw it as an opportunity to help and empower other women to break into the tech industry, especially as manufacturing and industry 4.0 is a lean space for women to be in.
Role of mentoring and women
I believe in mentoring as a valuable tool to address the gender gap and nurture the right talents. I co-founded The Edify Project, a one-stop innovative mentorship platform and serve as a mentor for various startups, venture creation programmes and aspiring talents hoping to make it big in the industry.
Through my endeavours, I hope to get a chance to impart my skills and knowledge to help mentor and encourage other women to take that leap of faith and find the confidence to break into the tech industry. I specifically focus more on mentoring girls and women so as to bridge the gender gap and help the next generation (both genders) cross the chasm.
Moreover, deep-tech ventures need women at every stage, as innovators and as business leaders, as there cannot be a developed society without a seat for women at the table. In a way, mentoring is a very unique way I have adapted to overcome burnout situations. This way, I’m doing my part in creating a culture and ecosystem of good-willed humans.
This is my way of empowering fellow beings who will empower every woman and girl out there, make the world gender-neutral, and in turn, lower the barriers and challenges for girls. I feel that modern startups such as the ones supported by Let-Lab have the potential to inflict change and break away from the traditional gender norms within the industry. It is my personal goal to bring onboard Let-Lab, women-led and women-founded ventures and innovations.
Women are such an integral part of any workforce, and a nation cannot progress if it leaves women behind and does not allow them to flourish. Just as our tools and processes are advancing each year, it is time to make room for more diversity with the inclusion of more women leaders whom the next generation can look to for inspiration and that vouch of confidence that they, too, have what it takes to excel in their careers.
This is even more imperative in developing deep-tech ventures as women innovators and business leaders complement men when it comes to addressing societal needs in a holistic manner.
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