Female Entrepreneurship Week 2023 will also feature successful entrepreneur Dr. Diana Knodel, whose startup fobizz recently won the Hamburg State Prize and the Federal Prize at the KfW Entrepreneurship Award. We spoke to her in the run-up to the kick-off event WEEK UP! about the challenges of being a female founder in a male-dominated industry.
Entrepreneur Dr. Diana Knodel provides insights and guidance into the start-up world at Female Entrepreneurship Week 2023. In 2018, the computer science graduate founded fobizz, now the largest independent training platform for teachers. Today, 25 percent of teachers use the training courses offered there.
At the kick-off event of the Female Entrepreneurship Week WEEK UP!, the recently awarded maker will present her own start-up journey, shed light on start-ups in the tech sector (e.g. background, motivation, opportunities) and the challenges of a male-dominated industry. We asked her a few questions about this:
Can you give us an insight into your first steps in the tech sector and what motivated you to set up initiatives such as “fobizz” and “App Camps”?
My first steps in the tech sector began during my media informatics studies. I was fascinated by the opportunities offered by the IT sector. During my studies, I realized that the proportion of women in the tech sector is still far too low. This motivated me to set up initiatives to get young people, especially girls, interested in computer science and STEM. This initially led to the CyberMentor university project, in which schoolgirls meet female role models from the STEM sector. Later, the idea for app camps was born. Initially with a coding workshop for girls, today we develop digital teaching materials on computer science for schools. A good five years ago, my co-founders and I then founded fobizz, a platform for teachers and schools for further education and artificial intelligence applications for schools.
Have you ever had the feeling, especially at the beginning of your career in the tech industry, of not being taken completely seriously? How did you deal with such challenges?
Yes, I had that feeling again and again, especially at the beginning. As a woman in a male-dominated industry, I sometimes had to prove myself more. Perhaps less is expected of you at first. That’s certainly not always the case everywhere, but of course I’ve also had experiences that weren’t so great. I’ve simply built up my own great network – with great women and men. Similar to what you do with the Week Up! I think that’s great and I’m happy to be part of it!
What advice would you give to other women who are thinking about starting out in tech or starting their own business?
My advice to other women who want to start in the tech industry or start their own business is: Dare! The tech industry offers great opportunities and there are so many exciting projects and innovations that you can be part of. It’s important not to be intimidated by any prejudices and to go your own way. Build a strong network, find mentors to support you and be inspired by others.
How crucial is it for you to promote young talent and how do you integrate new, up-and-coming professionals into your projects and companies?
Promoting young talent has always been important to me. I firmly believe that everyone has the potential to be successful 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 encourage them to realize their own ideas. We offer workshops and teaching materials to give them the necessary skills and knowledge.
What plans and projects do you have for the near future, and are there any particular 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 on AI and are developing tools for teachers to enable 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 journey. As there are always new developments in this area, we are all constantly learning and it’s a lot of fun.
Further information about Dr. Diana Knodel
Dr. Diana Knodel has expertise in the fields of computer science, psychology and educational research. She is the founder and managing director of “fobizz”, a leading training platform in German-speaking countries specializing 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 organization “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 support schools in their digital transformation.
Further information about the startup fobizz
Founded in 2018, fobizz is the first German-language training platform and provider of tools and AI for teachers and schools. fobizz has set itself the task of advancing the digitalization 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 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-study courses and more than 20 digital practical aids, the company provides teachers with the tools they need to make their lessons interactive, effective and digital.
Hamburgische Investitions- und Förderbank and IFB Innovationsstarter GmbH have supported the company from the outset. The start-up received funding via the InnoFounder program, which supports innovative, particularly digital or sustainability-oriented projects by start-up teams or individuals.
Link to the event:
https://startupport.de/events/few2023_week-up/
