May 6, 2024

Women in tech the focus of entrepreneurial event

iAccelerate hosts annual breakfast to empower and inspire female founders

iAccelerate, the University of Wollongong’s business incubator, is known for harnessing the talent and developing the potential of female entrepreneurs.

The 2023 Impact Report found that more than 53 per cent of companies under its umbrella featuring at least one active female founders, well above the national and international average for innovation ecosystems.

iAccelerate is continuing its focus on empowering female founders and business leaders with its annual Entrepreneurial Women’s Breakfast this week (Thursday 9 May), an event for women and by women that aims to connect them around a shared interest in entrepreneurism.

The theme this year is Leaders in Tech, bringing together trailblazing women from across the national and international tech industry. They will share their own career stories and strategies to successfully navigate the intersection of entrepreneurship and technology.

From overcoming challenges to leveraging innovation, the event offers a platform for networking and learning from women who are leading the way in tech entrepreneurship.  

The panel is hosted by Rebecca Duldig, a medtech entrepreneur and iAccelerate’s Business Development Manager, who uses her commercial expertise to foster an ecosystem where budding entrepreneurs can thrive.

Rebecca will be joined on the panel by Susan Zhang, Senior Manager of International Trade at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO); Dr Sheridan Gho, Co-Founder and CEO of Cenofex Innovations; and Christine Higgins, Co-Founder and Engineering Leader at Accelo.

Dr Tamantha Stutchbury, Director of iAccelerate, said tech is an industry that is dominated by men, but iAccelerate is working to increase the representation of women and shift that narrative.

“Technology and gender diversity are both fundamental themes at iAccelerate. We are focused on increasing the number of female entrepreneurs and on establishing the Illawarra as a great place to grow and nurture tech start-ups, so the Entrepreneurial Women’s Breakfast really brings together those two threads.

“We know that the number of women in tech is still much lower than men, and that is even more acute in leadership and executive positions. Women in tech can experience gender discrimination, a lack of work/life balance, and difficulty in gaining leadership positions and growing their careers. iAccelerate is actively working to help women thrive in their entrepreneurial journey in the tech industry by bringing those ideas to life and then allow to ideas to blossom.

“Hearing the experiences of other women in tech, finding out their stories and how they managed to navigate the industry, is empowering to other women who are trying to build their own career and find their place in the industry.”

The Entrepreneurial Women’s Breakfast series was first launched in 2014 to share the insights and stories of successful entrepreneurial women. After pausing during the pandemic, the conversation series has now made a comeback. 

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

• Dr Sheridan Gho is CEO and co-founder of Cenofex Innovations, a Wollongong-based biotechnology company creating medical devices to measure and transform the management of lymphoedema, a condition where a build-up of lymph fluid in parts of the body causes swelling.  
  
  
• Christine Higgins is one of Wollongong's most established and respected tech entrepreneurs. As co-founder of client work management software company Accelo, she has seen the tech startup scale from a team of four to 100+ staff worldwide culminating in a successful exit earlier this year.  
  
  
• Susan Zhang has rapidly scaled the heights of the global technology sector, established herself as a serial entrepreneur and innovator, and forged strong China-Australia links to advance business and cross-cultural relations – all in the space of just 10 years. From senior creative roles at Google, TikTok, Amazon, Canva and now at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Susan's sharp business acumen and entrepreneurial leadership has established her as a valued mentor for young techpreneurs around the world. 

ABOUT THE EVENT

What: Entrepreneurial Women’s Breakfast: Leaders in Tech

When: 7.30am to 9am, Thursday 9 May

Where: Breakout Space, iAccelerate, Innovation Campus, Squires Way, North Wollongong

For tickets, visit: https://www.uow.edu.au/events/2024/entrepreneurial-womens-breakfast-leaders-in-tech.php