Each month Women in Tech gathers to build community and support amongst women working in, or interested in, the tech industry and tech-related roles.
“It can be intimidating for women to show up to a meetup, so we keep it as casual as possible,” says Gretchen Swanson, Director of Talent at 20Fathoms and Women in Tech’s regular host. “The only agenda is that there’s no agenda!”
Women in Tech was founded in 2020 by two local tech professionals at the time, Courtney Bierschbach and Cotopaxi Lyon, in partnership with 20Fathoms. The goal was to expand networking opportunities, provide support, and discuss shared challenges and experiences. Five years later, the group is still going strong.
Gatherings are often made up of half-new and half-returning women. This dynamic mix ensures that everyone has someone to talk to, new connections are consistently made, and no one needs to feel hesitant breaking into an established group.
Consistency also means that the women have supported one another along their career journeys. Sometimes that has even included working together! That’s what happened for entrepreneurs Sabrina Jordan, founder of 8bit Insights, and Jaime Edmondson, founder of Spellbound Creative Studio.
After connecting at Women in Tech, Sabrina ended up hiring Jaime to build her company’s new website.
“When I met Jaime at Women in Tech and she started talking about how she was looking for clients to get started and was offering a special, I saw her website Spellbound and was so blown away by the quality comparing it to my own,” says Sabrina. “I didn’t feel legitimate with the website I’d built myself; it looked like all the others. Jaime’s process helped me define my business more than I ever thought I would need to. We got so involved in the details and really honed in on what makes 8bit so unique from the competition. That never would have happened if it weren’t for Women in Tech.”
“The relationship that I have with Sabrina is so great; we immediately hit it off at Women in Tech and I knew right away that if she inquired, we were going to work really well together,” Jaime reflects. “Being able to support other people in pursuing their dreams and make their passions a reality; that to me has felt incredible.”
The women who attend Women in Tech come from all different walks of life, including college students, people actively working in tech careers, entrepreneurs, and retired community members. “That variety is what makes the community so strong and gives you so much insight that can help you out,” says Sabrina. “Despite that huge variety, there’s such a strong bond in the women who show up. That’s what makes it so valuable and rewarding.”
Women in Tech gathers on the third Wednesday of the month at 5 pm at Earthen Ales.