Earlier this week, as part of the 2023 SelectUSA Summit, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo hosted a discussion on the importance of getting more women involved in the tech sector. One of Secretary Raimondo’s top priorities at the Commerce Department remains uplifting women in the workforce, ensuring equal pay, and providing women with the resources needed to compete and be successful.

“Supporting women in tech is a priority for me and the Commerce Department, because the truth is that if we don’t invest in women’s success in the economy, our economy will never reach its full potential,” said Secretary Raimondo.

Shortly after her opening remarks at the summit, the Secretary hosted a one-on-one discussion with Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar, a strong advocate for empowering women in the tech sector. The discussion addressed challenges for women in this critical sector, ways to overcome these hurdles, and ways the public and private sectors are working together to empower women.

“The unfortunate reality of the tech sector is that women are grossly underrepresented in leadership roles. “In an industry clamoring for more women involvement, leaders like Sarah are crucial,” said Raimondo.

During the discussion, the Secretary also addressed her own story as a venture capitalist and both she and Ms. Friar gave advice from their careers as women in business. They addressed the importance of attracting and retaining both girls and women in the fields of science and technology and ways to ensure that more women are seated at the table in every boardroom. The Secretary and Ms. Friar also addressed the importance of providing resources to help women entrepreneurs get started, fund their ideas, and expand their network of mentors and advisors.

Friar encouraged women and young girls to be curious about technology and continue to establish a culture of innovation. “You can’t be what you can’t see,” she said. “We must see more women in the tech industry.”

The armchair was open to all summit attendees and included international business investors, economic developers, service providers, and government representatives from countries around the world.

The SelectUSA Summit is the premier U.S.-government initiative dedicated to facilitating job-creating business investment by foreign investors in the American market. Read more about SelectUSA here.