Rising Presence of Latin American Women CEOs Making Waves in the Tech Industry

Women have shown strength and resilience, making a strong presence in fintech, health tech, biotech, and edtech industries. According to a recent study conducted by Statista, only about 3% of the world’s largest companies have female CEOs, despite women accounting for about 25% of the predicted CEO population in Latin America. However, this figure has improved to over 36% as of 2022. While only two Latin American women are CEOs of Fortune 500 companies in the US, the number of female entrepreneurs in STEM in Latin America and the Caribbean is on the rise, with 54% of these women raising capital for their ventures.

Laura Mendoza, the founder of Unima, is one example of a Latin American female entrepreneur making a difference. Her company creates at-home blood tests processed through smartphone images and sent to doctors, allowing patients to receive faster test results. Other female leaders impacting the region include Carolina Hernandez, CEO of Colorchain, who combines textile technology with safety certifications to create better uniforms for medical professionals. Komal Dadlani, co-founder and CEO of Lab4U, who created a smartphone app that simulates a science lab for STEM learning.

Despite these examples, women are still underrepresented in leadership positions in Latin America and worldwide. Latin America is growing in terms of tech companies, and the potential for women in leadership, but the bar for female representation is still too low. Efforts must be made to promote female and diverse ownership, leadership, and management in Latin America and beyond. However, the trend of Latin American women building their tables and sending invites to join them is definitely on the rise. The conversation around diversity and inclusion in tech leadership is just beginning.