Women in Tech Week Launches in New York City

NEW YORK, Oct. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- It's time to celebrate women in technology, and encourage women to pursue technology careers. CommonBond, a financial technology company that helps students, graduates and employees pay for higher education, today launches Women in Tech Week, which runs through October 15. Together with partners including Betterment, Birchbox, Duolingo and others, CommonBond spent the last several months creating Women in Tech Week to recognize the contributions of women in technology and support the next generation of women leaders.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio praised the week's festivities, saying, "Women in Tech Week will ensure attendees can access valuable information to help advance their careers while also encouraging the next generation of women leaders to pursue careers in the industry. I am proud to join in applauding CommonBond and all of this event's organizers for continuing to accelerate the growth of New York's diverse tech industry as we strive to build a more equitable and inclusive tomorrow."

Women in Tech Week consists of three components:

1. A whitepaper on what women want in the tech workplace: CommonBond commissioned a survey of over 600 women in tech to learn what companies can do to attract and retain women, as well as create environments where women can thrive. The research found women want to see their companies implement the following changes, in order:

• More women in leadership roles.
• Better long-term career planning processes.
• Additional training and professional development opportunities.

2. A social media campaign to support the next generation of women in tech: CommonBond has partnered with Girls Who Code to help fund the next generation of women technologists. CommonBond will donate to Girls Who Code for each social media post that:

• Answers the question "Why are you proud to be a woman in tech?" or "Why are you proud to support women in tech?"
• Includes hashtag #2017WITW.

Proceeds driven from social media posts will fund scholarships for girls in middle and high school to pursue technology careers.

3. A female founders event to encourage and inspire women in tech: On Ada Lovelace Day, a holiday on October 10 that celebrates the achievements of women in STEM, the co-founders of companies such as The Muse, PolicyGenius and WayUp will share their stories with students and professionals pursuing technology careers at an event in New York City.

"When you teach girls to code, they build apps, programs and movements to help tackle our country's toughest problems," said Reshma Saujani, CEO and founder of Girls Who Code. "Our girls have created apps about the water crisis in Flint, games tackling period stigma and microprocessors that make guns safer. Through Women in Tech Week, CommonBond and other technology companies are helping us to empower women in technology, and create ways for today's girls to become tomorrow's leaders."

"As a tech company, we want to create an environment where anyone can feel empowered to launch and grow his or her career," said Radhika Duggal, vice president of marketing at CommonBond. "Our research found that women are extremely passionate about working in tech. We want to do everything we can to celebrate and support these women who are on the front lines of our industry, as well as encourage even more women to enter the tech workforce."

Women in Tech Week is part of CommonBond's ongoing commitment to positively affect social change. CommonBond is the first and only company in finance with a "1-for-1" social mission: for every loan CommonBond funds, it also funds the education of a child in need, through a partnership with Pencils of Promise. The company also sponsors the annual CommonBond Social Impact Award, which grants scholarships to the country's top social entrepreneurs. 

Additional information about Women in Tech Week can be found at www.commonbond.co/women-in-tech-week.

About CommonBond
CommonBond is a financial technology company on a mission to give students and graduates more transparent, simple, and affordable ways to pay for higher education. The company offers refinance loans to college graduates, new loans to current students, and a suite of student loan repayment benefits to employees through its CommonBond for Businesstm program. By designing a better student loan experience that combines advanced technology with competitive rates and award-winning customer service, CommonBond has funded over $1 billion in loans to date, for its tens of thousands of members. CommonBond is also the first and only finance company with a "1-for-1" social mission: for every loan it funds, CommonBond also funds the education of a child in need, through its partnership with Pencils of Promise. For more information, visit www.commonbond.co.

SOURCE CommonBond