Female Entrepreneurship Week 2023 will also feature successful entrepreneur Dr Diana Knodel, whose start-up company fobizz recently won the Hamburg State Prize and the Federal Prize of the KfW Award Gründen. Ahead of the WEEK UP! kick-off event, we spoke to her about the challenges of being a female founder in a male-dominated industry.
Entrepreneur Dr Diana Knodel will provide insights and guidance into the world of business start-ups at Founders’ Week 2023. In 2018, the computer scientist founded Fobizz, which is now the largest independent training platform for teachers. Meanwhile, 25 percent of teachers use the training courses offered there.
At the kick-off event for WEEK UP! women’s entrepreneurship week, the recently award-winning founder will share her own entrepreneurial journey, shed light on entrepreneurship in the tech sector (e.g. background, motivation, opportunities) and the challenges of a male-dominated industry. We asked her a few questions:
Start your start-up journey: Can you give us an insight into your first steps in the tech sector and what motivated you to start initiatives like “fobizz” and “App Camps”?
My first steps in the tech sector started during my studies in media informatics. I was fascinated by the possibilities of the IT industry. During my studies, I noticed that the percentage of women in the tech industry was still far too low. This motivated me to set up initiatives to get young people, especially girls, interested in computer science and STEM. This led to the university project CyberMentor, which introduces girls to female role models in STEM. Later, the idea of App Camps was born. We started with a coding workshop for girls, and now we develop digital teaching materials around computer science for schools. Then, about five years ago, my co-founders and I started fobizz, a platform for teachers and schools around training and AI applications for schools.
Dealing with challenges in the industry: Did you ever feel that you weren’t taken seriously, especially at the beginning of your career in the tech industry? How did you deal with those challenges?
Yes, I had that feeling all the time, especially at the beginning. Being a woman in a male-dominated industry, sometimes I had to prove myself more. Maybe people don’t trust you as much in the beginning. It’s certainly not always the case, but I’ve also had experiences that weren’t so great. I just built up a great network – with great women and men. It’s similar to what you’re doing with Week Up! I think it’s great and I’m happy to be a part of it!
Women in the tech industry: What advice would you give to other women who are thinking about entering the tech industry or starting their own business?
My advice to other women who want to enter the tech industry or start their own business: Take heart! The tech industry offers great opportunities and there are so many exciting projects and innovations to be a part of. The important thing is not to be intimidated by possible prejudices and to go your own way. Build a strong network, find mentors who will support you and let others inspire you.
Talent development and the future of education: How important is it for you to promote young talent and how do you integrate new, aspiring professionals into your projects and companies?
Promoting young talent has always been important to me. I strongly believe that everyone has the potential to succeed in the tech industry, regardless of gender or background. That’s why it’s important to us at App Camps to get young people excited about computer science and new technologies and to encourage them to implement their own ideas. We offer workshops and teaching materials to provide them with the necessary skills and knowledge.
Future prospects and upcoming projects: What are your plans and projects for the near future and are there any specific goals or initiatives we can look forward to in relation to “fobizz” and your other projects?
At fobizz we are currently working intensively on the topic of artificial intelligence. We offer a variety of training courses around AI and develop tools for teachers that make it easier for them to use AI and save time. For example, we have developed a kind of ChatGPT for schools and are working on an AI that accompanies pupils on their individual learning path. As there are always new developments in this field, we are all learning all the time.
Further information on Dr Diana Knodel
Dr Diana Knodel has expertise in computer science, psychology and educational research. She is the founder and managing director of “fobizz”, a leading training platform in German-speaking countries specialising in AI tools and applications for teaching staff and schools. Before embarking on this path, she held numerous positions in science and business. In 2014, she laid the foundation for the non-profit organisation “App Camps” and only four years later, in 2018, she founded the educational company fobizz. Her main goal is to integrate digital skills into classrooms and actively accompany schools in their digital transformation.
More information about the startup fobizz
Founded in 2018, fobizz is the first German-language professional development platform and provider of tools and AI for teachers and schools. In doing so, fobizz has set itself the task of advancing the digitalisation of teaching and enabling teachers to impart knowledge from the fields of artificial intelligence, media and IT to their students in a simple and practical way. fobizz sees itself in the role of a daily companion for teachers in order to relieve them in their everyday teaching.
Since its foundation, the fobizz team has already supported over 5,000 schools and more than 300,000 teachers in German-speaking countries. With over 300 certified self-learning courses and more than 20 digital practical aids, the company provides teachers with the tools to make their lessons interactive, effective and digital.
Hamburgische Investitions- und Förderbank and IFB Innovationsstarter GmbH have supported the company from the very beginning. The start-up received funding through the InnoFounder programme, which supports innovative, particularly digital or sustainability-oriented projects by founding teams or individuals.
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