Raechel Canipe started Women in Tech and Entrepreneurship as a small group of just ten women, mostly friends of hers. The goal was to bring women together to support each other and network in Tampa. However, unexpectedly, women from Tallahassee, Orlando, Jacksonville, and South Florida started driving to Tampa for events because there were no free and accessible resources in their communities specifically for women in tech and entrepreneurship. Today, two years later, there are chapters across the state with over 3000 women, half of whom work in the tech industry while the other half are entrepreneurs who have started their own businesses or plan to do so.
The group includes a variety of entrepreneurs, from technology start-ups to more traditional businesses like law firms, agencies, and health coaches. Amy Crosby joined the group to mentor others after retiring after 20 years in Silicon Valley. She has joined forces with entrepreneur Heather DePalma to build Profferfish, a tech platform connecting high school students with the community to earn volunteer hours needed for Bright Future scholarships. The duo aims to make the process more efficient by providing an online platform instead of relying on paper forms. Profferfish is currently working towards going statewide while Women in Tech has ambitions to expand nationally. Raechel Canipe stresses that success in the tech industry does not require a computer science degree and wants to help more women find success in the industry.
On a different note, the deaths of ten Indian students across the country due to suicide, accidental overdose or disappearing have raised concerns about mental health within the Indian community since 2024. This tragic trend has highlighted the need for addressing and supporting mental health issues among Indian students.
