This isn’t a winge. Rather a question. Why are women put off or restricted from entering the working world of tech? It’s fast moving, practical, exciting and has the potential to changes lives.

Technology is already proven to be the most exciting industry of the modern age and, yet, we suffer a serious shortage of female web designers, coders and tech investors in both public and private sector roles. According to e-Skills, fewer than 20% of people working as IT specialists in the UK are women.

The adoption of digital technology and social media should tell us something. And yet it is a confusing picture. According to Social Media London, last year 40 million more women visited Twitter than men each month. Why then is this not reflected in people’s professional choices?

Kathyrn Parsons, founder of Decoded, reminded London this week that there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that men are more competent than women when it comes to coding (and she was horrified at having to even say it).

If there are no practical or competence-based barriers to a level-playing field in the tech industry, then more needs to be done to break other nonsensical ones. We believe this should start at education level, to put a stop to ICT being considered as a supplementary subject to boost the number of GCSEs gained. Schemes, mentoring programmes and startup funding will all contribute to an improved picture. And then there is example setting from big corporates, where there is little excuse for anything but true diversity.

Whist neither being a woman nor having the ability to develop an app are pre-requisites of being part of the Missive team, we’re proud to have been founded by two female flag-bearers for the world of technology. Emma and Nicola have a collective twenty years’ experience helping tech businesses differentiate, grow and succeed.

Tech is no longer a bit bet. We are all in. And would never look back.