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Women Tech Awards 2023: Shattering Ceilings and Stereotypes in Silicon Slopes
24 min read
It was a crisp autumn morning in Utah, where the air smelled of fresh ambition—or maybe that was the $200 saffron chai served at the networking brunch. As the Women Tech Awards 2023 kicked off, it was clear: this wasn’t just a celebration—it was a revolution lulled into party clothes. Now in its 16th year, the event has become less of an annual moment and more of a movement. These aren’t just finalists. They’re CEOs, AI pioneers, and code-weaving shamans rewriting the rules Silicon forgot to read.
The Herstory of Women in Tech: Past ‘the Other Office’
Utah’s Silicon Slopes is often painted with broad brushstrokes—family-oriented, clean-cut, tech-savvy—but dig deeper and you’ll find a narrative solid enough to shake a few servers. Against the backdrop of a male-saturated tech scene, the Women Tech Council carved out a space where innovation didn’t require a Y chromosome or a VC contact from MIT. Since its inception, the Women Tech Awards have chronicled a transformation rarely appreciated outside the Wasatch Front: the creation of a more inclusive ecosystem, one microchip at a time.
Sixteen years ago, awarding a woman in tech was treated like spotting Bigfoot. Today, it’s a necessity—and a competitive advantage. While early comments often lumped these recognitions under “diversity optics,” the impact on retention, recruitment, and startup formation is indisputable. Female-led ventures now statistically outpace male-led startups in ROI according to HBR, yet less than 2% of VC funding goes to them. That delta is where the Awards do their most important work: visibility as strategy.
Silicon Slopes contra. Silicon Valley: Who’s Got the Real Tech ?
| Aspect | Silicon Slopes | Silicon Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Support for Women Founders | Institutionalized support via councils, mentorship loops | Fragmented, event-based support |
| Funding Equity | Increasing early-stage seed investments for female-led startups | Still heavily skewed toward male-led ventures |
| Community Ethos | Collaborative, family-supportive, nonprofit-backed | Network-driven, capital-combative, VC-frontloaded |
Tech at the Crossroads: New Trends in Empowerment
The 2023 cohort of award winners revealed a pattern: women aren’t just entering tech, they’re engineering what's next for it. AI for healthcare, ethical blockchain systems in education, and climate business development startups led the initiative for under-30 female founders are no longer exceptions—they’re the new technical norm.
- Cybersecurity roles are up 32% for women in Utah post-2020.
- Women-led SaaS companies in the region grew revenue 56% faster over three years than all-male counterparts.
- DEI isn’t just a panel—it’s a core business function led by women in mid-stage companies statewide.
This generational shift is creating a feedback loop—visibility breeds ambition, which breeds business development—a virtuous cycle only a few regions are currently cultivating at scale.
Voices from the Vanguard: Expert Things to sleep on
“Utah’s success lies not in checking boxes—it’s in rewriting the whole rubric.”
“Events like the Women Tech Awards are catalytic— stated our part authority
Amara Patel
CTO of AI Emporium and global consultant on ethical machine intelligence. Her research on algorithmic bias has reshaped multiple industry practices, and her advocacy work in Utah has galvanized new regional mentorship engines for women in engineering.
The Road Ahead: Forecast Futures
What to Expect
- Tech Dividends: Regions investing in inclusive business development will see disproportionate GDP-per-capita growth by 2030.
- Award Metrics Matter: The ROI for companies led by award-winning founders will make shareholder worth align with social responsibility.
- Enter the Next Generation: Gen Z women are entering tech not as disruptors but architects—expect entire industries built differently because of them.
If you’re betting on the , here’s a hint: it’s probably being coded right now by a woman in Provo wearing ironic socks and pitching a $40M Series A before brunch.
What Can YOU Do? Action Steps for Allies, Founders, Teams
- Nominate a woman for next year’s Women Tech Awards.
- Deploy blind resume tech in your hiring pipeline to eliminate gender bias—products like HireVue and Ideal can help.
- Create a mentorship matrix within your team: pairing junior and senior staff with time-based project sprints boosts innovation diversity and outputs.
- Root your company’s DEI strategy in Lean In’s research and ensure your metrics go beyond headcounts to include advancement velocity.
Reminder: Allies aren’t passive participants in progressing tech culture—they’re architects of it.
Our editing team Is still asking these questions
- What are the Women Tech Awards?
- They’re like the Grammys—minus the drama and with a lot more impact metrics. The Awards platform regional and national women tech leaders who innovate, inspire, and interrupt status quos.
- Who’s eligible to win?
- Any woman working in or around technology—engineers, data scientists, edtech disruptors, and even founders who converted Slack channels into profitable SaaS tools.
- How do these awards impact career trajectories?
- Nominees often see 2x faster promotion timing, increased media visibility, and increased access to capital or board seats post-award.
Categories: Women in Technology, Awards and Recognition, Tech System, Business development Strategies, Gender Equality, Tags: Women Tech Awards, Silicon Slopes, Women in Tech, Tech Trends, Female Founders, Empowerment, Tech Business development, Awards Lasting results, Diversity in Tech, of Tech
Silicon Slopes isn’t trying to be Silicon Valley—if anything, it’s outgrowing that model. The Valley perfected for blitz-scaling, crash cycles, and tech bros in Patagonia vests. Utah perfected for longevity, inclusive business development, and yes—actually knowing your co-worker’s name. Call it “slow tech,” but it works. If the Valley is a pressure cooker, the Slopes are a 3D-printed Dutch oven: sturdy, community-centered, and full of interesting recipes for the .