Apple has launched a technology lab focused on app development called Entrepreneur Camp. The program is focused on woman-identifying entrepreneurs. The coding camp will kick off from January 2019 and will last for two weeks.
Female entrepreneurs will receive one-on-one coding sessions with Apple engineers. The entrepreneurs will also be given lessons on design, technology, and App Store marketing. The idea is to make teams more productive as the leader will be involved in the development phase.
This will reduce the overall development time. Apple states the program is for everyone who identifies themselves as a woman. But the woman must be the head of a company, founder or a co-founder, and the company should have at least one woman on the development team.
For startups that belong to the Android ecosystem, this is a great opportunity to get one familiar with Apple’s ecosystem and how iOS works. The women will also get support directly from the ecosystem’s creator.
Apple will benefit by increasing the number of people who are familiar with their ecosystem. So there will be an increase in the quality and quantity of apps on the App Store.
Apple Senior Director of Worldwide Developer Marketing Esther Hare told TechCrunch,
“We wanted to focus on women who already have an app-driven business, and we don’t require them to have an iOS app.”
Hare further added,
“This isn’t an incubator where you come with a good idea and we help you think through it. It’s about already having a good idea, maybe they want to incorporate machine learning or augmented reality, or use some of Apple’s other technologies.”
Apple also wants to be at the forefront of leading a revolution for women equality. The company wants to see more females in the IT industry. The camp could also help women gain more recognition in the field of technology.
According to PitchBook, female founders have raised just 2.2 percent of all venture capital funds in the United States in 2018. Esther believed that Apple could bring in more women to become leaders and keep more women in the industry.
This is the reason why female entrepreneurs can bring up to three members from their team. Apple believes even if the women aren’t the most technically gifted they still get to learn a lot. Women will get support, network and skill development.
The third member can be of any sex.
Apple has held similar workshops and clinics in the past, including ones that help teach kids how to program. This is the first one that focuses solely on female entrepreneurs and the companies they founded.
Hare added that even though the program was curated for women, the company didn’t forget women of color and underrepresented minorities.
Apple engineers will teach the members a variety of topics including machine learning and augmented reality, two of the hottest topics on the planet right now.
Participants will get to present their progress, receive feedback and talk to women working on high posts at Apple, once the two weeks are over. This is a great initiative that will help draw in more women in the field of technology.
It is also great for feminism as Apple will be focusing entirely on working women, so they get their fair share of representation as well. Other companies should follow in the footsteps of Apple and learn a thing or two from them.
Areen Zahra
Dr. Hafsa Akbar Ali
