Portugal has always been famous for its sunny days, beautiful beaches and very welcoming people. However, that’s not all there’s to know about Portugal. It’s an exciting place to be right now if you’re into technology, startups and entrepreneurship, meaning, if you’re a Geekette (or a geek). Many people have called it the “new Berlin”. And just like Berlin and most of the cities in the world, the lack of gender diversity in tech and entrepreneurship also affects the Portuguese cities. But Portugal Geekettes are here to change this!
As spring arrived, a breath of fresh air blew over the Portugal Geekettes! And it was exactly what we needed to jumpstart our path in changing the startup scene!
We are thrilled to present the two new ambassadors, Ana Vieira and Sara Ramos, who have joined Ana Sofia on this journey. With these new additions, our community will be represented on the 3 biggest cities in Portugal: Lisbon, Coimbra and Porto.
Ana (on the right) is from Porto, but she is living in Lisbon, working on the wine and tourism businesses. She has a degree in Journalism and a masters in Communication Technologies. Sara (on the left) is from Coimbra, but she lives in Porto, where she is in charge of Digital Marketing for an events company and a tourism startup and working on other projects as a freelancer. Ana Sofia (in the middle) is from Porto, but Coimbra is her home. Her background is Management and Industrial Engineering, but since she participated in a Startup Weekend, she has been organizing events and working on social media.
In case you’re wondering how these 3 girls, living in 3 different cities, got to know each other, the answer is: Rails Girls! Like the amazing Geekettes founders, Ana and Sara attended different Rails Girls events, where they met Ana Sofia, the organizer. Putting this team together was then an easy task.
But how are we going to shift the tech scenario? “More than pushing women into the leader boards, we want to empower them, give them the knowledge they need, help them develop new skills and support them with a network of great people. It’s about excellence and skills, not gender.”, Ana Sofia explains.
The first step is to acknowledge each one’s true nature and accept it. Society has stereotyped women in such a way that they almost can’t be themselves, specially if they are into building their startup or technology. Sara says, “We need to make sure every woman feels comfortable to geek out as much as she wants to. We want them to start here, and never stop.”
When women know who they are and what they want, they just need to pursue that. And just like Ana says, “Knowledge and strength comes from overcoming the things we once thought we couldn't, but with the right support many women may be able to follow their dreams”. Hopefully, we will see more of this happen in the future.
So, let’s roll up our sleeves and change the world together!
We’re planning several events and the creation of other important resources to inspire, motivate and help the Portuguese Geekettes. Stay tuned, we are going to blow your mind (in a geeky kind of way)!
All the best,
Ana Sofia, Ana and Sara
Ps: If you’d like to join the Geekettes community, all you have to do is fill out this form and you’ll have access to private discussion groups, perks and early event announcements. We’re looking forward to meeting you!
