

The first Women in Entrepreneurship gathering of the fall season was the perfect opportunity to bring global talents together and have some insightful discussions. We started the day full of energy with an inspiring talk by Leslie Alfredsson, serial tech entrepreneur and current Marketing Manager at SMILE Business Incubator.
The discussion covered several topics around the impact of female entrepreneurs within the innovation ecosystem. Among some of the questions, we reflected upon why so many females do not identify themselves as entrepreneurs? And what can the startup community do to include them in the conversation? Concluding on the great role that inclusive language and communication play when addressing groups that in some cases are underrepresented.
But what actions can we as individuals take? Some of the answers we got from our participants were: do not be afraid to take the leap and start your own company; take up space and raise your voice to address inclusivity in the business world and ask for support when needed, the supporting organizations within the community are here to support founders.
An interesting subject that Leslie made the audience aware was Master Suppression Technique, a, social manipulation theory popularized by Norwegian social psychologist,#BeritÅs. The theory entails what happens when women are ignored at workplaces. Leslie highlighted that female founders should identify these trends at an early stage and counter them with thoughtful strategies.