Celebrating Empowerment: Robinhood Market’s Women in Tech Conference 2024
Robinhood was founded on a simple idea: that our financial markets should be accessible to all. With customers at the heart of our decisions, Robinhood is lowering barriers and providing greater access to financial information and investing. Together, we are building products and services that help create a financial system everyone can participate in.
…
Recently, Robinhood Markets hosted its highly anticipated Annual Women in Tech (WIT) Conference, a day-long event designed to empower and inspire women in the tech industry. The event brought together an impressive array of talent from both within Robinhood, spanning technical and non-technical roles, as well as participants from the broader tech and financial industries. This gathering showcased our commitment to fostering a strong, supportive community for women in tech.
A Day of Inspiration
The conference kicked off with a warm welcome from our organizers, setting the stage for a day filled with engaging sessions, networking opportunities, and inspiring stories. Attendees had the chance to participate in a variety of workshops, lightning talks, and panel discussions designed to enhance both technical and leadership skills.
We covered topics like career influences, mentorship, and overcoming obstacles in our panel discussions, and the lighting talk sessions ranged from technical deep dives like “Challenges in eliminating Internet Egress” and broader topics like professional speaking, mentorship, and “Important things to know about Investing”.
Our keynote speakers ranged from high-level executives to individual contributors who submitted their ideas and content for these sessions. The empowerment from women across the organization was deeply felt, creating opportunities for everyone to learn from one another and share their unique perspectives.
The History and Growth of the WIT Conference
The Women in Tech Conference at Robinhood has come a long way since its inception. Women in Tech (WiT) as an employee resource group (ERG) was founded in 2021 at Robinhood to build community across women engineers. The ERG was small but mighty through 2021 and into 2022, when our first ever WIT Conference was held exclusively for internal attendees. WIT saw challenges in 2022, but the ERG was revitalized near the end of the year under new leadership. It quickly expanded to encompass women in engineering, product, and security.
Seeing the tremendous positive impact of the previous conference, we decided to expand the event in 2023, inviting external participants and significantly broadening our reach. This year, WiT partnered with Sisterhood+, another Robinhood ERG dedicated to supporting, empowering, and celebrating women at Robinhood, to host an even bigger 2024 conference. We added a welcome reception the night before, in addition to the industry mixer. This year, we saw over 195 Robinhood employees and close to 50 external attendees from more than 30 different companies!
This growth is a testament to the extensive planning, support, and dedication from our organizing committee! This group works meticulously planning every detail while managing their day jobs highlights their belief in and support for this community and conference.
Our goal has always been to create an inclusive environment where women in tech can thrive. We look forward to continuing this tradition of growth and empowerment in the future. Together, we are building a brighter, more inclusive future in tech.
Connecting the Broader Community
As the day transitioned into evening, the energy remained high for our Women in Tech Mixer. The mixer welcomed over 100 attendees, including both internal Robinhood employees and external guests from more than 30 different companies. The relaxed, outdoor setting provided the perfect backdrop for continued conversations and networking.
Our panel discussion during the mixer featured esteemed panelists Steph Guild (Senior Director of Investment Strategy & Sisterhood Lead), Zeng Wang (Senior Engineering Manager), Pooja Brown (Chief Product & Technical Officer at Honor Education), Priyanka Shinde (CEO & Executive Leadership Coach), and Karen Kagoo (Director of Product Operations at Google), moderated by Sejal Parmar (Software Engineer & WIT Lead) and Rebecca Kruse (Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition). The panelists shared personal stories and insights on career growth, embracing failure, balancing work and life, and envisioning the future of women in tech. Their openness and candor left a lasting impression.
Looking Ahead
The success of the WIT Conference 2024 is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our organizing committee, volunteers, and participants. We are committed to maintaining the momentum and continuing to support and empower women in tech. These moments together are priceless and we can’t wait till next year!
…
We are always looking for more individuals who share our commitment to building a diverse team and creating an inclusive environment as we continue in our journey in democratizing finance for all. Stay connected with us — join our talent community and check out our open roles!
…
© 2024 Robinhood Markets, Inc.
…
3731424