Shows / Women Disrupting Tech
Women Disrupting Tech
Women Disrupting Tech features female founders, tech leaders, and women in tech building the next generation of technology companies. Each week, host Dirkjan Hupkes talks with a founder about how she's scaling a startup, navigating funding, building resilient teams, and tackling challenges from AI ethics to healthcare innovation to climate tech. Whether you're a female tech entrepreneur, aspiring founder, startup leader, or advocate for more women in technology, this show gives you actionable…
Episodes
Women Disrupting TechHow to Build a Resilient and Purpose-Driven Business with Marleen Somohardjo | Ep. 115
Join us as Marleen Somohardjo, founder of M2 Advisory, shares how to build a business that can weather any storm while staying true to its purpose. From…
Women Disrupting TechHow The Wealth Within Her Empowers Women’s Finances and Self-Worth with Catrine Rhenberg | Ep. 114
What if the stories you learned as a child about money, risk, and confidence are still shaping your business decisions today? In this conversation with Catrine…
Women Disrupting TechWhy Women In Tech Can't Fix the System Alone with Femke Brouwer-Hobbelen | Ep. 113
Femke Brouwer-Hobbelen joins Women Disrupting Tech to share why working harder isn’t the answer—and why real change in tech needs more than just women pushing…
Women Disrupting TechHow Cogensus Uses AI to Tackle Loneliness and Cognitive Decline with Raju Joshi | Ep. 112
In episode 112, Cogensus co-founder Raju Joshi shares how AI can surface early signs of cognitive decline and help people stay connected, heard, and in…
Women Disrupting TechHow SheUnfolds Creates the Space Where Women in Tech Belong with Emily van Putten | Ep. 111
Join cybersecurity expert and She Unfolds co-founder Emily van Putten and host Dirkjan Hupkes for a powerful and deeply personal episode of Women Disrupting…
Women Disrupting TechHow FEM-Start Helps Female Founders Get Funded | Ep. 110
What’s keeping female founders from getting funded? Join me as we hear from FEM-Start co-founders Marian Spier and Simone van Bijsterveldt what needs to change…
Women Disrupting TechHow Cyberette Battles Deepfakes So You Can Trust What You See with Julia Jakimenko | Ep. 109
In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, I speak with Julia Jakimenko, founder of Cyberette. Her startup is building a platform to detect deepfakes across…
Women Disrupting TechHow Umaversity Helps Women Reclaim Power, Pleasure and Health with Jo Sarah | Ep. 108
In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, Jo Sarah, founder of Umaversity, shares how her platform is breaking taboos around women’s sexual and mental health…
Women Disrupting TechHow Corporate Volunteering Unlocks Leadership and Inclusion with Karlijn L'Ortye | Ep. 107
Is there a business case for corporate volunteering? In episode 107 of Women Disrupting Tech, we explore how giving back can drive real business value. 🎙️ Meet…
Women Disrupting TechDecoding Human Behavior in the Workplace with Kirsten Heukels | Episode 106
In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, complex communications expert Kirsten Heukels shares what she has learned from 25+ years of guiding people through…
Women Disrupting TechBuilding Inclusion Into Capitalism with James Felton Keith | Ep. 105
In episode 105 of Women Disrupting Tech, James Felton Keith, economist and founder of Inclusion Score, shares how diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are…
Women Disrupting TechMastering the Art of Authentic Leadership with Farshida Zafar | Episode 104
Farshida Zafar shares how embracing her authentic self, sneakers, roots, and all, shaped her leadership journey and built a radically inclusive team culture at…
Women Disrupting TechHow Flouria Health is Healing Women and Shaping Workplaces with Anna Christie | Ep. 103
Can personal pain lead to a platform that changes women’s health at scale? In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, Anna Christie shares how her fertility…
Women Disrupting TechHow RVO Funds Inclusive Innovation with Merel Zimmerman & Bibi van Gijzel | Ep. 102
How can public funding drive inclusive innovation? In this episode, Merel Zimmerman and Bibi van Gijzel from RVO share how the Dutch government supports…
Women Disrupting TechHow to Use Cultural Intelligence as a Leadership Superpower with Gwen Kolader | Episode 101
In this episode, Gwen Kolader joins me to explore how to use Cultural Intelligence as a leadership superpower. We discuss how understanding cultural…
Women Disrupting TechHow To Become DEI Champions with Sacha Martina and Danielle Jiskoot | Episode 100
What does it take to become a true DEI champion? In Episode 100 of Women Disrupting Tech, Sacha Martina and Danielle Jiskoot from House of Inclusion break it…
Women Disrupting TechHow The Angel Initiative Is Closing the Gender Funding Gap with Laurie Lancee | Ep. 99
Laurie Lancee, Managing Director of The Angel Initiative, joins us to explore how angel investing can drive real change in startup funding. She shares how her…
Women Disrupting TechMaking Health Data Work for Everyone with Sara Okhuijsen and Nima Salami | Ep 98
In episode 98, Sara Okhuijsen and Nima Salami share how they're building OASYS NOW, a platform that makes personalized medicine more inclusive, secure and…
Women Disrupting TechHow Women Disrupt Tech Even When the System Pushes Back with host Dirkjan Hupkes | Ep. 97
What does it take to drive change in tech when the system is built to resist it? In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, host Dirkjan looks at the trends…
Women Disrupting TechHow tex.tracer's Supply Chain Transparency Empowers Fashion Brands with Jolanda Kooi | Ep. 96
Fashion brands talk about sustainability. But how do they prove it? In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, tex.tracer founder Jolanda Kooi shares how she is…
Women Disrupting TechHow SkilledIn Green Is Fixing the Sustainability Talent Gap with Natasha Syed | Ep. 95
In Episode 95 of Women Disrupting Tech, Natasha Syed shares how she is fixing hiring for sustainability jobs by closing the talent gap. She explains the role…
Women Disrupting TechFunding and Building the Future of Venture Capital with Michelle ter Laak | Ep. 94
In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, Michelle Ter Laak shares her journey into venture capital, the role of diversity in decision-making, and the evolving…
Women Disrupting TechThe Message That Changed the Future of Th3rd with Esther Bisschop | Ep. 93
Esther Bisschop joins me to reveal how one cold LinkedIn message changed the trajectory of Th3rd, taking it from the brink of bankruptcy to an acquisition by…
Women Disrupting TechTaking Venture Capital Beyond Bias with Sophie Heijenberg | Ep. 92
How can we use biases to future-proof Venture Capital? Sophie Heijenberg, investor at No Such Ventures, is on a mission to rethink how funding works. She has…
Women Disrupting TechUsing Intuition as a Superpower in Business and Leadership with Daphne Laan | Ep. 91
Daphne Laan started her career in tech before most people had mobile phones. She spent nine years at Google, leading global deals and driving change. Now, she…
Women Disrupting TechHow Wholepal is Building the Future of Wholesale with Victoria Lawson | Ep. 90
Join Victoria Lawson on Women Disrupting Tech as she reveals how she is using AI to build the future of supply chains for fast-moving consumer goods. She also…
Women Disrupting TechPaving the Way for More Women in AI and Cyber as Chief Copilot with Femke Cornelissen | Ep. 89
Femke Cornelissen wasn’t always sure tech was the right path for her. Now, as Chief Copilot Officer, a Microsoft MVP, and the founder of Dutch Women in Tech…
Women Disrupting TechHow Layco Makes Childbirth Safer and Healthcare Greener with Dieuwertje Drexhage | Ep. 88
Did you know that healthcare produces twice as much CO₂ as aviation? Most medical tools are designed for single use, creating massive waste, high costs, and…
Women Disrupting TechBreaking Barriers in Medicine And Leadership with Hanneke Takkenberg | Ep. 87
In episode 87 of Women Disrupting Tech, Hanneke Takkenberg shares her journey from cardiac surgeon to DEI advocate. She reveals how gender biases in medicine…
Women Disrupting TechWhy You Should Never Exclude Opportunities Because of Your Gender with Sara Leggese | Ep. 86
What if your gender never limited your career choices? And how do you get into tech and build a successful career without having early exposure to tech? In…
Women Disrupting TechMaking Blockverse the Platform to Upskill and Match Women to Tech | Ep. 85
Fixing the "supply side" of the talent market is essential to increasing diversity in tech, say Gaurav Gupta and Iris Bloemsma from the Blockverse Institute…
Women Disrupting TechThe Kindlee Case for Fair, Unbiased and Profitable AI with Carla Canino | Ep. 84
Are biases in AI and risk models more costly than we realize? Carla Canino shares her journey building Kindlee, a company on a mission to create financial…
Women Disrupting TechUsing AI to Transform Therapy & Mental Health Outcomes with Diana Oganesian | Ep. 83
Psychotherapy hasn't improved its effectiveness in 40 years, and therapists are burning out. But what if AI could change that? In Episode 83 of Women…
Women Disrupting TechA Systemic Approach to Implementing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with Karim El Oteify | Ep. 82
In Episode 82 of Women Disrupting Tech, I sit down with systemic change expert Karim El Oteify to rethink how organizations approach Diversity, Equity, and…
Women Disrupting TechThe Power of Storytelling for Unconditional Inclusion with Pim Blom | Ep. 81
In episode 81 of Women Disrupting Tech, journalist, writer and LGBTQ+ advocate Pim Blom is my guest as we discover the power of storytelling to create an…
Women Disrupting TechGini’s Journey to Inclusive and Sustainable Travel Experiences with Virginia Scheele | Ep. 80
How do you create a sustainable travel business in an industry often seen as unsustainable? And how do you navigate entrepreneurship when your environment…
Women Disrupting TechMinder financiële stress en betere geldkeuzes met Sofie's Astrid Bruinsma-Eggink | Ep. 79
In the Netherlands, 60% of households are financially unhealthy. And the effects of financial stress can spill over into the workplace. But how do you help…
Women Disrupting TechUsing Data to Build a Gender-Equal Future in Entrepreneurship with Katty Hsu | Ep. 78
In episode 78 of Women Disrupting Tech, we're talking to Katty Hsu, a global changemaker on a mission to make entrepreneurship more inclusive. Born in Taiwan…
Women Disrupting TechBuilding Food for Skin, Wallet and Planet with Angela Ursem | Ep. 77
In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, Angela Ursem reveals how she turned her pandemic wake-up call into Food for Skin, a profitable beauty B Corp, using…
Women Disrupting TechThe Twin Protocol to Redefine How We Preserve Our Legacy in the AI Age with Stacey Engle | Ep. 76
Imagine preserving your knowledge and personality in a digital form that future generations can access. It sounds like science fiction, but in episode 76 of…
Women Disrupting TechBuilding a Tech Startup Inside a Bank with Lieke Hölscher | Ep. 75
In episode 75 of Women Disrupting Tech, Lieke Hölscher shares how she built a transaction monitoring tech startup within Rabobank. Some key topics that we…
Women Disrupting TechThe Guide to Building a Unicorn Team with Ingeborg van Harten | Ep. 74
In Episode 74 of Women Disrupting Tech, I chat with Ingeborg van Harten, Chief People Officer at 7people, to discover how to build a unicorn-worthy team. We'll…
Women Disrupting TechGespreksstarters voor een gelijkwaardiger investeringsklimaat met Fleur van Leijsen | Ep. 73
Why is raising funds still harder for women? In episode 73 of Women Disrupting Tech, Fleur van Leijsen and I explore why women still face more challenges…
Women Disrupting TechHow to Move from 9-to-5 Corporate to Startup Impact with Manisha Athukorala | Ep. 72
In episode 72 of Women Disrupting Tech, Manisha Athukorala shares how she transitioned from a 9-to-5 corporate career to making an impact at fast-growing…
Women Disrupting TechUnlocking The Value of Diversity in Leadership With Roots Inspire CEO Sergio Panday | Ep. 71
Join me as I interview Sergio Panday about how his company Roots Inspire unlocks the value of diversity by bringing ethnic diversity to corporate boardrooms…
Women Disrupting TechCreating The Culture Shift Towards Inclusion with Constantijn van Oranje | Ep. 70
Constantijn van Oranje, special envoy of Techleap, joins me on a special episode of Women Disrupting Tech to discuss a topic that's near to his heart and…
Women Disrupting TechMastering Cultural Intelligence to Unlock Startup Success with Ma Cherie Cortez | Ep. 69
Whether you're managing remote teams, resolving conflicts, or expanding into new markets, Cultural Intelligence (or CQ) is the key to unlocking startup…
Women Disrupting TechLieke Beelen on Making Legalese Easy to Understand with Visual Contracts | Ep. 68
In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, we sit down with Lieke Beelen, founder of Visual Contracts, to discuss her mission to simplify legal documents using…
Women Disrupting TechHow to Inspire the Next Generation of Women in Tech with Mitra Gilasgar | Ep. 67
In Episode 67 of Women Disrupting Tech, Mitra Gilasgar shares her inspiring journey into tech, from navigating the male-dominated environments of academia and…
Women Disrupting TechBuilding Mamamoon to Support the 3 Ms of Women's Health and Well-Being with Kasia Pokrop | Ep. 66
In this episode, I sit down with Kasia Pokrop, founder of Mamamoon (now Embrac3), to explore her inspiring journey from Philips Digital Health to creating a…
Women Disrupting TechBreaking the Food Allergy Cycle with Vini Mini Co-founder Jozien Boersma | Ep. 65
In this episode, Jozien Boersma and I talk about how her startup, Vini Mini, tackles the rising epidemic of food allergies. Discover how early introduction of…
Women Disrupting TechRedefining Palliative Caregiving with Pal CEO Nara Moripen | Episode 64 of Women Disrupting Tech
In episode 64 of Women Disrupting Tech, I sit down with Nara Moripen, co-founder and CEO of Pal, to discuss how a deeply personal experience inspired her to…
Women Disrupting TechUnlocking Hidden Talent by Teaching Children How To Code with Vedrana Rogoznica | Ep. 63
In episode 63 of Women Disrupting Tech, I interview Vedrana Rogoznica about how her tech startup, Rotoy, is unlocking hidden potential in children by teaching…
Women Disrupting TechHow to Create New Narratives for an Equal and Innovative Society With Ruben Brave | Ep. 62
Join me as I interview the first man on Women Disrupting Tech, Ruben Brave. With his work at the Dutch New Narrative Lab, Ruben makes innovative…
Women Disrupting TechLiving a Sustainable Life with Asceline Groot & Wyke Potjer | Episode 61 of Women Disrupting Tech
In episode 61 of Women Disrupting Tech, Wyke Potjer and Asceline Groot talk about what living a sustainable life means for them and their platform…
Women Disrupting TechReinventing Capital Markets With Mesh's Connie Bloem | Episode 60 of Women Disrupting Tech
In episode 60 of Women Disrupting Tech, I interview Connie Bloem, the visionary founder of Mesh. Discover how Connie is transforming the investment landscape…
Women Disrupting TechMaking Data Protection Byte Size with eXate CTO Sonal Rattan | Episode 59 of Women Disrupting Tech
Are you in for an inspiring story of innovation, resilience, and breaking barriers? In episode 59 of Women Disrupting Tech, I interview Sonal Rattan. She is…
Women Disrupting TechEngineering Role Models for Women in Tech with Carlota Salamat | Episode 58 of Women Disrupting Tech
Have you ever thought about what happens when we can't produce enough chips? What if we run out of skilled people to make them? And how we can prevent this…
Women Disrupting TechHow To Navigate a Career in AI as a Woman with Wafa M'Ribah | Episode 57 of Women Disrupting Tech
Curious about navigating a career in AI as a woman? Tune into episode 57 of Women Disrupting Tech as Wafa M'Ribah shares her inspiring journey. Discover how…
Women Disrupting TechEmpowering Doctors with AI for Better Patient Care With Jacqueline Kazmaier | Ep. 56
Join Autoscriber's CEO and co-founder Jacqueline Kazmaier to discover how AI is transforming the healthcare landscape by reducing doctors' administrative…