EVENT: Making the Most of Mentoring Workshop

GGS Announce:

Event: Making the Most of Mentoring Workshop
Date: Saturday 4 June 2016
Time: 10:30 – 12:30 (30mins set-up time, 1.5hrs workshop)
Venue: University of Edinburgh, School of Informatics, 10 Crichton street, Room: G07 (TBC)
Cost: FREE to register
Who: Open to participants of any gender who are 18 years or over, who work in or wants to work in the technology sector

SIGN UP FOR THIS EVENT ON EVENTBRITE HERE: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/making-the-most-of-mentoring-workshop-tickets-25037020402

 

Our FREE Making The Most of Mentoring Workshop is suitable for people at every stage of their career in the technology sector.

So, whether you are a student seeking your first job, in a junior position, or at mid-level thinking about your next career move, this workshop will help you flourish.

There are a wide range of jobs in the technology sector, and this workshop is designed to be role agnostic. It is open to anyone who works in, or wants to work in the technology sector provided they are 18 years old or above.

This event will explore unconscious bias, and practical strategies for making the most of a mentor – whether you have one yet or not.

Thanks to the support of some of the best recruitment agencies in Scoltand, we are able to offer a matching service to put you in touch with someone in your line of work, who can help you plan for the road ahead. If you don’t yet have a mentor, come along and join our mentoring programme.

The Workshop is open to participants of any gender, and you do not need to be a member of Girl Geek Scotland to attend. This Workshop is open to anyone who would like to attend. You will be working in groups of 3-4 people.

Girl Geek Scotland, together with our parent organisations Edinburgh Napier University and Bright Red Triangle, are working with a number of high profile companies to develop the mentoring scheme further.

 

Requirements:

  • Participants must be 18 years or older
  • Laptops required – please bring your own equipment with you

 

The workshop is part of the ScotlandJS International Conference.

 

Code of Conduct:

As part of the ScotlandJS International Conference we ask all delegates to abide by the Code Of Conduct: http://scotlandjs.com/codeofconduct/. ScotlandJS is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion.

 

Girl Geek Scotland:

Girl Geek Scotland

Girl Geek Scotland (GGS) is a network for women working with Creativity, Computing and Enterprise in Scotland. GGS aims to develop a network of women, who are able to support each other at entry-level and throughout their careers, working at the intersection between these areas.

 

Partners, Sponsors & Suppliers:

Scotland JS

ScotlandJS is the beating heart of the JavaScript community within Scotland and is now in its fifth year. Events attract both local and international speakers and attendees with a very unique, welcoming and diverse feel.

Enigma

Enigma People Solutions are a multi award winning recruitment consultancy, specialising in contract and permanent vacancies across: Digital Media, Software Development, Electronics, Technology Sales & Marketing, Technology Support, We offer a professional, flexible, and honest consultancy service to businesses across Scotland, The UK, and internationally.

Cathcart Associates

Cathcart Associates was founded by a team of the country’s most successful recruiters, with a desire to show that good recruitment consultancy should provide a service which is simple, professional and effective. Their approach demonstrates that recruiting technical talent can be simple, seamless and enjoyable, and provides a service which adds value at every stage of the recruitment process. They are an agile and independent organisation with no parent group and are able to offer a more cost-effective solution, allowing investment more freely into their database and advertising reach.

Spring Personnel

Spring Personnel specialise in all aspects of office based and industrial recruitment. Their expertise lies in the provision of flexible staffing programmes, developed to ensure that clients receive a comprehensive staffing service. Their consultative approach is designed to ensure that each client experiences a service that is relevant to their recruitment strategy and organisation. From one-off assignments to totally managed recruitment programmes Spring Personnel has the expertise and resources to deliver a full range of recruitment services, addressing the entire recruitment cycle.

Inclusiq

The InclusIQ Institute develops serious educational games on unconscious bias and inclusive leadership, which have been popular with clients such as the Law Society of Scotland, Equate Scotland and the University of Edinburgh Business School.

Administrate

Administrate are a dedicated team that are passionate about making lives better through software. They spend most of their day talking to, developing for, and thinking about training providers (their customers) and their students. Their software helps training companies and training departments manage their entire business. Their integrated online system includes three products that focus on making training administration easier, helping deliver outstanding e-learning, and assisting in keeping websites up-to-date.

InformaticsVentures

Informatics Ventures supports globally ambitious technology companies headquartered in Scotland. Through practitioner-led entrepreneurship education and community networking, they prepare and equip Scotland’s technology entrepreneurs to scale up internationally. Engage Invest Exploit (EIE), their flagship technology investor showcase, connects Scotland’s most exciting and innovative young companies with investors from all over the world and prepares them for the process of securing investment. There is no bigger platform for Scottish businesses than EIE.

sicsa-logo

SICSA The Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA) is a Scottish Funding Council Research Pool, comprising 14 of Scotland’s Universities. Our goal is to develop Scotland’s research excellence in Informatics and Computing Science (ICS) by supporting and facilitating collaboration among our members.

Edinburgh Napier University

Now home to over 18,000 students from over 100 countries, we first welcomed 800 students as Napier Technical College in 1964. However our story goes back to the time of John Napier, the brilliant sixteenth century mathematician and philosopher from whom we take our name. When you come to Edinburgh Napier University, you’ll study at one of our six specialist schools. Each of our schools is an impressive institution in its own right, with world-class facilities, academics, researchers and international links.

Bright Red Triangle

Bright Red Triangle (BRT) offers a comprehensive set of professional/personal development activities for students and graduates in partnership with key stakeholders within and beyond Edinburgh Napier. Our focus is on improving the enterprise skills and employability of our students and graduates while instilling them with an entrepreneurial mindset. We offer business incubation services, paid consultancy experience as well as design thinking and design your future courses to our current and past students.

Posted in Events, News by

ARTICLE: Women To Watch In Technology

By Morna Simpson, May 2016:

View article here via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/women-watch-technology-morna-simpson

Engage Invest Exploit 2016

This article showcases a few of the brightest new talents and rising stars in the technology sector in Scotland, who will be pitching at EIE 2016. Informatic Ventures, flagship annual technology investor showcase, Engage Invest Exploit (EIE), connects up to 60 Scottish technology based life sciences, ICT and energy companies with over 200 international investors and has become the largest event of its kind in the UK.

Girl Geek Scotland would like to thank Nano-Lit Technologies Ltd. who have sponsored this article. Please show your support by entering Nano-Lit’s “Selfie & Sunglasses Competition”, and give your self the chance of winning some gorgeous Vira Sun Sunglasses at the same time. Competition details are at the foot of this article.

A big thanks also goes out to all the girls for scheduling in an interview in the hectic run up to the event. They are: Sarah Morgan Founder and CEO of Nano-Lit Technologies Ltd. the next generation in lighting solutions; Suzanne Mitsche CEO of Mindmate, apps to support people suffering from dementia; Sabrina Malpede CEO of Act Blade, lightweight efficient blades to support the energy industry; Rebecca Pick CEO of Pick Protection Ltd., innovative lone worker protection; Kirsty Mitchell CEO & Founder Digital Connextions Ltd.; Jossie Ellis CEO of Levima Ltd., simplifying expense management; Pippa Gardner CEO & Co-founder of Urban Tide, Smart Cities Data Experts; and Leah Hutcheon, CEO of Appointedd, online booking and business management software for SMEs.

Sarah Morgan,

Nano-Lit Technologies, nano-lit.com

Everything on earth exists, because of the sun. Sunlight creates life. Yet, electric light has a long way to go, before we can mimic natural, life-giving light.

Nano-Lit is an industrial design led company developing lighting solutions with quantum dots, a nano-technology that enhances the qualities of electric lighting, so that we can have increased control.

At Nano-Lit we want to solve the psychological and physiological impact of light starved environments on humans, while improving energy efficiency and lowering carbon output. We are working with lighting manufacturers to develop Human Centric Lighting applications that retrofit into existing LED fixtures, and control light output so that it optimises users well-being. Our lighting solutions improve the longevity of LEDs, and with enhanced IoT technologies, this leads to a reduction in energy consumption, in some instances up to 70% (research carried out by Osram).

People love the idea of our product, because we all know how much better we feel when the sun is shining… and we all want to help create greener solutions and a healthy planet for the next generation.

You may not have heard of us because we are patent pending, and in the final stages of a SMART grant proof of concept. That hasn’t stopped us from racking up a number of very high profile clients over the past 4 years, who are collaborating with us on our product development. I can’t reveal our clients, but I can tell you that thy are billion dollar companies and that we expect to launch products in the high-end automotive industry as well as confirm global distribution for indoor solutions in the near future.

We are aiming to raise £650K at EIE 2016 to make a manufacturer’s sample, accelerate our route to market, and to map human performance against our IoT light output.

Changing the world starts with changing your immediate environment.

Find out more and make an appointment to see us at EIEmichael@nano-lit.com 

Susanne Mitschke,

MindMate, mindmate-app.com

MindMate is the fastest-growing platform for people with dementia, their carers and family members. For them, we currently provide three different apps, as we appreciate that every group has their own needs and requirements on an app.

People love our product, because a) we provide them with a holistic platform, and b) because we don’t stigmatise people who live with dementia. We believe that you can and should live fully with dementia and should not worry about common misconceptions.

For MindMate, dementia is just the beginning. We are already seeing that independent living is for many people 65+ a big issues. Our vision is to become the market leader for grey tech in general, with different sub-categories and special services for people with a (long-term) condition, such as dementia, or stroke.

We started with MindMate just one year ago. The journey has been terrific. We progressed tremendously fast, which was also the result of participating in the ignite100 accelertor. At ignite, they forced us to launch MindMate as an MVP, which was the best thing we could do. We now have more than 20,000 monthly active users who help us with their feedback to create the best Alzheimer’s platform on the market. Technology changes very fast. To keep on top of the game, MindMate will even change in 6-12 months dramatically. We are currently building significant relationships around our platform to grant our customers the best user experience on the market.

MindMate will raise a substantial seed-round end of this year/beginning of next year. Raising our pre-seed round showed me already that taking on investment is all about building and leveraging relationships early. Fundraising is a full-time job and distracts from running the business. EIE will help us to move quicker on this front line.

Contact: susanne@mindmate-app.com

Sabrina Malpede, 

ACT Blade: actblade.com

Wind energy will soon become subsidy-free. To remain competitive, the cost of wind energy must drop! The most powerful way to reduce that cost is to increase energy production by developing larger rotors. The result is that all manufacturers of equipment in this industry are on a mission to develop longer blades.

But with the current technology, this is difficult and very expensive: blades are becoming very heavy, they are very difficult and expensive to transport and the total time to market increases.

ACT Blade is the lightest and most controllable wind turbine blade, using carbon fibre reinforced structures and textile.

Having won an Energy Catalyst award from InnovateUK in 2015, and in collaboration with the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult and DNV-GL, we have demonstratated that our blade is up to 50% lighter and 30% stronger than a conventional blade. By enabling longer blades, ACT Blade can increase energy production by 10%, reduce the cost of energy by 9% and reduce the OEMs CapEx by 90%.

For the last 12 years, our team has developed and commercialised innovative design solutions, which are now the standard in the Marine Industry. ACT was created using the same technology and know-how we used to develop the fastest boat in the world, the America’s Cup boat.

Over the next three years, our team will design, test and certify a full scale ACT Blade. Commercialization will start in 2019 and by 2023, we aim to gain a market share worth £140m. We are seeking both a financial investment and an industry player interested in supporting our developments.

We hope EIE will help us to find supporters of our ambitious plan. We will deliver the next generation of blades and directly support the development of the wind energy industry, as the sectors takes the final steps to generating subsidy-free and compiting versus fossil fuel.

Contact: s.malpede@actblade.com 

Rebecca Pick, 

Pick Protection, pickprotection.com

There are over 6 million lone workers in the UK (like estate agents, cleaners, taxi drivers and many more) and currently only 5% of these lone workers are given any form of protection. This is a legal requirement, and the legislation is becoming increasingly stringent. Pick Protection can help companies to protect their lone and at risk workers.

Pick Protections first product the Personal Guardian is a wearable lone worker alarm. It is a first for the lone working industry, it is a unique combination of alarm hardware and smartphone software. This has allowed us to create the smallest, lightest and most cost effective lone working alarm on the market with an industry leading 12 month battery life.

The Personal Guardian also acts as a personal attack alarm and will be the first monitored alarm on the market, in other words, the only personal alarm that can summon a Police response. The vision is to bring more innovative security solutions to market and become the market leader.

Pick Protection’s key achievements are raising the seed funding we needed to fully develop the Personal Guardian, we’ve had a lot of media coverage (we were featured on Sky News, in the Guardian, the Times and many more) and finally we were the first undergraduate business to ever win a Converge Challenge Award and we won the Santander Universities competition, for Best Undergraduate Business in the UK.

In three years time I see myself driving the international expansion of Pick Protection. At that point I believe we will have launched a second product and raised a series A investment giving us a platform to further expand the business.

Pick Protection is asking for £350,000 firstly to increase our team and drive sales but also to begin development of a second product. We are also asking for contacts in companies with lone workers. Both of these asks will help to grow the business and we believe EIE is a fantastic platform to tell people all about what we are working on!

Contact: rebecca.pick@pickprotection.com  

Kirsty Mitchell,

Digital Connextions Ltd., digitalconnextions.com

Our data analytics platform called Hiryzr, helps young people identify valuable skills and strengths that they often don’t know or think they have. It’s dynamic data visualisation tools quickly discover and close skill gaps to reveal available and relevant career and educational opportunities.

Hiryzr is mobile responsive, it’s perfect for young people who run their lives on smartphones and mobile devices. Our unique anonymous peer rating system encourages young people to feel valued and gives them the confidence to recognise their full potential. It provides a step up onto the employment ladder by making excellent available and accessible job matches.

We will change the world by helping the 1 million young people here in the UK and the 70 million young people globally who aren’t in education, employment or training, find relevant and desirable education and career opportunities. In doing so we will help employers throughout the world find a skilled workforce faster.

We have paying customers, thousands of end users and our first 3 year license agreement with Scotland’s National Skills Agency, Skills Development Scotland. In three years we will have scaled the company significantly, opened a second office in the US, further developed the platforms commercial analytical capabilities and closed a deal with a major UK provider to use our platform, as far afield as Singapore to Chile.

Investment resulting from EIE will enable first mover advantage, rapid expansion, by securing multiple pre- contract agreements. Importantly it will change the lives of thousands of young people globally by closing the skills gap.

For more information please contact Kirsty onkirsty.mitchell@digitalconnextions.com  

Jossie Ellis,

Levima, Levima.com

Levima simplifies expense management for businesses making spend predictable, visible and insightful. We cut out reconciliation, manual data entry and reimbursement focusing instead on upfront budget approval – this allows businesses to let their people spend autonomously and with trust but, without losing overall control.

Our vision is to redefine what the business banking sector should be like – with mobile, service driven fintech solutions at it’s heart which delight and truly add value to businesses based on advanced data analytics.

Expense management is just the start of that journey. So far we have a secured grant funding through SMART:SCOTLAND to support our technical development and have early users piloting the product. We have businesses lined up who want to test Levima and are in discussion with channel partners to go to market.

In 3 years our goal is for Levima to be the go to cloud solution for business expense management. Our solution will seamlessly connect end-to-end with all aspects of a companies management tools from sales prospecting through to payroll. This will mean that businesses, whatever their size, can efficiently manage day to day financial operations and also get valuable insight into true cost and value of their spend across the board to help them make better business decisions and plan for success.

I am at the beginning of my startup journey with the team. Having worked with large corporates I am excited to be working in a startup with so many passionate and driven people who love what they do and have the opportunity to directly impact the success of a business. Finding the right investor partner to join our team revolutionising business banking is key. We’re raising £150k seed to support development in tandem with our Beta pilot and expand the team ahead of market launch to develop go-to-market relationships & sales channels.

For investment opportunities or to join the pilot with your business, email jossie@levima.com 

Pippa Gardner

UrbanTide: Smart Cities Data Experts, urbantide.com

There is an Urban Tide happening. The world is undergoing the largest wave of urban growth in history as more people choose to live in cities. Over 50% of the world’s population currently live in urban areas and this is forecast to rise to over 70% by 2050.

We are currently developing our core product: the next generation U~SMART data platform to capture, extract, share, integrate, analyse and ultimately open-up city data. As individuals, we all produce data more than ever before – and by 2020 there will be an estimated 50 billion devices connected to the internet world-wide and generating data via the Internet of Things (IoT).

When there is a strategic attitude to valuing and utilisiting this data as an asset in its own right, a flexible and scalable approach to technology and an investment in real engagement with people who live, work and play in cities then magic can start to happen. Urban Tide has world-leading track record in the global smart cities marketplace (estimated at $1.5TN by 2020) and supports cities to accelerate their journey towards being smarter.

The team at Urban Tide is growing, and for me, this is a really exciting time as we work to put in place the robust foundations, principles and procedures that will allow us to develop a strong, open and involved culture from the outset – and scale quickly.

We have many other product concepts in the pipeline and finding the right investors at EIE 2016 will be key. Smart cities is a truly global opportunity and we are hitting the market at the right time as more and more cities, regions and countries across the world adopt a smart approach. Our work with cities and other large urban areas will help build smarter, sustainable and more liveable places for everyone.

To discuss investment opportunities and the bright future of Urban Tide please contact: pippa.gardner@urbantide.com  Twitter@urbantide

Leah Hutcheon,

Appointedd, appointedd.com

Appointedd is a cloud based online booking and business management software. We power independent businesses – hairdressers, car valets, photographers, accountants to take any type of booking, on any platform, in any time zone.

We’ve built the world’s first cross-timezone booking tools, giving us the most flexible and scalable online booking system on the market. This allows global organisations to be bookable on one platform, and cuts down on the constant ‘timezone maths’ that organising a call or meeting across timezones usually takes. It’s so exciting to see the potential of our software to transform thousands of SMEs.

Appointedd is changing the world for small businesses by giving them all the tools they need to succeed, all on one platform. CRM, marketing automation tools, financial reporting and task management, all connected with online booking. Our software has two-way synchronisation with over 30 other SaaS tools and all major calendar systems, so we give business owners everything they need.

I’m so proud of the distribution network we’re building. We’ve just been selected as one of 12 integrated systems in an innovative app platform curated by National Australia Bank. The deal will see Appointedd’s software being offered to 700,000 SMEs across Australia.

The next few years are going to be so exciting for Appointedd. Online booking is booming – consumers are getting more demanding and we want to be able to book everything online. Powered by Appointedd will be the ‘Intel Inside’ – gold standard for online booking.

We have recently closed an investment round so we’re looking forward to connecting with potential customers and distribution partners, as well as building relationships with investors for a round in 2017.

For partnership or investment opportunities, contactleah@appointedd.com  

Competition!! Win Sunglasses!

The ideas are so bright at EIE this year that Nano-lit will be giving away two gorgeous pairs of Vira Sun sunglasses at EIE 2016 and an additional pair drawn at random from the Twitter-sphere on Sunday 29th May 2016. This competition is open to anyone. You don’t need to attend EIE to win!

How to Enter

Follow us on Twitter @QuantumDotsBlog, post your selfie with sunglasses and tweet: Win Sunglasses! Follow @QuantumDotsBlog Nano-Lit & Virasun, Selfie & Sunglasses competition. http://bit.ly/1WaOLUH #EIE16 #womenintech RT

See the full Vira Sun range at virasun.com/shop/

The competition will close at midnight GMT on Sunday 29th of May 2016. The judges decision is final.

Photo Credit: Vira Sun : )

Author: Morna Simpson (Founder of Girl Geek Scotland), is a Digital Product Manager and Business Analyst. Currently working with Nano-Lit and Be-Positive. Tweets @girlgeeks

 

Posted in Articles, News by

Ask Me Anything with MIT’s Bill Aulet – Scotland Can Do SCALE 2016 preview…

An exciting free event being hosted in Glasgow next Thursday with MIT’s Bill Aulet.

The Ask Me Anything session is being hosted to encourage entrepreneurs with scalable businesses to apply to take part in Scotland Can Do SCALE.

The event is being streamed on Periscope, so people unable to attend in person in Glasgow can also register to watch the session online. Tickets (in person and online) are available free here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ask-me-anything-with-mits-bill-aulet-scotland-can-do-scale-2016-preview-event-tickets-24459644455

About Bill Aulet

Bill Aulet is the managing director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship at MIT and a senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Prior to joining MIT, Bill had a 25 year track record of success in business himself. He has directly raised more than $100 million in funding for his companies and more importantly has led to the creation of hundreds of millions of dollars in market value in those companies.

Bill started his career at IBM getting training and experience in technical, marketing, sales, financial, and international business operations and management. Upon graduation, he resigned from IBM and became a serial entrepreneur running two MIT spinouts as the president/chief executive officer (Cambridge Decision Dynamics and then SensAble Technologies). The latter became a two-time Inc. Magazine 500 Fastest-Growing Private Company. With a presence in over 20 countries, SensAble also won more than 24 awards and was featured in Fortune Magazine, BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications for its innovative products and strong business foundation.

Today, in addition to his work at MIT, Bill works with individuals and companies to become more successful through innovation-driven entrepreneurship. From single entrepreneurs trying to launch new ventures all the way up to large multi-billion dollar corporations seeking to achieve their goals through entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, and innovation, the same fundamentals have been successfully applied. He writes as much as possible in places such as Xconomy.com, MIT Sloan Experts, The Boston Globe, the Kauffman Foundation, The Huffington Post and the MIT Entrepreneurship Review.

About Scotland Can Do SCALE

Scottish entrepreneurs with potential to scale-up their businesses are being offered world class training from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard Business School with Scotland Can Do SCALE. The programme has two strands, an introductory online course teaching how to put customers at the heart of a business and a residential summer school. Applicants must complete the online course (four modules each taking around four hours) to qualify to apply to summer school. Everyone taking part will be supported by Scotland’s exceptional entrepreneurial ecosystem to develop and grow their business.

Funded and delivered by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Funding Council, and sitting under the Scotland Can Do government banner, the programme will inspire entrepreneurs to grow scalable businesses. The deadline to complete the online course and qualify to apply for summer school is 29th April. To sign up visit the www.cando.scot/scale website and click sign-up today.

Posted in GGS Friends, News by

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon helps launch GGS and Napier’s new partnership

The First Minister Nicola Sturgeon last night helped us launch our new partnership with Edinburgh Napier University and Bright Red Triangle. Edinburgh Napier University, our new parent organisation, hosted a special invitation only reception at their Craiglockhart Campus in Edinburgh. The following people made rousing, informative and inspiring speeches:

Morna Simpson, Founder of Girl Geek Scotland
Gordon Stuart, Informatic Ventures
Sally Smith, Dean of Computing, Edinburgh Napier University
Andrea Nolan, Principal, Edinburgh Napier University
Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister

Then the guests were led to the foyer where refreshments were served, networking was had, and tables with GGS information topics were laid out prompting discussion, ideas, plans, and support for the following areas:

Technology and Startup Cultures
Thinking Big Requires a Change of Mind
Big Data & The Global Supply Chain
Creating Learning Resources Online & Off
Diversity Workshop with ScotlandJS
Financial Support

GGS have plans, BIG PLANS. We hope you will help us achieve them!

If you are bursting with ideas on a subject that GGS might be interested in, please get in touch via the website or by emailing hello@girlgeekscotland.com

Posted in News by

MEDIA RELEASE: From our new partner Napier University: First Minister meets the Girl Geeks

EDINBURGH NAPIER UNIVERSITY

February 9, 2016

First Minister meets the Girl Geeks

FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon will be guest of honour tonight (February 9) as an organisation for women working in the creative, computing and enterprise industries moves forward into a new era.

Girl Geek Scotland (GGS), formed in 2009, enables women to develop a career-long mutual support network through dinners, fundraisers, business breakfasts, research projects and skills workshops.

Edinburgh Napier University is taking over as parent organisation and partner, and will tonight host an event for 200 guests at its Craiglockhart campus, which will be addressed by Nicola Sturgeon, Girl Geek founder Morna Simpson, the University’s Principal, Professor Andrea Nolan, and Sally Smith, Dean of the School of Computing.

Girl Geek Scotland recognises the need to tackle skills shortages by making technology-based working environments as welcoming as possible and redressing the gender balance in a currently unequal workforce.

Speakers bring their personal life into discussions about business, with functions including a strong focus on work-life balance and women who have been successful in male-dominated environments.

Events are often themed around common challenges facing tech-based start-ups, such as finding investment and growing a product user base.

GGS dinners which have been held in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen have helped build social and career networks, and provided opportunities to learn from leaders in the field. The events have helped establish the Girl Geek brand across the UK and even in America’s Silicon Valley.

In 2016, the network aims to consolidate these connections, especially with London, and to look east to develop new relationships with female leaders in the IT industries of Vietnam and India.

Although GGS is marketed towards women, it also recognises the need to include men because of the support they can offer in working towards a gender-balanced working environment.

Girl Geek founder Morna Simpson said: “We have a reputation for our high quality events, that weave together a community of inspiring women. I’m very excited to launch this ambitious programme in collaboration with like-minded partners.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “A career in digital technology and industries is something women have traditionally been less likely to pursue than their male peers. Organisations like Girl Geek Scotland not only help Scotland in its ambition to create more women entrepreneurs, but they also allow women to discover the opportunities and benefits that a career in technology can bring.

“I admire and support the work of Girl Geek Scotland to help address the gender imbalance within the sector’s workforce, which is a vital part of our own ambition and efforts to develop a world class digital economy in Scotland.”

Edinburgh Napier University currently holds an Athena SWAN bronze award, which recognises its work on gender equality and supporting women’s careers in science, technology and engineering. Individual Schools are now investigating the feasibility of applying for a silver award in the November round of applications.

Sally Smith, Dean of Edinburgh Napier’s School of Computing, said: “Our strengthened relationship with Girl Geek will support our application for the charter. The Girl Geek events are an excellent way to reignite our passion for technology and reclaim the toys from the boys, ensuring that we retain both our female staff and our students.”

Girl Geek Scotland will also be working with Bright Red Triangle, an Edinburgh Napier-based one-stop shop for extra-curricular student enterprise activities which supports links to the community through start-ups, incubator space, consultancy services and social innovation projects.

Professor Andrea Nolan, Principal of Edinburgh Napier University, said: “The University, like the whole of the higher education sector, has a role to play in helping create a world-beating digital ecosystem for Scotland.

“Key to this is ensuring that our businesses draw talent from across the workforce. Inclusivity is one of our core values and as a University we have a great track record in supporting women’s careers, a record which will only be enhanced through our association with Girl Geek Scotland.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

For more information on this press release please contact Media & Communications Officer Jack Mathieson on 0131 455 6251

About Edinburgh Napier University:

Edinburgh Napier has around 18,000 students from more than 115 countries. It is among the best universities in the UK for graduate employability.

For more information about Girl Geek Scotland, visit:

http://www.girlgeekscotland.com/

Posted in Media Releases, News by

Girls into the Digital World

Skills Development Scotland are working with a range of partners to deliver a programme to inspire girls to consider careers in the digital sector.

In March, 36 girls are participating in a three day programme of visits, talks with role models, and “hands on” activities with employers Edinburgh College and Heriot Watt University.

The girls will:

  • Hear about varied and interesting career opportunities in this growth sector
  • Speak to women working in digital and information technology
  • Be encouraged to explore diverse career pathways including Modern Apprenticeship and degree routes

We are looking for volunteers to support these activities by coming along and speaking to girls in a speed networking session on Tuesday 15th March from 2pm in central Edinburgh.

If you are a woman working in the tech industry and you’d like to help, please contact Nicola Swan  nicola.swan@sds.ac.uk

Posted in GGS Friends, News by

ARTICLE: Girls’ Toys: why so pink?

By Belinda Love, Feb 2014

NEW BARBIE ALERT – BEHOLD THE ENTREPRENEUR (MODEL)

Recently, Mattel launched ‘Entrepreneur Barbie’ at the American International Toy Fair in New York.

Clad in a hot Mattel-pink businessy wiggle dress, and accessorising with her essential entrepreneurial tools of a smartphone and tablet, this forms part of Barbie’s “I Can Be” career line launched in 2010 in an effort to show and encourage up-to-date careers for women. The range has also included computer engineer, president, and astronaut.

I’m baffled as to whether I like the idea or not. I think I’m fifty-fifty?

I like the acknowledgment that women can play a significant role in business, and have the same ability as men to spark new, creative and profitable concepts and products. I like the fact there are four ethnicities, and I even like the fact that I, personally have a business frock, smartphone, tablet (er…and handbag and heels etc) – perhaps one of the first times a career-related Barbie I don’t feel I have to work too hard to achieve (such as owning my own riding stables, veteranary surgery, or …rocket ship?).

BARBIE – GO FIGURE

But, good grief I do wish her ankles looked more stable! Like the project this lovely artist worked on to show a more realistic Barbie doll: http://www.demilked.com/barbie-as-standard-woman

BARBIE – DO YOU EVEN NEED TO STUDY?

Apparently our dear Barbie has had over 150 jobs in her time-irrelevant life. I know she’s immortal (and fictional) but is there actually a University course Barbie?

<quickly searches>

Oh…I see: http://www.barbiecollector.com/collection/university-barbie-dolls

 

…well at least she’s not exclusively in PINK I guess. And at least this is some evidence that she spent SOME time in a course of study before embarking on all these career paths.

BLONDES CAN GO TO UNI TOO

While doing my masters at University, one of the assessments on my course of study was to conduct and deliver a market anaylsis on a particular film audience market. I didn’t have an immediate idea as to which market I would analyse, until someone suggested watching the boxset of Legally Blonde I and II. Not, my normal cup-of-tea, but I was assured it was a must-watch from a critical perspective. By the Gods I thought it was awful. Laughable even. In fact I belly-laughed a lot. But in the same way I burst out laughing when I first saw the Spice Girls ‘Wannabe’ video, or Britney Spears’ ‘Oops I did It Again’ video. As I quickly realised that they weren’t in fact jokes or spoofs, they were in fact genuine, and moreover…EXTREMELY popular. A-ha! I had found my market to analyse; and delivered a suitably artistically scathing report; but nevertheless accurate, respectful and admiring of its impressively high numbers and market bouyancy. Just for added irony, I handed it in on PINK paper scented with Coco Chanel. It just gave it that little something…extra (for any Legally Blonde fans out there).

BARBIE – WHAT DOES MATTEL-PINK ACTUALLY SAY TO A GIRL?

We know that Barbie has always had a thing for PINK don’t we? Terrifyingly though when I think of ladies with a rather significant penchant for PINK, I don’t see a whole bunch of difference between exhibit A and exhibit B below:

Or for example this stupid lady (no really…I wasn’t just being mean – she actually WANTS to be stupider): http://metro.co.uk/2014/02/19/barbie-doll-fan-has-hypnotherapy-to-make-her-brainless-like-her-icon-4310750

(Dear Lady, I’m concerned your next moves might be to have your nipples removed, sew up your foo, or even try to have yourself hollowed out.) (By the way, Barbie’s jugs are not that big – by quite a lot).

PINK BASHING

But what, for the love of the whole frigging colour spectrum, is the recent obsession toy manufacturers have with moving more and more products to PINK, just for girls (supposably), – all about? Exhibit C here shows that we have now been allocated OUR OWN bricks (presumably because we were having too much fun with the boys’ ones and they wanted them back?), and Exhibit D shows that even our own gender-conventional toys have been given a PINKover (I’m sure I had a brown pram, and it was fine, and it was made better).


OLD SKOOL

One of my own personal favourite toys (one of the few I had that wasn’t a piece of string or a lump of coal [crofter]) was this epic toy which gave me YEARS of entertainment (and was also really well made):

I ALWAYS wanted some LEGO of my very own, and STAR WARS toys of course. But I had to go visit my male friends to play with theirs – look at this fantastic 80s ad for LEGO (that’s what I’m talking about – that was pretty much me, only wearing MUCH MORE BROWN).

And here she is now: http://www.themarysue.com/girl-in-old-lego-ad

I’ve heard of specific compalints about LEGO recently from parents, and indeed from little ladies themselves: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/31/7-year-old-letter-to-lego_n_4682874.html | http://www.standard.co.uk/comment/lucy-tobin-forget-pink-lego-for-girls–just-let-toys-be-toys-9128078.html

Some folks have taken issue with the number of or portrayal of female characters in the otherwise five star rated “The LEGO Movie”: http://www.hypable.com/2014/02/23/pieces-what-the-lego-movie-taught-me-about-toys-and-equality

And there’s even talk of a smaller pinker girlier version of the movie: http://www.newsbiscuit.com/2014/02/22/slightly-smaller-and-pink-version-of-lego-movie-announced (they’ve actually got a job title called “Head of Marketing and Gender Separation”?)

I BLAME THE…

Some might say it is the resposibility of the parents who purchase the toys. But not all parents are taking this sitting down: http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-toy-companies-our-girls-deserve-better-choices-than-princess

The GoldieBlox toy company has deliberately run with this edge and wants to “show the world that girls deserve more choices than dolls and princesses”:

SHORT TERM GOOD INTENTIONS CLOUDED BY LONG TERM SELLING STRATEGY?

But could this all have started out with the best of intentions? Logically speaking, perhaps the toy companies were trying to widen interest in more unconventional play, career and life interests for girls by tempting them with pink versions?:

Look GIRLS! It’s LEGO! Did you know YOU could build too! And we’ve popped it in a handy large massive PINK brick for you (because we know how you like to be organised and stylish)

Look GIRLS! Just think! You too can be a musician and play outrageous instruments like the DRUMS (see how we’ve made it pink so you know it’s ok?)

Have you seriously thought about the potential of a career in agriculture? Don’t write off farming just yet (look see? And the pig poo wipes off a treat)

Amelia Earhart. Just saying!

Geekdom isn’t just for boy geeks too! (Look how more female friendly Darth and Halo person look now they’re doused in PINK)

Good news Girls! You can also use an offensive weapon! (See how we’ve cleverly doused one in PINK so you know which one you should have?)

IMG_0360

[I have no cheeky caption for this – what the smeg?]

DON’T BE SO HARD ON PINK

Are we being too hard on PINK? Here’s a few REALLY COOL PINK THINGS just to make up for all the pink bashing:

 

LINKS AND SOURCES

 

Articles/ links on PINK toys topic:

The Telegraph: “Now’s the time to end the boys’ and girls’ toys gender divide”

– “In the run up to Christmas now’s the time to drop the damaging “blue for boys, pink for girls” toyshop nonsense and for children’s retailers to join the 21st century argues”. Eleanor Muffitt, Dec 2013: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10498316/Nows-the-time-to-end-the-boys-and-girls-toys-gender-divide.html

Independent: “Gender-neutral toys: Why dressing your daughter in pink ‘damages the future of our economy'”
– “Jenny Willott MP and Labour’s Chi Onwurah explain why limiting children’s play may impact their future career choices and hurt British industry”. Felicity Morse, Feb 2014: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/genderneutral-toys-why-dressing-your-daughter-in-pink-damages-the-future-of-our-economy-9111397.html

MyLifetime.com: “Lego Sets For Girls – Cheap Shot Or Good Idea?”: http://moms.mylifetime.com/parenting/blog/lego-sets-girls-cheap-shot-or-good-idea

Mylifetime.com: “This Goldieblox Video Proves That Girls Want More Than Just Pink Toys”: http://moms.mylifetime.com/in-the-news/this-goldieblox-video-proves-that-girls-want-more-than-just-pink-toys

Msmagazine.com: “Kids Toys More Gendered Than Ever”: http://msmagazine.com/blog/2013/06/05/kids-toys-more-gendered-than-ever

Daily Mail: “Pink Stinks: Parents Urged To Boycott Shops That Sell ‘Sexist’ Toys For Girls”. Sophie Freeman, Dec 2009: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1233779/Parents-urged-boycott-pink-toys-Minister-backs-boycott-shops-sell-sexist-toys-girls.html

Zeldalily.com: “Young Kids Defy Gender’s Color Association”. Nicole Breanne, Jan 2012: http://zeldalily.com/index.php/2012/01/young-feminists

Zeldalily.com: “A Rethink On Pink Toys For Girls’ Christmas Presents In 2010?”. Amy Allen, Dec 2010: http://zeldalily.com/index.php/2010/12/a-rethink-on-pink-toys-for-girls-christmas-presents-in-2010

Mom-101.com: “Toy companies: Please please please stop ignoring what girls really want. (Hint: it’s not always pink.)”: http://mom-101.com/2014/02/toy-companies-ignoring-what-girls-want-pink-aisle.html

Iilsugar.com: “6 Classic Toys That Have Made the Switch to Pink”: Rebecca Gruber, Nov 2013:

http://www.lilsugar.com/Classic-Toys-Available-Pink-Versions-30764256#photo-30764304

 

Articles on Entrepreneur Barbie launch:

Forbes: “Mattel’s Latest Affront To Little Girls: Entrepreneur Barbie”. Clare O’Connor, Feb 2014: http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2014/02/19/mattels-latest-affront-to-little-girls-entrepreneur-barbie

Techcrunch: “Entrepreneurship Barbie Isn’t A Bad Idea Actually”. Alexia Tsotsis, Feb 2014: http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/19/keep-calm-and-love-math

Entrepreneur: “Introducing Entrepreneur Barbie”. Linda Lacina, Feb 2014: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/231590

Time: “New ‘Entrepreneur Barbie’ Proves That the Perfect Work/Life Balance Is Just a Tiny Tablet Away (An entrepreneur of what, exactly?)”. Jessica Roy, Feb 2014: http://newsfeed.time.com/2014/02/18/new-entrepreneur-barbie-proves-that-the-perfect-worklife-balance-is-just-a-tiny-tablet-away/#ixzz2uEUKVpzw

Daily Mail: “New Entrepreneur Barbie featuring a tiny tablet and smartphone aims to be the ‘chief inspiration officer’ to modern girls”: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2562382/New-Entrepreneur-Barbie-featuring-tiny-tablet-smartphone-aims-chief-inspiration-officer-modern-girls.html#ixzz2uEV9AnJ5

Business Insider: “The Newest Barbie Is An Entrepreneur With A Tiny Tablet And Smartphone”. Hayley Peterson, Feb 2014: http://www.businessinsider.com/entrepreneur-barbie-debuts-with-tiny-tablet-2014-2#ixzz2uEW9ryXF

 

Misc:

Allureworkshop.org: “Want to look like Barbie? Think again…”. Aug, 2012: http://allureworkshop.org/wanna-look-like-barbie

Elitedaily.com: “14 Lessons To Learn From Barbie”: http://elitedaily.com/women/14-lessons-to-learn-from-barbie

Themarysue.com: “Mattel Exec Defends Barbie’s Unrealistic Proportions, Says They Don’t Affect Girls’ Body Image”. Rebecca Pahle, Feb 2014: http://www.themarysue.com/mattel-exec-barbie-proportion

Blackdollcollecting.blogspot.co.uk: “Happy 30th Anniversary Black Barbie (or 29th)…”: http://blackdollcollecting.blogspot.co.uk/2009/03/happy-30th-anniversary-black-barbie-or.html

Blackdollcollecting.blogspot.co.uk: “Barbie Basics From Ebony To White”: http://blackdollcollecting.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/barbie-basics-from-ebony-to-white.html

Dailybri.com: “The Naked Truth: Barbie Without Makeup”: http://www.dailybri.com/2013/04/15/the-naked-truth-barbie-without-makeup

Dailybri.com: “What Barbite Looks Like In Fat”: http://www.dailybri.com/2014/01/07/what-barbie-looks-like-in-fat

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