The inaugural SheTech summit of the BEYOND Expo 2024 launched this morning at the Venetian Macao, with a multitude of experts partaking in discussions concerning female gender equality in the tech industry.
One key presentation centred on the subject of gender lens investing (GLI) – a term used to describe an investment approach that considers the issue of gender equality, with the aim of economically and socially benefiting women.
The discussion was moderated by Kit Yau of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Macau). The panellists included Tina Tao, the president of Beijing venture capital firm Sinovation Ventures; Lu Zhang, the founder of tech startup investor Fusion Fund; Ann Yang, the founding partner of Shenzhen’s iRun Venture Capital; and Bingbing Zhao, the Greater China representative of London & Partners, a non-profit organisation that promotes business in the UK capital.
Zhao said she “held an optimistic view” on gender equality, noting that the number of female engineering graduates was almost on par with male graduates and that improvements had been significant in the past thirty years.
Lu concurred that there were more women joining the tech industry, but stressed that “we need more [female] rule breakers,” especially on the boards of companies, which are instrumental in creating change. “We need women who are willing to take risks and willing to be number one,” she said.
Zhao, meanwhile, noted that the number of female tech investors in Europe remained low, although measures were being implemented in places such as London. For example, quotas are being implemented in certain meetings to prevent them from being dominated entirely by men.
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In terms of the strength of female entrepreneurs, Tao observed that women tended to be more committed to specific goals, have more diverse teams and are more willing to make changes than their male counterparts. Zhang added that women “are masters of managing time” and said that women are more alert to specific details that men are likely to miss.
On the topic of challenges faced by female entrepreneurs, Yang reflected on her own experience, saying that she “faced a lot of pushback” in Silicon Valley.
During the last part of the discussion, Zhang emphasised that women who are intending to reach leadership positions should not be concerned about their likability, as they will be unable to please everyone when making important decisions.
Taking place until 25 May, the BEYOND Expo serves as a platform for key players in the Asia tech industry to share and discuss relevant issues, as well as showcase the latest innovations.
