It's important to have role models, and having a one-to-one meeting with one is a unique experience that can help you achieve much more than you thought possible.
I sit on the board of Women in Tech Denmark, where every year we match mentees with the right mentor. I've mentored through TechElevateHER and Tech Nordic Advocates. Here's what I'd tell you about finding yours.
In short
To get a mentor in tech: tell your network you are looking, find out which mentorship programmes already exist in your community, and if you have a concrete goal, approach someone who has already achieved it. In Denmark and the Nordics, apply to Tech Nordic Advocates as an entrepreneur, or Women in Tech Denmark for a tech career.
I have had the privilege to be mentored by Nanna as a part of TechElevateHER program. In our sessions, Nanna shared both the technical and non-technical aspects of starting a tech business, providing me with invaluable insights and practical advice. Her guidance has been instrumental in helping me navigate the world of entrepreneurship, and her expertise and encouragement have been truly inspiring.
I'm not taking mentees through a programme at the moment, but I know these from the inside. Two of them are open and worth applying to. Which one depends on where you are.
Pan-Nordic/Baltic startup network
For: Female tech entrepreneurs
The largest pan-Nordic and Baltic tech startup organisation, and somewhere I have mentored before. If you are a tech entrepreneur building a product, looking for your first customers, or trying to work out the technical side, this is where I would start.
Apply to Tech Nordic Advocates →National women-in-tech network
For: Women with a career in tech, or who want one
I sit on the board, and every year we match mentees with the right mentor. That has taught me more about what makes a pairing work than any amount of being in one. If you have a tech career or want one, apply here.
Apply to Women in Tech Denmark →GeekGirlMeetup
A one-off Nordic programme, no longer running
A fully funded tech and entrepreneurship programme for young Nordic women. It ran once, and I mentored on what it actually takes to start a tech business: the technical side and everything around it. That is where the quote above comes from.
Visit TechElevateHER →I've been on both sides of this: being mentored, mentoring, and now matching people. It comes down to four things, and the first one is the one people skip.
Tell your network you are looking for a mentor. Say it in a room, say it in a post, say it to the person you sit next to at an event. Most people never get a mentor for the simple reason that nobody around them knows they want one.
There is almost always more available than you think: mentorship programmes, networks, meetups, people who have quietly been doing this for years. Find out what exists where you are before you assume you have to build it from nothing.
If you know what you want to achieve, you can find someone who has already achieved it. That is a much easier person to identify, and a much easier person to write to, than "someone senior who might be willing to mentor me".
People are far more willing to help than you think. We have all been in the same position, and most of us want more women in the tech community. The worst case is a no. The usual case is a yes.
I'm not taking on mentees formally right now. But if you've read this far and you still don't know which door to knock on, you're welcome to reach out and ask.
If I'm not the right person, I'd rather point you at who is. That's exactly what we do at Women in Tech Denmark.
Reach out
Who you are, what you're working on, and what you're stuck on. Three lines is enough. Instagram is the easiest way to reach me.
Message me on Instagram →Or meet me at an event in Aarhus →