Sep 23, 2016

Girls in Tech Launches in Australia

Nonprofit organization Girls in Tech has officially launched its first chapter in Australia. 

The organization was founded in 2007 by a woman named Adriana Gascoigne. When she looked around the office of her start-up company, Gascoigne realized she was the only woman in a group of nearly 50 employees. That was when she decided to do something about it and started Girls in Tech. Now, the organization is in the Land Down Under. 

Girls in Tech seeks to mentor, empower, and educate women in the tech industry. The organization has more than 50,000 members in 60 cities around the globe. 

"I think this is a great place, and I think technology is going to thrive here," Gascoigne said about the new Australian chapter of her nonprofit. 

Gascoigne told ABC News that Australia had three things that are very important in the tech world: access to capital, diversity, and great institutions.

The first Girls in Tech chapter was launched in Melbourne at The Kelvin Club (once a men-only venue).  

Startup Smart reported that major partner REA Group helped the launch of the new Australian chapter. 

Those in attendance were addressed by Victoria’s minister for innovation Philip Dalidakis.

Gascoigne said the most immediate goal for her new chapter is to increase the membership base and drive up awareness of events that it'll host. 

In the immediate future, the new Girls in Tech chapter plans to host more events like coding bootcamps, pitching competitions, and even hackathons.