A task force to increase the number of women founding, funding and working in technology businesses has been launched in South Yorkshire, after research published this month found women make up 18 per cent of the region’s tech workforce, against 26 per cent nationally.
The Women in Tech and Investment Taskforce has been set up by TechSY, the programme within South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority responsible for growing the county’s tech and digital economy, after research by TechSY found the region was lagging behind the rest of the UK on female participation in the sector.
The same research found women receive just 10 per cent of investment. TechSY puts the value of South Yorkshire’s tech ecosystem at £3.7bn, four times its size in 2019.
The task force will focus on four priorities: increasing the number of women starting and scaling up tech firms; encouraging more women to invest in start-ups; supporting women already working in the sector to move into leadership roles; and inspiring more girls and young women to pursue careers in technology.
Its chair, Helen Milner OBE, said discussions about women in technology had too often focused on the problem rather than finding solutions.
“By bringing together employers, educators, investors and founders, we have an opportunity to ensure more women can build successful careers and businesses in technology,” she said.
Christina Vaughan, who started her first business in the digital sector more than 20 years ago, said she found there were still “too few women” in the industry when she launched her most recent venture, based in Sheffield.
She said: “I felt very much on my own 25 years ago, if we can even move the dial a little bit, that would be a good thing.”
The government’s Investing in Women Code annual report found that increasing investment into female and ethnic minority-led businesses could increase the UK’s stake in the tech market by around 13 per cent. It concluded that tech businesswomen generally doubled any economic investment they received.
The South Yorkshire launch follows moves at national level, where the Invest in Women Taskforce has secured more than £250m from financial institutions to back female entrepreneurs, and comes amid wider evidence that backing female founders outperforms the market. Neighbouring West Yorkshire has launched its own regional tech body as it bids to grow the sector.
Tracey Johnson, programme director for TechSY and the figure behind the project, said backing more women into business was good for growth.
“This isn’t simply a diversity issue; it’s an economic opportunity and one we must address. If South Yorkshire is serious about becoming one of the UK’s leading technology regions, we need to ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate and succeed,” she said.
The task force is funded by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, the British Business Bank and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology via Barnsley Council’s Tech Town programme.
