"In tech meetings I often start at minus ten"

Women continue to be underrepresented in the tech and AI industries. This often starts early on: with role models in the nursery, in the classroom, or at university. Carolin Edler-Mende, founder of the Heidelberg-based AI company Aristech and mother of three daughters, knows both perspectives: that of an entrepreneur in a male-dominated field – and that of a mother who observes how gender stereotypes are passed on as a given.

On International Day of the Girl, she speaks openly about her own experiences in the male-dominated tech world, why companies have more power to shape change than they realize, and why change begins where few people look: in everyday life.

Mrs. Edler-Mende, can you recall a situation in which you realized that you were perceived differently as a woman in the tech world?

Oh yes, there are quite a few. One situation in particular lingers in my memory: right at the beginning, when we were negotiating one of our first major contracts. I was traveling with a colleague, and we had met with the partner company beforehand. I stepped outside for a moment, and during that break, one of the partners said to my male colleague, “Ah, great that you have a pretty girl with you.” During the actual negotiations, I conducted the entire conversation and secured the contract. But this experience stuck with me. It wasn't an isolated incident—rather, it was a particularly brazen example of an attitude that I have encountered repeatedly.

In technical meetings, I often noticed that I wasn't starting from zero, but from minus ten. My male colleagues were assumed to be competent, but I had to prove myself first. That was especially true in the early years. Today, it happens less often—my role as founder and CEO of a now well-established company has changed perceptions. But the basic pattern remains, especially for younger women.

Did that never put you off?

No. I was lucky. I grew up with the idea that it was normal for women to work. My mother, my grandmothers—they all had careers, even with children. For me, that was completely normal. I never believed that I had to choose between a career and a family.

It was only later that I realized how special that actually was. For many women in my environment, things were different. Often, the classic career break occurs as soon as the first child arrives: women take on more responsibility at home, men remain in full-time employment—and it is rare for this imbalance to ever be truly corrected. This is not an individual issue, it is structural. Studies by the Federal Employment Agency show that around three-quarters of mothers work part-time, compared to just 17 percent of fathers. That says it all, really.

You have three daughters. What do you observe in them?

It is alarming how early and how naturally gender stereotypes take hold. You can already see this in kindergarten. Boys are immediately assumed to be interested in technology. With girls, the attitude is: “Well, you could give it a try.”

But when girls are offered the same opportunities, they seize them just as naturally. My daughters love unicorns just as much as robots. One does not exclude the other – it's just that they are rarely offered both. That's where the problem begins: the unspoken societal message is often that technology is not really for them. This has a lasting impact, and it is difficult to undo later on.

You say that the decisive influence comes early on. What do you mean by that?

If we want more women to help shape AI, we need to start much earlier—with socialization. Girls need to experience from the very beginning that everything is open to them. That doesn't just mean, “You can do that too,” but rather, "Of course, we believe you can do it.”

I see this every year on Girls' Day or International Day of the Girl at our company. When girls come to our offices and talk to female developers, their eyes light up. These moments are invaluable because they show that the interest is there – if you open up the space for it.

How do you implement this approach at Aristech today?

Today, over 50 percent of our employees are women—including our development team. That's unusual in our industry. We make a conscious effort to ensure that women aren't automatically assigned to “data annotation” or communication roles, while men get the development jobs. If a female colleague wants to work in development, she gets the chance. And the women do an excellent job.

And we design our working models in such a way that parents can truly work as equals. Flexible hours, an understanding of childcare circumstances. I have many fathers in my team who have taken long periods of parental leave. This is just as natural as it is for mothers.

Where do you see the biggest blind spots?

Many companies write diversity into their strategy papers—but they don't live it. Structures are still designed around a male full-time model. Part-time work is often seen as a “career risk.” Fathers who take parental leave have to justify themselves.

I have often heard people say, “My husband can't take parental leave right now because...” – and this sentence always sounds the same, regardless of the job. And for mothers, it always seems to be possible, as if by magic. If we don't question this, nothing will change. Companies can make a much bigger difference here if they want to.

What would you like to see happen on International Day of the Girl?

I want girls to be shown everything from the very beginning and for us to trust them to be capable of anything. The future will be shaped by AI and software. And women need to be involved in shaping it. I also want us to stop viewing diversity as an add-on. It's not about special roles, but about equal opportunities – right from the start.