News | Conference

Gender and FinTech Entrepreneurship

In November, the Harriet Tailor Mill Institute of the HWR Berlin organized the second Ta'raabet conference on gender with international guests.

25.11.2024

TAraabet Konferenz  Gruppenfoto Redner*innen
Photo: Manfred H. Vogel

The conference was part of the academic collaboration between the Université de Tunis El Manar (UTM) and the HWR Berlin. This year, the conference focused on the exchange of business practice and academic research on the topic of "Gender and Fintech Entrepreneurship".

After a welcoming address by Dr. Andrea-Hilla Carl, HTMI of the HWR Berlin, the Dean of the Faculty of Economics Prof. Dr. Ursula Walter and Prof. Dr. Adel Boubaker, Directeur du département Finance et Comptabilité de la FSEGT (Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management of Univeristé des Tunis El Manar), the morning was dedicated to practical experience.

The first part of the conference was shaped by international experts with their contributions and diverse insights from the field:

  1. Keynote: "FinTech, AI, and Gender: Closing Gaps or Reinforcing Bias?" by Agnieszka Maria Walorska, Founder & CEO mika.tax
  2. Fireside Chat: "FinTech Entrepreneurship: Diversity and Gender in Focus"
    Prof. Dr. Jennifer Pédussel Wu talking with Dr. Carolin Gabor (Co-Founder & Managing Partner Caesar Ventures Management GmbH; Non-executive Director; Founder of fintexx - Women in Finance)
  3. Introductory Lecture: "FinTech in Berlin: The Dynamic Startup Scene and the Special Position of Female Founders" by Sandra Thumm (Network & Marketing Manager Startup Incubator, HWR Berlin) & Kathrin Jahnke (Project Management Startup Incubator, HWR Berlin) and
  4. Fireside Chat: "Shaping the Future: FinTech Companies and Gender Diversity in Employment, Leadership and/or Product Design" Prof. Dr. Arafet Farroukh (UTM Tunis) talking with Lesley Luli (CEO and Co-Founder U Impact) and Miriam Wohlfahrth (Founder Ratepay/Banxware & Expert Digital Economy)

The afternoon was reserved for science with two parallel sessions on slightly different topics: Session

  • Session 1: "Digital Disruption in the FinTech Sector: Strategies to overcome discrimination and empower women"
  • Session 2: "Gender, Fintech and Social Justice: New Perspectives for Female Entrepreneurs and Digital Working Environments".

The afternoon was entitled "Gender and FinTech Entrepreneurship: Insights into recent scientific research". There were insights into a total of 10 research projects, each of which had intersections with the FinTech sector and gender.