Melinda Gates launches Gender Equality in Tech initiative

Pivotal Ventures owned by Melinda Gates announced that it will uphold the development of inclusive tech hubs across the U.S. with a USD $50 million investment through Gender Equality in Tech (GET) Cities initiative. ‘By building pathways for women in key industries, such as technology and entrepreneurship, together we can accelerate women’s power and influence and create greater innovation and economic opportunity for more people. We designed GET Cities to be an innovative approach that brings city-based stakeholders together to collaborate on a replicable model and accelerate the pace of change for women in tech nationally,’ said Pivotal Ventures director of program strategy and Investment Renee Wittemyer. The initiative aims at a) building pathways into tech through supporting the engagement of more women in tech education and industry, b) aligning local tech and entrepreneurial ecosystems to increase women’s leadership and representation, and c) espousing short- and long-term change by bringing together the supply (academic, startups) and demand side (industry, venture investment) to ensure women engagement in the field.