Within the Pride Barcelona 2022 event, Multiplica participated in the discussion panel organized by the Cambra LGTBIQ+ and LBTalks, with the collaboration of the Barcelona City Council and Barcelona Activa, in the third Think Plus; the aim of this was to empower and make diversity visible within the world of technology and business.
The panel, moderated by Sonia Casado, included Sofía Padrón, Global Head of Marketing Communications at Multiplica, Ana Zamora, Co-Founder and CEO of Vitaance, and Mónica de Mier, CEO OF Nextmol.
The speakers talked about the challenges of female entrepreneurship, the relevance of professional references, the importance of diversity in teams and the characteristics of communication strategies for startups led by female entrepreneurs.
Female entrepreneurship and industry references
According to the W Startup community’s report on female digital entrepreneurship, 16% of startups are led by women, while only 1% of CTO positions are filled by this gender, highlighting the need for greater equity in order to exploit all of the talent required in the knowledge economy, said Monica Mier, emphasizing the importance of encouraging more and more women to be trained in STEM activities.
“References are the key to change; normalization is achieved by being highly vindictive, making diversity visible, and assisting each individual in any way we can.” Ana Zamora, CEO of Vitaance.
Sofia Padrón commented on the reasons for entrepreneurship that occur primarily in Latin American countries, where, it is true that the decision to start a business is motivated more often by economic necessity or professional fulfillment, due to wage disparities, a lack of growth expectations, and the lack of recognition for women.
Challenges in the face of gender and sexual preference discrimination
The speakers also commented on the lack of financial support when promoting female entrepreneurship, since most of the funds for companies led by women come from their own capital; they pointed out that money has to support diversity so that there can be greater equity.
The availability of capital also to finance women is a primary step to promote and generate a different and inclusive culture in companies.
“The value of a brand increases in the measure of its cultural characteristics, there are values such as empathy and plurality to create a layer of reference both for attracting talent and new investors.” Sofía Padrón, Global Head at Multiplica.
Conclusions
In general terms, emphasized were the existence of the necessary resilience, the importance of having allies, the relevance of a diverse and inclusive company culture in its broadest sense, and promoting the necessary talent to attack from the bottom up.
The panelists agreed in concluding that diversity in entrepreneurship, inclusion in the workplace and the closing of gaps (digital and gender) are undoubtedly aspects that contribute to economic and social progress.