Ada’s List: A Network for Women in Tech

Ada’s List is a global network for women (and those who identify as women) who work in a field related to the internet. Founded in October 2013 by Anjali Ramachandran, Merici Vinton, Nicki Sprinz and Rosa Birch, it now has more than 5,000 members globally. Here Anjali tells us how it is a space where women can talk off-the-record about professional, tech and science-related topics, share jobs, announce conference panels and calls for submissions, find talented women to write about, source support (especially for entrepreneurs, freelancers and corporate innovators), get informal mentoring and share tech-related events.

What prompted you to establish Ada’s List?

Ada’s List was set up to be a space where women in tech could ask the questions that they might not be able to ask at work, or elsewhere. It could be asking for advice or support, or airing thoughts and concerns about something that happened to them in the industry. There are some amazing women in tech groups now, but there was no clear space where women could interact directly on a peer-to-peer basis, and that’s the gap Ada’s List was formed to fill. It is a community of peers who can help members shine (hat tip to Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow, hosts of the Call Your Girlfriend podcast which exemplifies Shine Theory – with posits that befriending powerful women is the way to get ahead).

What are set to be the Ada’s List highlights be in 2018?