How many times have you heard that women are underrepresented in the tech world? The numbers don't lie: only 22% of tech professionals in Italy are women. But those numbers only tell part of the story. What they don't say is that women in tech who are making their way are changing the rules of the game, bringing different perspectives and innovative solutions that address real problems, not just tech gadgets for the next quarter. It's no coincidence that Talent Garden, one of the main innovation ecosystems in Europe, is strongly focusing on female profiles that cross the boundaries between different disciplines: from physics to artificial intelligence, from law to innovative caregiving. It is precisely these “hybrid” profiles that are silently revolutionizing the Italian tech landscape.
The pioneers of Italian tech
There is an invisible thread that links the stories of these women in tech: they have all been able to combine different skills, creating that multidisciplinary vision that is often missing in the purely technical approach. Julia DeMartini, with his background in physics and biostatistics, today leads TheFabLab as CEO and Head of Research. Martina Sunday He turned his legal background into a legal tech startup. Cynthia Tessarolo revolutionized the concept of caregiving with Family+Happy.
It is not just about “women in a man’s world”, but about brilliant minds who have been able to see connections where others saw only watertight compartments. Their stories represent a paradigm shift: no longer tech for tech’s sake, but innovation at the service of concrete and socially relevant problems. This is, if you think about it, the silent and epochal passage of women in tech in Italy. A passage that completely overcomes the question of representativeness. The woman in tech in Italy is not there to represent, but to realize.
Giulia De Martini: The Physics That Connects the Dots
At the helm of TheFabLab, as mentioned, is Julia DeMartini, a physicist who decided to study the impact of innovation on society with a holistic approach. Her digital production lab is not just a place where prototypes are created, but a space of awareness on the technological and human skills needed to navigate the future. And it is never a purely technical or gender issue, as you can read in her own words:
For me, innovation emerges from complexity and therefore from diversity. An effective team must have people with different skills: both those acquired in the field (skill first) and those structured through formal paths. Similarly, an all-male or all-female team would be a limitation. Innovation thrives when it is built on a diverse ecosystem, just as in nature a more biodiverse environment is more resilient.
I am struck by his analogy with natural ecosystems, because it captures the essence of the problem perfectly: homogeneity breeds fragility, while diversity creates resilience. It is a principle that applies both in nature and in technological innovation. Giulia she is also personally committed to broadening access to innovation, aware that for many women in tech the door has been (and often still is) closed. Her testimony is a powerful reminder of how important it is not only to excel in your field, but also pave the way for others.
Martina Domenicali: When Law Meets AI
If there is a sector that until 20 years ago seemed immune even to digitalization, it is the legal sector. And yet, Martina Sunday saw an opportunity where others saw only tradition. With Lexroom.ai is helping the lawyers save 73% of their time on legal research through artificial intelligence software.
Her education in Bologna and her specialization in New Technologies at King's College London perfectly represent the contamination of skills that characterizes the most innovative women in tech. She has not limited herself to being a lawyer who uses technology, but has created a bridge between two apparently distant worlds. And she has a very clear vision on the value of diversity in innovation teams:
I strongly believe in two things: just as multidisciplinarity brings value to the key people of a team, so too does the complementarity of soft skills that you have in a founding team of women and men. The diversity of approaches combined with alignment in vision is a very powerful tool that has allowed our team to grow quickly.
His observation on the differences in approach between men and women in the world of startup. When she says that women need to learn that “it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission,” she touches on a crucial point: tech women often limit themselves by waiting for the “right” moment or permission to dare, while the startup ecosystem rewards those who move quickly, even at the cost of making mistakes.
Cinzia Tessarolo: Reinventing Caregiving with Technology
In an era where there is so much talk about work-life balance, Cynthia Tessarolo created something that goes beyond words. With Family+Happy, Cinzia has developed an innovative Caregiving service that uses artificial intelligence to select and certify caregivers nationwide.
His intuition? Make professional caregiving cheaper than black labor and available for emergencies within 90 minutes. Bam. A model that involves companies, creating a rare example of win-win where everyone benefits: employees, companies (which reduce the hours of absence) and caregivers themselves. As a woman and entrepreneur, Cinzia was able to see a problem that many ignored, transforming it into a business opportunity with a strong social impact. It is the concrete demonstration of how women in tech often bring to innovation a sensitivity to real-life problems that others might overlook.
Other women in tech who are making their mark
The ecosystem of Talent Garden It is not limited to founders, but also includes former students who are blazing new trails. Sandra Cutrone ed Elisa Furlanetto, both trained in UE Design, have built careers in User Experience and E-Commerce, sectors historically dominated by men. The case of Alice Pomiato, then, is particularly emblematic: thanks to the Master in Business Sustainability Management she has become one of the most influential communicators in the sustainability field, with 73 thousand followers on Instagram. Another paradigm, women in tech are also redefining the boundaries of scientific communication and outreach, bringing complex topics to an ever-wider audience.
The Value of the Skill-First Approach in Innovation
A recurring theme in the stories of these tech women is the importance of a skills-first approach rather than traditional training paths. As she notes Julia DeMartini:
In the world of AI, for example, there are no perfect academic paths yet: practical experience counts more. But a team also needs structured thinkers, and this is where the mix between skill first and certified skills becomes fundamental.
This balanced vision perfectly reflects the approach also based on practical training and learning on the field, which enriches and certainly does not devalue traditional academic paths. As he says again Giulia:
The added value of a woman is not her gender in itself, but the diversity she brings. And I am sure that the most diverse teams will be the ones that will bring the best results.
And it is precisely this variety of backgrounds, approaches and visions that makes the Italian innovation ecosystem increasingly rich and promising.
The future is already here (more women and more tech than we think)
Looking at the Italian tech landscape through the stories of these professionals, a simple and powerful truth emerges: the future of innovation will be increasingly multidisciplinary, oriented towards concrete problems. and, inevitably, more feminine. Not for a question of quotas or political correctness, but for pure evolutionary necessity: complex problems require diversified approaches, and women in tech are proving to excel precisely in that ability to connect different disciplines and see beyond watertight compartments. As underlined Martina Sunday, the value goes beyond the single project:
The added value is not only in the single project, but as an example for future generations. There is no valid reason why women should hold back.
This is the most important message of these pioneers: they are opening up paths that others can follow more easily, creating models of female leadership in tech that until recently seemed unthinkable in the Italian context. The paradox is that while we are still discussing the gender gap in tech, these tech women are already working, silently but inexorably, to build the future.
And these futures they are building seem decidedly more interesting, humane and inclusive than many of the techno-utopian visions we have been accustomed to.
