Inspiring Women In Tech From Europe To Watch In 2021

When many of us think of tech, we tend to picture it as a male-dominated field. This assumption often proves quite accurate as several reports suggest that top positions are held by men. This is on its way to changing, however, as there are a number of inspiring women in tech making waves.

Within Europe, which is a global tech hub, many female tech entrepreneurs are emerging in management positions, product development, PR, and so on. With 2021 being such an important and interesting year for tech watchers, here are some of the women in European tech to look out for:

1. Elena Aster, founder of Aster Venture Capital

With an over 10-year career as an entrepreneur and fundraiser for tech companies and startups, also having Master degree in Applied Physics and Mathematics, combining these experiences Elena Aster founded ASTER Venture Capital, a VC fund that focuses on investing in disruptive technologies in AI, Blockchain and Robotics. All these industries are actively developing and gaining momentum, bringing great benefits to humanity. In the next 10-15 years, the number of industrial robots will at least double, the global AI market may grow by a third, and the global Mobility market is projected to grow from $251 billion to $1.8 trillion in 2028.

“While working with high-net-worth individuals and startup teams, it is very important to think about a long-term strategy and stay focused. I am passionate about my work and always do what I really love. That helps me to cope with any situation. In business, I respect logic, scale and energy. And it’s pretty easy for me to work with both men and women.”

2. Katerina Antonova, cofounder of Aeris PR

Katerina is an expert in strategic communications and public relations. As a co-founder and CEO of a boutique agency Aeris PR, she helps tech startups and VC firms from Europe, Russia and the US to develop brand awareness and increase exposure. She has a master's degree in PR, over 10 years of expertise in FinTech, AI, HealthTech and EdTech, great communication skills and a large network of editors, VC’s and entrepreneurs all around the world. Katerina works with the best media outlets and her clients were featured in TechCrunch, VentureBeat and Forbes. Her work has helped these companies with growth, attracting the best talents, sales and fundraising. She is an Entrepreneur and Thrive Global Contributor, and an author at GritDaily and Business2Community.

She is a member of PRSA ( Public Relations Society of America) and GWPR (Global Women in PR). Furthermore, she actively supports women in business by creating and developing “Womenpreneur club” community. She is also a speaker at a variety of tech conferences and forums, and regularly gives masterclasses and lectures at universities and social organizations.

3. Natalia Khludova, head of marketing in CEE & CIS, Genesys

With over 13 years in strategic communications for international tech brands, Natalia develops and executes integrated communications campaigns for both B2C and B2B companies operating in highly diversified cross-cultural informational environments. Having cooperated with such giants as Nuance, Seagate, Genesys, Western Digital, as well as with newly born and rapidly emerging startups, she has supported early releases of disrupting and new-to-market technologies –– speech recognition, voice biometrics, personal clouds, Wi-Fi HDDs, CC AI, VR. On this challenging journey of educating the markets and growing their maturity, Natalia has delivered a range of edge-cutting communications campaigns to attract early adopters, nurture audience’s interest and grow the CEE markets’ maturity, pushing forward the innovative solutions adoption and quite often anticipating upcoming marketing tools.

"Scaling the innovations to benefit humanity, paired with corporate social responsibility campaigns is something that I see as my mission. I am lucky to have the opportunity to combine my female fine feeling of people and communications with the power offered by male-dominated tech industry, to empower technological evolution."

4. Daria Tsvenger, founder of ELG Leads

Daria Tsvenger is a Forbes-featured mindset coach and serial entrepreneur, who is most known as the go-to person to 10x your business and confidently showcase your unique talents.

After quitting a six-figure job in Silicon Valley, Daria started coaching high performers - helping to unlock their mindset and organize teams and build systems to scale their businesses. Through her Business Development Agency, ELG Leads, Daria delivers 20x ROI for early-stage startups by teaching them how to get meetings with their ideal clients (on autopilot) and open any doors. Daria also serves as an LP at a European Family Office and is a Partner in an e-commerce art company.

With a background in Cognitive Neuroscience from Stanford and personal experience dealing with depression, she serves as an Ambassador at a 503(c) non-for-profit “A Safe Place Inside Your Head” (doing weekly talks for over 680,000 followers worldwide) and a Mental Wellness Mentor at 500 Startups. Daria is also a sought-after Mental Wellness speaker for companies like Robinhood, MGM and General Assembly.

5. Anastasia Chernikova, Editor-in-Chief of The Vivid Minds

Anastasia is a business journalist covering the world’s top tech companies and entrepreneurs. From interviewing Jan Koum, the Founder of WhatsApp right after he sold his messenger to Facebook for $18B to Vitalkin Buterin who’s reshaped the crypto scene as we know it, her endeavors have taken her around the world from Moscow to New York City. In addition to her work as a journalist, Anastasia has helped organize some of the top US’s blockchain and FinTech events with leaders including computer scientist Nick Szabo, the Founder of TechCrunch Michael Arrington, tech investor Tim Draper and more.

Currently, Anastasia is the Editor-in-Chief of The Vivid Minds, a community-driven media featuring creative leaders who overcome challenges yet proceed to move forward and achieve. Anastasia's passion lies in making others feel less alone in their bold moves and struggles through embracing vulnerability and honest discussions.

6. Rasa Sosnovskytė, Head of SEO at Oxylabs.io

With over 7 years of experience in SEO with a Master’s Degree in International Marketing Management, Rasa is a recognized leader in Lithuania’s IT industry. She helps brands become globally recognized through tech-savvy implementations of advertising strategies and by sharing her marketing knowledge in international conferences. Primarily working with IT-based startups, Rasa has been using innovations delivered by the field to create impressive automation solutions for marketing purposes. Her campaigns have been successfully driving massive amounts of interest for both B2C and B2B companies, creating ample opportunities for growth.

“My mission is to help companies grow from small businesses to household names by using innovative solutions by companies in the technology sector. While the IT-field is a heavily male-dominated one, I find that being highly data-focused and grounded in facts truly brings everyone together.”