Business Leadership
Dedication for Inclusive Growth: Why I’m Mentoring Women In Tech Startups
Women need more support and inclusivity to empower growth and innovation in Finland’s technology industry. I explain why I decided to work as a Startup Mentor and empower women in the tech industry.
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In 2024, I got accepted into a new role as a Startup Mentor at Tech Nordic Advocates. I’m helping female and non-binary entrepreneurs through the “Finland as Female Tech Founder Frontrunner” program. Together, we empower women to establish their businesses and become the next leaders in the tech industry.
It's never easy for women to succeed in our industry, and face the challenges that come with it. That’s why I choose to offer a helping hand. Everyone and every woman deserves the opportunity to succeed. Our community needs to become better. It must be more supportive and inclusive, where women can unleash their dreams.
TECH NORDIC ADVOCATES is Northern Europe’s largest — and only pan-Nordic/Baltic (non-profit) — tech startup/scaleup ecosystem and women-in-tech community with offices in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, and Helsinki.
My job has always been to help others — to help teams, support people in growing, and challenge the current for the greater good. And it’s not only the companies I work for. I also regularly do a lot of public speaking to share what I’ve learned from the industry. And now I wanted to try something for the new community!
Finland, The World’s Most Technologically Advanced Country
Finland is a small country, but its technology industry is huge. Today, we have only 5.6 million people. But I don’t want us to be only a sidekick in the industry. After all, we’ve been reported to be the world’s most technologically advanced country.
When someone mentions Finland, what comes first to your mind? For some, it’s the thousands of lakes, the world’s cleanest air, Santa Claus, saunas, or Mika “The Flying Finn” Häkkinen. But that’s not all!
There are countless technological success stories from Nokia phones to Rovio and Angry Birds, ŌURA and health rings, Supercell and Clash of Clans, Linux, Wolt, Genelec — the world leader in studio monitors, Kone or Remedy with Alan Wake.
Here is a great story from a fellow Finn titled How Ōura Got the Fitness Geeks and Insomniacs Around Its Little Finger.
But how did we do that compared to the other countries with much larger resources and populations? This will be revealed later.*
Being the underdog by size creates a need to survive! In Finland, this characteristic is called sisu, which is found only in us Finns. It translates to stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience, and hardiness.
Regardless, how did we do this? I believe it’s the trait of being described as quiet, not talking to strangers, and not bragging about their achievements. That ties us together as a nation. There’s no one else to lean to. But we’re pretty open-minded, warm, and sincere people. You need to get to know us first.
We do share and learn from others. We have active gatherings. To mention a few: Meetup-scene, an annual startup and tech event called Slush, and an outstanding hacker/security event, Disobey.
Talent Hiding in Plain Sight
A great way to accelerate learning is to share it. The knowledge given out and shared multiplies when used and returned to us. Smart City Index by Forbes states that Helsinki is one of the world’s most advanced cities in technology (2023). Finland is also the happiest country in the world for the 7th time (2024).
Still, our country lacks professionals. The thing hiding in plain sight has enormous potential right here. And I mean women working in technology!
After doing some research, I found it! According to Finland in the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), which monitors European countries’ performance in digitization, only 24% of ICT professionals in Finland are female (2022).
We’ve got a problem.
According to the Women in Digital Scoreboard 2021, “Only 19% of ICT specialists and about one-third of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduates are female. There is no progress, as these figures have been stable over the last few years. The Digital Compass has set the target that the EU should have 20 million employed ICT specialists, with convergence between women and men, by 2030.”
Reasons Why I’m Devoting My Time to Mentoring
I’ve always done it. Already in secondary school, I mentored new students. Then, I worked as a junior group leader in several camps and as a group leader in the Finnish army.
I’ve coached dozens of younger developers to become better than me. I organized the Finnish national competition in Clash of Clans for six years. Lately, I’ve been more active in arranging the DevOps Finland Meetup group once a month. I’ve also been selected for the AWS Community Builder program, where I help others in their career with the public cloud.
The only thing I can say is that I do this willingly and with pleasure.
Giving You Back More Than You Think
Sharing is good for you. Scientists have also proven this. People feel better to give than to receive. But why aren’t we all mentors and give our time? Why don’t we all donate to charity? I suspect that it’s a matter of how your brain rewards you in a response and how it makes you feel.
As Jim Rohn say, “Giving is better than receiving because giving starts the receiving process.” The mentoring process made me feel fantastic.
Of all the things I’ve listed above, mentoring has the most comprehensive long-term impact. It allows me to give back to the community. After all, Finland has offered me a free education system.
Hegesco says, “Finland is renowned for having one of the best educational systems in the world, with a focus on providing equal opportunities for all students. Education in Finland is free at all levels, from pre-primary to university, and is based on the principle of equal access for all.
You can’t beat the world’s best education system at any price since it’s free for everyone!
The Reason(s) We Need To Mentor Women
I was once asked why I’m not hiring women. Since I remember the question so clearly, this touched the subject. The answer is simple: Our male-dominant industry lacks female and non-binary talent.
The truth is that of all the women applicants, I’ve hired a significant portion of them whom I’ve interviewed. I feel it’s because they felt more motivated and skilled early in their careers. They have the needed curiosity.
It’s mentally challenging to access the male-dominant industry. Our industry is designed by men, for men. All the existing networks of people you work with are from that pool. Anyone trying to make it in the industry outside this pool wants to succeed!
Diversity is actually good for your business.
Creating the Possibilities
One of my functions is recruiting. Finland lacks software developers. When I worked for Finnair, six of my sequential hires were from different nationalities. It was not planned, but it is a funny fact.
By coaching women in technology, we can create more jobs in women-led companies. But that’s not enough. We also need to encourage younger generations to choose to study ICT. As a seasoned professional, I feel I have more to give the former, and my devoted time goes a better use.
But the point is that the change needs to happen at all levels. We must have determined actions to change it and make technology great!
Mentoring Programs of Tech Nordic Advocates
To join Tech Nordic Advocates, I had to apply and get selected! It feels so good. I appreciate that they are keeping certain standards for mentors. That’s the best match for both mentors' and mentees' time and value.
Before joining, I carefully evaluated and weighed whether I could do it. I have a life outside my job, hobbies, friends, and family—things that keep me going and my foot on the ground.
I was giving a speech about quality and metrics at an event, and one of Tech Nordic Advocates’ employees was in the audience. After the speech, she approached me and asked if I would give that same talk to their mentees.
I’ve worked in large companies my whole career with systems that generate millions yearly. What I was asked to do was different, and it captivated me. This eventually led to me being one of their mentors.
At first, I felt uncertain if I would be enough. This is weird since mentoring is the most normal thing in the IT industry. I’ve always done it, and I encourage others to do it more. No one is born to be a great mentor. That’s a skill that needs to be learned.
The best thing I can offer as a mentor is to save the mentee’s time. I have experience they don’t, and it’s different. Diverse skills that complement the entire team are essential. I’m also providing access to my network of people for advice if needed.
Remember that the best mentors are the hardest to find. Tech Nordic Advocates does a fantastic job of pairing the needs.
Why Mentoring Programs Are Needed
Only 11% of the board seats of startup and growth companies are held by women (2019–2021), which is no surprise. Of all Nordic startups receiving funding, female-led companies have a minority share, with only 1.3% (2019).
According to The Funding Report by Unconventional Ventures, all female-led startups were able to raise funding by 2.5%. The same report states that teams with all women or mixed genders are more than twice as likely to run impact-driven companies. For them, the share is 17%, while for all-men-composed teams, it is only 8.4%.
According to The Funding Report, “An impact company (IC) is a business that, at its core, generates positive social or environmental impact that can be linked to one of the sustainable development goals (SDG).”
Innovation emerges from a diversity of perspectives. Can you see the problem we’re solving and the potential?
Am I Doing Enough?
Here is what I do.
- I’m writing this blog to learn what I write. I’m more than happy if my articles make others think further or learn something.
- I also do public speaking to improve our industry for everyone. Furthermore, I never talk about what I’ve achieved but about how I think about things. By speaking, I get better at it, reach larger audiences, and hopefully make a better impact.
- I want to coach people to make their paths easier. Teaching helps me widen my thinking and mindset.
I’m not making any money by helping others. But that doesn’t mean I’m not on the positive side of the story. It gives me joy, so I want to do more and encourage others to do so.
Conclusions and Takeaways
I know that mentoring is one of the best tools for growth. I’ve experienced it, and it benefits both mentors and mentees.
Learning is a lifelong process, and mentoring is one of the best leadership skills we can use to close the gender gap in our industry.
The most crucial thing in mentoring is to suggest and give advice, never about instructing. Mentees need to make their own decisions. That’s the only way to learn.
I read that people who have acted as mentors are six times more likely to get promoted and feel enhanced meaningfulness. They are also 25% more likely to receive a pay rise.
Let’s say one more time: mentoring is not about the money. It is empowerment of disadvantaged people who can contribute to society genuinely.
All my work outside working hours has made me a better worker. I’ve had unique opportunities to meet people outside my typical business network, including people from different generations and backgrounds.
The teams we work with are being hired by the people we work with. Supporting women in IT encourages diversity, innovation, and economic empowerment.
It creates more inclusive, innovative, and productive workplaces. By this, we can address gender disparity and expand the talent pool globally.
The right question is: Are we doing enough?
