Robyn’s Women-Centric Tech Festival Sounds Great

The rather fabulous Swedish singer Robyn has some rather fabulous news. Besides releasing some of the most engaging pop songs of the past decade, she’s decided to empower women interested in a career in technology and will be hosting a one-day festival devoted to the important cause.

Sweden’s leading tech university, the Royal Institute of Technology, is putting on the ritz this April 18^th with Tekla, a whole day of workshops and speakers seeking to improve the gender ratio in a notoriously unbalanced industry. There’s also a performance from the otherworldly singer scheduled in for the day’s close. It sounds deliciously fun. We wonder if the Royal Institute will bring out the famous Robyn Robot they made that danced like the singer?

In a Pitchfork report, Robyn spoke about why she felt the need to partner with Tekla, “Tekla is a festival for girls, in which they get to sample different areas of future technology in what I believe will be a fun and imaginative environment.” Last year Robyn was awarded the Great Prize from the Royal Institute for being “a?person who, through epoch-making discoveries and the creation of new values and by ingenious applications of findings gained on the practical aspects of life, promotes Sweden’s continued material progress.” Talk about a match made in heaven. We’re already mad jealous of the girls and women who have managed to get tickets.

The gender disparity in STEM is a worrying one in a world that is increasingly reliant on technology. Dublin’s own Web Summit struggles each year to showcase more female speakers. Thankfully, there is change afoot. Groups such as Girl Geek Dinners, the fashion start-up OPSH and our own Networking Breakfasts are bringing women in technology to the fore with amazing events helping to inspire women and young girls with ideas to think big. With a Robyn soundtrack blaring in the background, of course.

Pitchfork

Follow Jeanne Sutton on Twitter @jeannedesutun