A Year of Records and Expansion
2019 was WomenHack’s most ambitious year to date. We hosted events on five continents, partnered with global technology leaders, and connected thousands of women with career opportunities in tech. From Dubai to Buenos Aires, Munich to Sydney, the WomenHack community grew into a truly global movement.
Geographic Highlights
Middle East Debut: Twitter hosted our first-ever event in the Arab region, bringing WomenHack to Dubai with participation from Talabat, AWS Cloud, Namshi, and other regional leaders. This groundbreaking event opened new territory for diversity recruiting.
South America Launch: Buenos Aires hosted multiple events, with Belatrix Software and Manas.tech sharing their experiences. Approximately 80 attendees gathered despite summer heat, demonstrating strong regional interest.
European Growth: Zurich events drew over 100 attendees, with Ledgy, Open Systems, and other Swiss companies participating. Munich saw events at Magazino and other venues. London and other European cities continued growing.
US and Canada Expansion: Hartford hosted VidMob’s engineer-led event. Toronto welcomed multiple events. Cities across the US from Minneapolis to San Francisco deepened their WomenHack traditions.
Corporate Champions
Major companies made significant commitments to WomenHack in 2019:
- Johnson & Johnson hired a software engineer they met at a WomenHack event
- Thumbtack featured engineer Bianca as keynote speaker, challenging imposter syndrome
- GoodNotes described WomenHack as essential to their diversity recruiting strategy
- Autodesk employees stepped outside comfort zones to represent their company
- Globant/Belatrix declared “The more diversity, the better the team!”
Impact Metrics
Across 2019, we facilitated thousands of conversations between candidates and employers. While we respect the privacy of hiring outcomes, testimonials from companies like Clarus Commerce—who reported that WomenHack “positively shaped our candidate pools”—demonstrate real impact on diversity in tech hiring.
Community Milestones
Our community grew to include tens of thousands of women in technology across dozens of countries. The WomenHack brand became recognized as a trusted platform for diversity recruiting, attracting both first-time participants and returning community members.
Third-party recognition also grew. PowerToFly featured our work, noting that “events like WomenHack are important because they bring companies closer to narrowing the gender gap in IT.”
Format Innovations
2019 saw continued refinement of our approach:
- Keynote speakers like Thumbtack’s Bianca added inspirational content to the networking
- International Women’s Day timing (Advanon’s Zurich event) created powerful symbolic connections
- Multi-company events with diverse industry participation offered candidates broader exploration
The Year Ahead
As we close 2019, we’re planning even greater expansion for 2020. Little did we know how dramatically the world would change in the coming months—but the relationships and momentum built in 2019 would prove essential for adapting to new realities.
Thank you to our global community for making 2019 extraordinary. Every event, every connection, every hire moves us closer to a more inclusive tech industry.