Founded by Hilde de Vocht and Ingelou Stol, Fe+male Tech Heroes is a High Tech Campus Eindhoven initiative created to raise awareness about gender equality and diversity in the tech industry.
What was initially conceived as a platform for women in tech has since grown into a broad and inclusive community that welcomes individuals of every gender. We are dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse, and equitable tech world where everyone feels seen, supported, and empowered.
The idea began in 2019 with a single event. Hilde and Ingelou saw that tech companies were struggling to attract female talent, while many women working in tech felt isolated. They wanted to create a space for connection, visibility, and inspiration. Within days of announcing the event, 300 people had signed up. That overwhelming response confirmed that the need was real.
Since then, the community has grown to include more than 5,000 members. In 2023, Fe+male Tech Heroes expanded beyond High Tech Campus Eindhoven and is now proudly supported by 26 company partners, including ASML, Philips, TNO, and many others who share our vision.
We remain steadfast in our mission to promote gender equality and diversity in tech organizations. We do this by highlighting role models, organizing events such as conferences, workshops, and dinners, and encouraging companies to embrace diversity as a foundation for innovation and long-term success.
At Fe+male Tech Heroes, we believe that meaningful change begins with connection and shared experiences. Our events foster a positive atmosphere where people can network, learn from one another, and celebrate progress together. In 2023, we hosted our first Fe+male Tech Heroes Awards, recognizing outstanding contributions with awards like Female Tech Hero of the Year and Male Ally of the Year.
The plus sign in our name reflects our commitment to inclusion. We stand for equality for women, men, and everyone who identifies differently.
On 16 May, the world came to High Tech Campus Eindhoven to celebrate women in tech, their male allies and to get a preview of what the future holds. They were not disappointed.
The theme of the fourth annual Fe+male Tech conference was “Dare to Grow,” and that was the consistent message from speakers: be bold, embrace risk and find your career path in a tech world where women in leadership roles are still a rarity. Or, as ASML’s Wendy Gehoel van Ansem put it, an event meant to send you away “confident so that you kick ass.”
In February 2023, we hosted a one-time event for an exceptional audience: Male Allies. "We created a psychologically safe place where men can learn who we are, why it matters that they are part of this mission and give them tools to become better male allies for females in tech."
You can download the insights from the event, including a shortlist of books, articles, podcasts and documentaries on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion that are worth looking into.
Founders Ingelou Stol & Hilde de Vocht: Fe+male Tech Heroes is an initiative by High Tech Campus Eindhoven that raises awareness about gender equality in tech. What began as a platform for women in tech has become a community welcoming all genders to get involved in building a more inclusive, diverse and equal tech world. With Fe+male Tech Heroes, we want to raise awareness about gender equality and diversity in tech by highlighting role models, organizing community-connecting events (conferences, mentoring sessions, dinners) and encouraging tech companies to embrace diversity in creating a sustainable future.
PSV Women football team names Fe+male Tech Heroes as main sponsor.
Research shows that diverse, inclusive companies are more innovative. Yet achieving this balance in...
Maartje van der Zalm is team lead at Salvia BioElectronics where she leads an almost all-female clea...
Three new and exciting Fe+male Tech Heroes events are planned for 2025.
Patricia Dankers, professor of Biomedical Materials & Chemistry at TU/e, co-founder of three startup...
Fe+male Tech Heroes dinner, Let's Give Thanks, was an evening of celebration, gratitude and connecti...
Check the recap of our Conference in 2024:
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In our online interview series we introduce inspiring female and male role models.
‘Life is full of surprises. Whether you call them good or bad, depends on your mindset. If your mind is ready, the right opportunities will come to you’, tells Helen Kardan, Senior Business Development Manager at ASML. Helen initially wanted to become an engineer but was offered a marketing role in a tech company instead. Unexpectedly, the job turned out to be precisely what Helen’s social nature enjoys doing the most - ensuring the customer’s voice is reflected in the product. She shares her personal experiences living and working in different countries and tech firms, as well as her vision on the economic and societal value of diversity.
Gareth Thomas was born in South Africa in a family of mathematicians. Because of the apartheid, they moved to The Netherlands when he was a kid, and continued moving countries every few years. Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Portugal, Scotland. "I think the exposure to diverse cultures has been the greatest gift my parents could ever give me." Now, back in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, Gareth is running a startup called VersionBay, that empowers people by leveraging state-of-the-art software stacks.
‘Who is gonna take you seriously? Did you think of the working hours? Are you prepared to work with guys mostly?' The prospect of becoming one of the few women in the nanotechnology field did not discourage her; on the contrary - it stimulated her to prove them wrong. Born and raised in Mashhad (Iran), Sepideh Khandan Del’s ambition to pursue a career in engineering took her far across geographic and personal borders. At last, finding her way at TNO at the High Tech Campus, Sepideh is making footsteps in expanding her senior technical expertise to business development.
Watch the video of the plenary program of our second Mentor Edition.
Including a keynote by Natascha van Boetzelaer of Egon Zehnder. Curiosity is the key in becoming a good leader:
A Thanksgiving feast to remember
On a perfect autumn evening in 2024, the Fe+male Tech Heroes community came together for an unforgettable Thanksgiving feast: “Let’s Give Thanks.” The night was filled with inspiration and gratitude, which blended perfectly with thought-provoking discussions, comfort food and connections with old friends and new.
Fe+male Tech Heroes Conference 2024
“From FemTech Lows … to Glows” was multiple events in one, with three keynotes, six career workshops, a Tech Safari with Tech Talks and demos at five innovation hubs around High Tech Campus Eindhoven, ending with networking, snacks and drinks in the perfect setting – a giant summer tent on the edge of the Campus lake.
The events were varied, but the theme running through the conference was encouraging the courageous … “We’re here for you. I believe in you.” Read the article here.
Awards Show 2023
For a first-time event, the Fe+male Tech Heroes Awards Show set a new standard for glitz and glamour in a tech ecosystem that can be rather sedate. More than anything, the awards show had authentic emotion, with the raucous audience of 300-plus
momentarily hushed by the winners’ candid retellings of their journeys, then breaking into prolonged standing ovations. Read the article here.
Male Ally panel: Insights for men in tech
In February 2023, we hosted a one-time event for an exceptional audience: Male Allies. "We created a psychologically safe place where men can learn who we are, why it matters that they are part of this mission and give them tools to become better male allies for females in tech." You can download the insights from the event, including a shortlist of books, articles, podcasts and documentaries on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion that are worth looking into. Read the article here.
On a perfect autumn evening in 2024, the Fe+male Tech Heroes community came together for an unforgettable Thanksgiving feast: “Let’s Give Thanks.” The night was filled with inspiration and gratitude, which blended perfectly with thought-provoking discussions, comfort food and connections with old friends and new.
“From FemTech Lows … to Glows” was multiple events in one, with three keynotes, six career workshops, a Tech Safari with Tech Talks and demos at five innovation hubs around High Tech Campus Eindhoven, ending with networking, snacks and drinks in the perfect setting – a giant summer tent on the edge of the Campus lake. The events were varied, but the theme running through the conference was encouraging the courageous … “We’re here for you. I believe in you.”
For a first-time event, the Fe+male Tech Heroes Awards Show set a new standard for glitz and glamour in a tech ecosystem that can be rather sedate. More than anything, the awards show had authentic emotion, with the raucous audience of 300-plus momentarily hushed by the winners’ candid retellings of their journeys, then breaking into prolonged standing ovations.
In February 2023, we hosted a one-time event for an exceptional audience: Male Allies. "We created a psychologically safe place where men can learn who we are, why it matters that they are part of this mission and give them tools to become better male allies for females in tech." You can download the insights from the event, including a shortlist of books, articles, podcasts and documentaries on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion that are worth looking into.
