Women in Tech Sweden Is More Necessary Than Ever

Hosted by Christian von Essen and launched in early 2018, Heja Framtiden has grown into a podcast and platform for questions about the future, where futurists, entrepreneurs, visionaries, and sustainability experts meet Christian von Essen. Since its start, Christian  has interviewed nearly 600 guests, and the podcast has spawned books, magazines, lectures, and various collaborations. Notable guests have included Mathias Sundin, former MP and member of Sweden’s AI Commission; Claudia Olsson, a global tech and policy strategist with ties to the World Economic Forum and Singularity University; and Sara Wimmercranz, one of Sweden’s most prominent tech entrepreneurs and investors.

In episode 645, Elin sat down with Christian at Epicenter in Stockholm to talk about why Women in Tech Sweden remains as relevant as eve, and what’s coming up at this year’s annual conference.

Women in Tech Sweden started as a collaboration between companies like Spotify, MTGx, and Google Sweden, with a first event on International Women’s Day in 2014. The mission: to bring more women into the tech industry and build a larger collective talent pool, rather than compete over the same small one. Today, the organization has grown into a nonprofit with a community of over 32,000 members across all genders, working through three pillars: networks, role models, and inspiration.

Is it still needed? Elin’s answer is clear. Women still make up fewer than 30% of the workforce in the Swedish IT and telecom sector, and the share drops further in the most technical roles. And for those already in the industry, culture remains a key reason they consider leaving; feeling overlooked, underpaid, or held back.

“If we want to attract and retain talent, we have to build cultures where diversity is actually an advantage,” Elin explained. “That starts with trust.”

The flagship conference takes place on 22 April at Waterfront Congress Center in Stockholm. Nearly 3,000 attendees will gather under the theme Riding the Tides of Tech — Turning Pressure into Momentum, with speakers ranging from AI researchers and quantum experts to Sweden’s Minister for Gender Equality and EU parliamentarian Arba Kokalari. First-time speakers from the community will take the stage alongside seasoned experts, and the entire event streams live at womenintech.se from 8 AM.