Innovation needs diverse talent to keep growing. However, women continue to be underrepresented in many areas linked to technology, especially in STEM disciplines, entrepreneurship and investment. Although the number of founders, professionals and sector leaders continues to grow, challenges still exist related to visibility, access to role models, professional networking and career development.
With the aim of continuing to make progress in that direction, Startup Valencia and Valencia Innovation Capital of the Ayuntamiento de Valencia have held the first edition of Bloom Together, an event that brought together at Las Naves some of the leading communities of women linked to technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.
More than a networking event, Bloom Together was born as a space to connect organisations working towards a shared purpose: driving female leadership, generating new professional opportunities and strengthening a network capable of amplifying the impact of each of their initiatives.
In an ecosystem where collaboration has become one of the main drivers of innovation, connecting communities is as relevant as connecting startups, corporations, investors or institutions. Sharing experiences, generating synergies and building relationships of trust allows the professional development of many women to be accelerated and the innovation ecosystem as a whole to be strengthened.
An increasingly connected ecosystem
Bloom Together brought together communities working from complementary perspectives such as entrepreneurship, business leadership, professional development, technology, training and diversity, but sharing a common objective: increasing the presence of women in the technology sector and generating more opportunities for the next generations.
This edition featured the participation of SheLeads by Startup Valencia, Valencia Tech Women, EVAP, #ELCLUB The Impact Project, The Break by EOI, Women Techmakers, AJEV Woman, OPEN LAB, Proyecto FUTURA by ASEDEC+I+A and Latinas in Tech.
During the event, each community presented its programmes and initiatives, sharing projects aimed at driving female leadership, facilitating access to new professional opportunities and creating support networks among women developing their careers in the technology field.
Technology, leadership and professional development
The institutional opening was led by Lucía Calabria, Deputy Director of Entrepreneurship at Valencia Innovation Capital. One of the most notable moments of the event was the “Bloom!” conference, delivered by Mariana Hernandez-Delfino, Chief Strategy & Brand at Alastria and author of the book Bloom! Career management in technology from experience and evidence.
Recognised by STEM Women Congress for her track record in driving female leadership in the technology sector, Hernandez-Delfino shared a practical vision of how to build a sustainable professional career in a sector in constant transformation.
During her address she covered the importance of developing competencies beyond technical knowledge, building a solid professional network, maintaining a continuous learning mindset and leveraging technology as a tool to generate new growth opportunities.
Her message connected with one of the main objectives of Bloom Together: creating a community where experiences can be shared, learning from other professionals and helping more women find role models and opportunities within the technology ecosystem.
Much more than networking
Following the conference, attendees participated in the Community Experience & Networking space, a session designed to encourage conversations between the different communities, exchange experiences and discover projects with common interests.
Beyond expanding their contact network, the event allowed possible collaborations to be identified between organisations that work daily to drive entrepreneurship, innovation, training and female leadership from complementary perspectives.
For Nacho Mas, CEO of Startup Valencia and VDS, “when communities collaborate, the impact of each initiative stops being individual and becomes a collective drive for the entire ecosystem. Bloom Together was born precisely with that purpose: to connect people and organisations that share a common goal to generate more opportunities, more role models and an increasingly diverse, innovative and competitive environment”.
A shared commitment to the future of the technology ecosystem
Bloom Together reflects the commitment of Startup Valencia and Valencia Innovation Capital to continue driving spaces where collaboration, shared knowledge and diversity become engines of innovation.
In a context where talent is one of the main competitiveness factors for any technology ecosystem, strengthening communities, making role models visible and facilitating new connections contributes to building a more open and representative environment prepared to face the challenges of innovation.
With initiatives like Bloom Together, Valencia continues to consolidate an ecosystem in which startups, corporations, institutions, investors and specialised communities work together to generate opportunities and continue positioning the city as one of Europe’s leading technology hubs.
