Since Raechel Canipe founded Women in Tech and Entrepreneurship in late 2022, the organization has continued to expand across the state.
WTE has chapters in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Orlando, Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale. This week, it's launching another chapter in Gainesville and its first collegiate chapter at the University of South Florida.
"We've supported over 5,000 women across 80 to 100 events," Canipe said. "At this point, we're starting to lose track.
"It's largely possible because we have this incredible volunteer community of women who believe in this mission, in removing the financial barriers and helping women who may not see themselves as entrepreneurs and who may feel lonely and isolated in tech [jobs]," Canipe, the CMO at RevStar, said. "Welcoming those women without gatekeeping the community and the resources behind these high fees, we see that as a broken rung in the ladder."
While Canipe acknowledges common operating models, she said it was a natural progression to begin thinking about collegiate expansion.
"One of the early leaks in the tunnel is at the university level," Canipe said. "We are not seeing enough of those women make it all the way through the pipeline and into the industry. So when Andy Hafer invited us to come to USF to bring this community on campus, we knew that we had to make that leap."
Hafer, an adjunct instructor and executive director at the USF Nault Center for Entrepreneurship within the Muma College of Business, said he's looking forward to witnessing the chapter's impact and Canipe's effort to begin at USF.
"Not only is this an important resource that will give our students a leg up as they enter the workforce, but it's one that is being led by a summa cum laude graduate. We’re grateful that Raechel is bringing her time and talents back to USF," Hafer said.
Canipe said Hafer's support and belief in the organization made all the difference.
USF members will be able to access monthly networking mixers, exclusive member-only events, conferences and panels, a global job board and educational workshops, according to a release.
"Bringing WTE to the University of South Florida is a game changer for students pursuing tech careers and entrepreneurship," WTE USF President Sidra Riaz said in a statement. "WTE’s presence on campus and network of successful founders and executives throughout the state will undoubtedly influence the development of the next generation of leaders, equipping them with the skills, mentorship and resources needed to drive innovation and create meaningful impact in the tech industry."
The organization is working on launching chapters in Palm Beach, Tallahassee, Fort Myers, Melbourne and Miami. Canipe said they expect the chapters will be live within the next year.
"It's a lot of hard work, but it's such a fun community to be a part of," Canipe said. "It truly fills my cup."
WTE created a board of directors in January and has remained free to its members. Twenty-five students came to the launch on Sept. 24.
"If we really want to break down those barriers and bring that transformative power of community and interdisciplinary collaboration to the forefront, those students are a really important part of that mission," Canipe said. "Not just in terms of the resources that we can bring them, but also in the women who have found success in difficult, ambitious spaces that can tell them those stories of how to get there."
