Education has undergone its most significant transformation in recent years, mainly due to the rapid growth of education technology (edtech). This explosive development, sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent uptick in demand for online and personalized learning experiences, has benefited teachers, students and administrators alike. With a market size estimated at $123 billion in 2022 and a projected annual growth rate of 13.6% from 2023 to 2030, there is no indication that this trend will be slowing down. As a disclosure, my company Tynker is one provider of a coding edtech platform.
An unfortunate reality emerges.
When comparing the education and edtech industries side-by-side, there’s one stark contrast: 75% of public school teachers and 54% of public school principals are women, but only 13% of edtech CEOs and leaders are women, according to data by HolonIQ.
A sobering truth for women in edtech is the misrepresentation that begins in the boardroom looking down. The Harvard Business Review recently reported that companies founded solely by women receive less than 3% of all venture capital investments.
Yet despite this underrepresentation, there are many strategies leaders can use to encourage stronger female representation and pave the way for all underrepresented groups in this industry. I will outline three.
1. Seek talent from a wide range of backgrounds—including education.
As a case example, co-founder of BYJU’S Divya Gokulnath, a bioengineering graduate, drove the organization’s ground-breaking educational strategy that upended India’s conventional classroom model. Under Gokulnath’s leadership, BYJU’S has emerged as one of the fastest-growing edtech companies in the world. With a unique approach to engaging and personalized learning, they have proven highly effective, with 92% of surveyed parents crediting BYJU’S to improving their child’s grades.
Leaders should seek opportunities for partnership with schools, colleges and universities to host outreach programs targeting female students from diverse educational backgrounds. These programs can provide information about career opportunities and offer guidance on developing the skills and knowledge needed to succeed. Creating an environment that welcomes female talent from diverse educational backgrounds and showcases career growth and development opportunities is essential.
2. Seek opportunities to bring edtech solutions to a wider representation of students.
Another inspirational case example can be seen in Daphne Koller, cofounder of Coursera. Koller began with the motivation of seeking to help everyone access education regardless of their background or financial position.
Coursera has expanded significantly since its founding in 2012, with more than 77 million registered students and partnerships with more than 200 institutions. The platform has additionally offered services in 190 countries and is constantly growing its global reach. When it went public in 2021 with a valuation of almost $7 billion, a substantial increase from its 2020 valuation of $2.6 billion, its influence was further solidified.
At my company Tynker, an edtech coding platform for kids and teens, we have created educational resources and content that are inclusive and diverse, featuring characters from different backgrounds and cultures to help children from all backgrounds feel represented and welcome in the world’s largest coding community for kids. We also partnered with Toy company Mattel to introduce seven Barbie coding lessons to inspire young girls to look at exciting careers as pet vets, astronauts or robotics engineers. Such representation in the edtech space can be crucial to welcoming and recruiting diverse female talent.
3. Recruit expert talent leveraging the latest advancements in web design.
Lynda Weinman, another forerunner in edtech, transitioned from teaching web design classes to founding one of the first online training platforms, which LinkedIn would later purchase in 2016 for $1.5 billion. Weinman began due to recognition of the need for accessible and affordable training in this rapidly growing field. She and her husband Bruce established Lynda.com in 1995, creating a first-of-its-kind platform that would change how we see online learning.
With short, simple-to-follow video tutorials for each course, the platform was created to be user-friendly and rapidly succeed. The platform’s offerings slowly grew to include tools for monitoring advancement and obtaining certifications and courses in various languages.
The development trajectory of Lynda.com is impressive. At the time of the acquisition, the platform hosted over 6,000 courses with over 10 million registered users. By leveraging the latest in platform design, such programs can continue to help millions worldwide improve their skills and advance their careers.
With the right strategies, edtech companies can do much to increase their female talent representation.
As educators and leaders, these case examples gave us many vital lessons from their journey, including the importance of having that passion and perseverance. Taking a step into the face of adversity requires a deep sense of both. In each case, we see women who have been inspired by a strong sense of purpose and a desire to effect change in education—but they also inadvertently established themselves as role models, helping lay the groundwork for numerous other women in the field to follow in their footsteps.
The value of creativity and adaptability is yet another vital lesson this illustrates for leaders. Each of these women was able to see how technology could significantly affect education, and they were all willing to take a chance to make these changes happen. By increasing diverse representation in talent acquisition, companies can better equip themselves to face unforeseen difficulties, shifting market conditions—or even a worldwide pandemic.
Last but not least, each of these case examples and strategies exemplifies the value of cooperation.
These women successfully navigated the world of entrepreneurship and edtech thanks to the support of their peers, families and many others. They also made a point of giving back to their communities and sharing their knowledge with the world to help others succeed.
More and more examples of women breaking down barriers in education and edtech are emerging daily. Their impact spans generations, fostering a more diverse and inclusive industry that is better equipped to meet the needs of educators and students worldwide. I hope this article offers valuable insights for leaders seeking ways to increase female representation in their organizations.
This article first appeared on FORBES
