Web Summit CEO Katherine Maher
Doha, Qatar: The significant number of women-led startups participating in the ongoing Web Summit Qatar, the first event of its kind in the region, represents a commendable stride towards diversity and inclusivity, challenging stereotypes, and reshaping the landscape of technology-driven innovation, Web Summit CEO Katherine Maher has said.
“I believe very strongly that it is important for us to continue to give women access to these kinds of platforms, whether on stage or elsewhere, so that we are increasing the representation of women everywhere as technologists, and hopefully from there, setting a great example for women to join the field and to be seen in the region as powerful leaders,” Maher said during a press conference yesterday.
The four-day sold-out event is attracting about 15,500 attendees from 118 countries, with 37% of the participants and 30% of the speakers, respectively, being women. A further breakdown of the participants, according to the organisers, indicates that 1,043 startups are represented of which one in three are women-founded. 50% come from the Middle East, 10% from Qatar, and 20% from Africa, and of the total, 10% are focused on social impact activities,
“I am heartened by these initial numbers, with 37% of registered attendees being women. Obviously, that is not at parity yet, but this is also our first event in the region, and so what we always find is that we gain traction as we continue. So, over the course of the years ahead, we will certainly continue to work to build out that community so that women will feel well represented here,” Maher added.
The Web Summit CEO noted that the summit has been committed to women in technology since the beginning, ensuring that the organisation curates programmes that make it easier for women to attend while focusing on ensuring that they have an excellent representation of women speakers and participants across different aspects of their programmes.
“Globally, women in technology are not where they ought to be.”
It is the case that less than 2% of venture capital funding goes to female founders, and we do not see well-enough representation of women in executive leadership roles in technology. We see this as a broader issue that is global in nature; this is not specific to the region; it is everywhere, and I believe with an increasing push, especially from the Web Summit, the needed change will eventually come,” she noted.
Maher affirmed that Web Summit has found a worthy partner in Qatar and shared its vision and commitment to expansion and global access to opportunity, innovation, and entrepreneurship, considering the tremendous investment by Qatar in ensuring that the summit is successful while showcasing some of the aspects of Qatari culture.
There are more than 400 investors, 380 speakers, 896 members of the media, and 148 partners, including Microsoft, Meta, TikTok, Snap, the Qatar Investment Authority, Deloitte, and Palo Alto Networks, among others.
