Bringing women into the tech field has been an uphill battle, but one worth fighting. As half of the population, women represent a powerful source of talent in a time when technology skills are in demand. One problem is that technology fields simply weren’t seen as interesting or exciting. Now, thanks to new tools that make coding fun and organizations devoted to spreading the love of technology to women, more women than ever are joining the ranks of the tech-savvy.

To shed some light on this change, John Furrier and Dave Vellante, cohosts of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, joined Adriana Gascoigne, CEO and founder of Girls in Tech, Inc., at the IBM InterConnect 2016 conference in Las Vegas.

Creating a demand

Bringing women into the tech field isn’t something that happens overnight. Women need a reason to take up the tech banner. Girls in Tech, Gascoigne said, is one of the first women-in-technology organizations in Silicon Valley. This organization promotes technology to women and supports the cause amongst companies. Gascoigne pointed out how more women were getting into coding now that technology is seen as exciting, which means more women are sharing resources and collaborating together.

The best way to bring women into technology, Gascoigne said, is exposure. Organizations like Girls in Tech, workshops and opportunities to code are all working to ignite an interest in technology. Books, blogs and events make it easier for women to hear about and learn coding.

The benefits of sponsorship

Girls in Tech founds chapters to help spread its message. New chapters get off the ground, Gascoigne explained, when someone sends her an email. After an interview and reference check, she sends the applicant a curriculum kit with everything necessary to start up. From there, she said, it’s a matter of building the community and working with the local tech ecosystem.

As an organization, Girls in Tech is about building communities, Gascoigne said. It’s also about holding companies accountable, as some businesses will talk about helping women, but then not actually do anything. Girls in Tech is scaling up to help educate women all over the world.

Watch the full interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of IBM InterConnect 2016. And join in on the conversation by CrowdChatting with theCUBE hosts.

Photo by SiliconANGLE