Dirkjan Hupkes is a passionate advocate for equal opportunities, and he aims to address gender disparities in tech. As the host of the podcast “Women Disrupting Tech,” he provides a platform for women in tech to inspire and lead. With over 20 years of experience in compliance, risk management, and product development, Dirkjan also supports small and mid-sized companies in creating a more inclusive work environment through the True Story Company.
Recently, in an exclusive interview with CXO Outlook Magazine, Dirkjan shared his professional trajectory, insights on the mission and vision of his podcast, ‘Women Disrupting Tech’, the best piece of advice he has ever received, his favorite quote, future plans, words of wisdom, and much more. The following excerpts are taken from the interview.
Hi Dirkjan. Please brief us about yourself and your journey as a Founder at True Story Company.
Thank you for the opportunity. I worked in financial services for 20 years. Towards the end, I wasn’t happy about the fact that I wasn’t having a direct impact. So, I decided to quit my job and start with True Story Company. It has been a huge learning experience, both on a personal and a business level. It’s one that I’m very grateful for.
About two years ago, while working for a startup, I discovered that female-led startups find it more challenging to attract funding than male-led startups. This discovery set me on a path to make this inequality a thing of the past.
Can you please tell us about your podcast ‘Women Disrupting Tech’? What is the mission and vision of the podcast?
With my podcast, Women Disrupting Tech, I want to give women in tech a platform to inspire other women to join them. I started making the podcast after seeing a statistic about startup funding: 2 percent of all investments in tech startups go to teams with female founders. I became curious as to why the percentage was so low and started investigating the reasons through my interviews. Pretty quickly, I found out that there are not many role models for women who aspire to work in tech. Since I do not have the money to invest in tech startups myself, providing a platform was a viable way to make a difference.
My mission is to eliminate gender disparity in tech funding and inspire more women to enter the industry.
The goal of the podcast is to be obsolete by the end of 2032. That may sound a bit weird, but I really believe that when you start something, you need to ensure that, at some point, you’re no longer needed. So, by the end of 2032, diversity and inclusion in the tech ecosystem will be a non-issue, the new normal. This means that we consider it normal for women to work in tech and receive the same funding as men.
What does male allyship mean to you, and why is it essential to achieving gender equality in tech?
Maybe we should reconsider the term “allyship” as it does not represent the collaboration needed to achieve gender equality.
Women make up 50% of the population and deserve equal opportunities and rewards to men. So, just look at it from the point of view that these are our sisters, daughters, spouses, and mothers. If you do, it’s ridiculous that there is still a gender pay gap of 13%, and it’s a shame that we still know so little about women’s health. Especially considering the advancements we’re making in other areas, such as space exploration. I mean, would you wish this level of inequality for the women around you?
I’m convinced that supporting gender equality leads to a fairer and healthier planet. McKinsey released a study showing that addressing the health gap between men and women would increase global GDP by US$1 trillion.
What role do you think men have in creating a more inclusive tech industry?
I believe we have two roles. One is to support the women around us in being the best person they can be. To do that, men have to realize that this is not a zero-sum game. Men do not have to sacrifice or give way to women. In fact, the only way that we’ll have sufficient technological advances to support our lives in the future is to have more women work in tech. So, there are plenty of opportunities for everyone.
The second role is to start changing the narrative. It is time for us to face our biases about what women can and cannot do. I think we have taught ourselves for too long that tech is for boys. And it’s not.
What do you believe to be the benefits of encouraging and supporting women in tech?
Well, there is a clear business case for fostering an inclusive tech environment. Diverse teams perform better, have higher productivity, and have better financial results. This is true for both tech startups and larger tech companies, and there are quite a few studies about it from reputable firms and universities.
Also, some work was done on unicorns, and all unicorns in the past 10 years had a more or less diverse founder base.
In your academic or work career, were there any mentors who have helped you grow along the way? What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?
I had a couple of mentors, but one stands out. Yvonne Timmerman encouraged me to start discovering myself. At the time, I was convinced about who I was. But thanks to her, I went on a personal development training and discovered that I could be so much more.
What is your favorite quote?
“Privilege is leverage”. That’s a quote I heard during a panel discussion at a tech conference in Amsterdam last year. It is about using the privilege that you have as leverage to support others in getting there. It applies particularly to the discussion of diversity, equity, and inclusion in tech.
White men, like me, have an opportunity to use that privilege as leverage to help other people achieve the same starting position. When I heard a black woman say this, I felt empowered to really push this forward.
What is your biggest stress reliever?
Doing sports is probably my biggest stress reliever. I work out three days per week to stay fit. Meditation comes in as a close second, though.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?
Five years from now, I will use the knowledge I’ve gathered as a podcast host to help tech companies improve their processes and performance with diverse teams. It would be wonderful if I could also be a speaker on the topic as well.
What tangible and actionable advice would you give to other men in tech to be better allies to women in tech?
Well, I ‘ll borrow this from one of my recent guests, Ruben Brave. He said that it all starts with asking a woman if she ever felt unequally treated and then really listen to her story.
You shouldn’t see it as criticism or as an attack on your masculinity but rather as a way to develop empathy for her experiences.
From there, the step to creating equal opportunities becomes easier.