Defying the Trends: Women at Innovatemap

While we at Innovatemap like to think there are plenty of things that make us unique — like our incomparable product knowledge, design prowess and commitment to grow — there’s one quality that sets us apart from the naked eye, and it’s one we’re incredibly proud of: our high percentage of women.

When I think about the many things that drew me to Innovatemap, the presence of women in leadership roles comes to mind immediately. I’ve been fortunate to work with countless technology companies in my career, and while I met with an incredible number of women executives, CEOs, marketers and more, I most often saw myself in a room among men. Brilliant men, often, but no more so than the women I encountered. And I know I’m not alone in this experience.

The tech industry (and many industries, for that matter) has a long history of gender inequality. Generally speaking, men are more prevalent in leadership roles, are paid more and promoted faster than women, and make up more of the tech workforce as a whole. Some stats to back-up these points:

• According to a poll from Women Who Tech, 70 percent of women in tech say they have been treated differently at work due to their gender compared to 11 percent of men in tech.
• According to Silicon Valley Bank’s 2020 Startup Outlook Report, only 41 percent of tech startups have at least one woman in an executive role and only 37 percent have at least one woman on the board of directors.
• The Adeva 2020 Women in Tech Report indicates the median Silicon Valley male makes 61 percent more money than the median Silicon Valley female.

There are some promising stats related to women in tech, too. While the industry is still struggling when it comes to gender diversity, numbers are improving. According to AnitaB.org’s Top Companies for Women Technologists Report, women technologists made up 28.8 percent of the tech workforce in 2020, up from 25.9 percent in 2018 and 26.2 percent in 2019.

These numbers showcase how Innovatemap is distinctly unique. Our workforce is made up of more than 70 percent women. It’s important to note that equity is one of this company’s core values. But even so, our founders didn’t set out to hire mostly women; it happened organically, delightfully-so, as each woman proved to be the best fit for her job.

We are thrilled to have a diverse roster of clients, including some that are female-led. Recently, myself and a few female colleagues found ourselves working with a female founder. We looked around the room and saw an all-women team. This doesn’t happen often, and felt like something to celebrate.

“We work with fantastic teams of all stripes,” said Katie Lukes, Principal, Product Strategy at Innovatemap. “But working with the leadership team comprised of women, especially one as focused on vision and mission as this one was, was refreshing and inspiring.”

Innovatemap Product Marketer Ellie McCandless said, “In an industry that has notoriously struggled with female representation, I am proud to work at a company that not just hires women, but also has strong women in positions of leadership. As a woman early in my career, I cannot overemphasize the impact it has had on me to watch, learn from and emulate the strong women I have worked with at Innovatemap.”

We have so many intelligent, creative, impactful women at Innovatemap; there’s no way to quantify all the things they’ve achieved for themselves, for our company and for our clients. But, I’ll call out a few:

• Ellie McCandless joined us right out of Butler as an Orr Fellow. She’s a rising star in product marketing and constantly receives kudos from clients who are impacted through her work.
• Leanna Adeola was recently promoted to Principal, Product Marketing due to her leadership capabilities, her presence with clients, and her impact on growing the business.
• Kristin Hess, Principal, Product Marketing, Anna Eaglin, Principal, Product Partner, and Lacey Lavies, Executive Partner, Product Strategy and Client Experience, were nominated for Women and Hi Tech Awards in 2020.

Speaking of Lacey, she’s one of our two female executives (the other being the incredible Tina Hafer). Half of Innovatemap’s executives are women! I don’t often think about the number of women who surround me, and that’s because I don’t have to. There is no mental burden of wondering if my voice is being heard, or questioning if I’m valued. I’m proud to work with a company that values diversity – thrives from it, really – and truly enjoy being able to work in an environment where gender stereotypes are defied.