EP #532 - Bea Knecht, Carla Bünger & Sandra Trittin: Why Aren’t There More Women in Tech?

Timestamps:

4:58 - Diversity in tech: challenges and opportunities

6:08 - Recruiting challenges in tech

13:00 - Supporting girls in STEM

This episode was sponsored by Google Cloud. Join their Founder's Story event on December 4th to hear an exclusive panel discussion with visionary leaders sharing what it takes to go from building companies to funding them. Link is in the bio! This episode was originally a live conversation recorded at the SEF.Growth Founders Conference back in June 2025.

Episode Summary:

Beat Knecht is the co-founder and CEO of the TV streaming provider Zattoo, and a general partner at the VC fund REALR. She also founded Genistat and Levuro. Bea holds a BA in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Carla Bünger is the co-founder of Phoenix Technologies, a tech cluster that drives the AI landscape through its sovereign hyper-secure IT infrastructure (kvant Cloud) and its SaaS solutions in frontier technologies. She also co-founded KORE Technologies Switzerland. Carla holds an MA in International Relations from the Geneva Graduate Institute.

Sandra Trittin is the co-founder and CGO of beebop.ai, a power grid orchestration software which unlocks grid flexibility within consumer devices, turning it into a valuable, tradable asset. She also founded Futurize Energy. Sandra holds an MBA from Mannheim Business School.

During their chat with Silvan, our 3 guests discussed the current representation of women in tech in the Western world. Women are significantly underrepresented in tech, especially in leadership roles (e.g., only 22% of AI professionals in Switzerland are women). They face career obstacles such as stereotypes, biases, and societal filters that hinder their progress.

Diverse teams drive innovation, but the tech industry often overlooks this potential. To improve gender representation, proactive efforts are needed, including:

• Encouraging risk-taking (critical for startups and leadership).

• Building support systems (mentorship, peer networks).

• Fostering STEM environments for girls to ensure future diversity.

• Addressing unconscious biases in hiring and promotions.

Ultimately, empowering women in tech requires systemic change, from education to workplace culture, to unlock their full potential and drive long-term progress.

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