Women In Tech: Leyla Seyidzadeh on the development of WIT in Azerbaijan

Leila Seyidzade, City — Baku, Women In Tech Azerbaijan, Chapter Director, Instagram

About the Community

I am the head of Women in Tech Azerbaijan. Since 2023, we have officially existed under the Women in Tech brand, but I have been working on the Women in STEM topic for a long time. Previously, I worked in an international organization and supervised this area. For the past five years, I have been engaged in innovation, worked within the UN system, and specialize in strategic communications.

Over time, it became clear that these areas could be effectively combined to attract more women to technology and STEM. I regret not having an IT education, so I consider it my mission to support women in IT: those who doubt their choice, those who want to enter the field, and those who, on the contrary, are considering leaving. This often happens when they do not see prospects and do not feel support.

Our community has existed since 2022, and during this time, we have conducted numerous educational events and public meetings.

At different times, we set different goals. Initially, we aimed to attract as many women as possible to the field of technology and help them take their first steps in their profession. This aligns with the global goal of our organization — to engage five million women in the Tech industry by 2030. However, over time, depending on what was happening, we adjusted our goals.

1. This year, our key task is, above all, power. We realized: you can endlessly discuss, speak, and say the right things, but it doesn’t work if you don’t have power. The power to make decisions, pay for necessary resources, and choose your own path. Therefore, in 2025, we are less focused on raising awareness — because society is already well-informed.

We are focused on solving deeper tasks, such as institutionalizing our organization so that we can independently fund important initiatives. We also want more women with financial power to make decisions around us. Because it is easier for a woman to understand why it is important to support another woman — one who is just starting her journey.

2. The second task, which we have continued to work on since last year, is diversity. We no longer talk only about “women’s” issues or exclusively about gender equality, as it is often perceived as a “women’s” agenda. But in reality, gender equality is a matter of diversity and inclusion. Therefore, we are now actively involving men in dialogue and participation in our events, programs, and initiatives.

Community Members

We have three categories of members:

1. The first category is schoolgirls and students aged 10 to 18. They come to our events, participate in projects ranging from simple festivals to scholarships awarded by our organization.
2. The second category is women already working in the profession. They join us mostly by invitation. We invite them to become speakers, mentors, trainers, or coaches. These are women ready to share their experience and support others.
3. And the third category is mothers. Mostly, these are mothers who want to help their daughters build successful careers in technology and STEM. Their participation is important — because family support plays a key role in professional choice.

Becoming part of our community is simple — just send your number, and we will add you to the WhatsApp group to receive all updates. Our system is transparent — this is our main principle. We do not limit ourselves to a narrow circle. One of the problems for women is that it is difficult for them to join a community, and we strive to be as open as possible.

We are open to cooperation with everyone working in the field. We are ready to accept anyone who shows interest, registers, and, if necessary, pays for participation — depending on the format of the event. There is no need to go through complex procedures or personally know the leadership. We strive to be accessible, understandable, and close to every woman.

Events for Community Members

We have many formats. We hold large events and festivals with up to 4,000 participants, including ministers, lecturers, and specialists from various fields. There are regular meetings in a talk format — monthly conversations with girls from universities.

The camp format is also popular — bootcamps lasting one or two nights with mentors, soft skills training, intensives, and so on. It resembles a sleepover party where no one sleeps — everyone talks. The main goal is recharging and finding new directions. The key is live contact with mentors, with whom you can continue communicating after the event.

We also have a book club where we read and discuss literature on women’s leadership. One of our recent projects was Perfect Failure. There is too much talk about “successful success,” which I do not believe in. We learn from mistakes. Failure provides an opportunity for reflection and honest analysis, unlike the euphoria that often accompanies success. We need a culture of real stories, not idealized images of women who “manage everything.” In reality, many burn out. I myself see tired women who just want to sleep. By making the truth visible, we help others understand: they are not alone.

We also established the Maya Gadzhieva scholarship — the first female mathematician in Azerbaijan. Together with the Education Development Fund and Bakcell, we conducted reskilling and upskilling courses for 30 women.

We hold business breakfasts, corporate events, and seminars. One of the projects was Diversity & Inclusion for SMEs, which included four seminars for small and medium-sized businesses. This topic rarely becomes a priority for them, but we started the dialogue because they are the real driving force. They are the ones who work closest to people.

The She Invest project will soon launch. We want to teach women about investing. Money is a tool of power. Many earn money but do not know how to manage their funds. We want to give women knowledge and confidence.

Artificial Intelligence is another area we are developing.

Finally, we decided to expand the boundaries and go beyond just tech. Women professionals have a need for support and networking, regardless of the industry. This also applies to active mothers who want more for their daughters but do not have a platform for communication themselves. We work with them too. Our community is for all professional women.

How the Community Helps with Development

1. Networking. People meet each other and use these connections. It is proven that women have fewer such opportunities, especially in traditional societies where they rarely visit gyms, restaurants, or events. From the very beginning, ways of socializing are less accessible to them. Therefore, networking in a safe and free environment is important in itself.

2. Training, education. You come, gain knowledge and a certificate — and can use them further.

3. Creating opportunities. For example, our scholarship helped girls get an education. We also share information about other grants and programs. Through us, you can learn about new directions, scholarships, and other opportunities.

Successful Projects

We do not have a history of supporting startups. We support women personally. We have stories of participants receiving prestigious awards, entering leading universities. We provide recommendations, help with applications, recommendation letters — this is part of the she-for-she culture.

One participant took first place in a startup competition in Kazakhstan, another entered MIT. One of our participants works as a project manager. Previously, she did not know what else to do, and regular work seemed boring to her. Now she has become a mentor for us and helps girls become successful. Also, adult women in STEM were mastering new roles for the first time with us. We are proud of such stories.

Additionally, recently our community participated as a team and competed with 30 other teams in the Space Olympiad organized by Azerbaijan together with Israel. We were the only national team and took second place.

Plans

Our main focus is strengthening the role of women in the investment sector. We want women to realize their power and be able to support others. It is important that efforts are not fragmented — we believe in unity and cooperation.

We continue to work with the private sector. Many large companies, both international and local, have supported us at different stages. We will also release podcasts that we have been working on throughout last year.

In addition, we will strengthen work with little girls from the age of 10. We see interest from their side and from parents, so we decided to expand the age audience.