2024.Sep.18

REPORTS

Report on B’AI Women in Tech @ SoftBank –Headquarters Tour & Networking Event

On June 3, 2024, the B’AI Global Forum, in collaboration with SoftBank and Rikopeer,* hosted the “B’AI Women in Tech @ SoftBank –Headquarters Tour & Networking Event” at SoftBank’s Takeshiba Headquarters. Over 50 students from science and engineering fields and more than 10 SoftBank employees participated in the networking event.

This event marked the one-year anniversary of the “Women in Tech Lunch,” an initiative by the B’AI Global Forum that has been held regularly since June 2023 to provide a space for women in STEM to connect and share insights. Therefore it aimed to create an opportunity where students and employees of tech companies can come together, regardless of their positions or ages, to envision a future where they can thrive in the fields of science and engineering.

The event consisted of two parts: the first part was the tour of the headquarters, and the second part featured a talk session and roundtable discussion with employees.

During the office tour, participants had the valuable opportunity to explore the inner workings of a state-of-the-art tech company.

In the second part, Professor Itatsu Yuko from the B’AI Global Forum and Saito Asumi from Rikopeer introduced the activities of their respective organizations.

Following this, two employees from SoftBank took the stage and shared their experiences related to women’s life courses and career development at the company, offering perspectives from both managerial and engineering roles. They also discussed the company’s approach to DE&I.

In the final discussion session, student participants and SoftBank employees broke into groups for intensive dialogues that addressed their respective concerns and questions. The closing time of the session was extended twice due to high engagement among the participants. The event concluded with a reaffirmation of the importance of ongoing networking and information sharing.

In a post-event survey, participants expressed their satisfaction with the wealth of valuable information gained through casual exchanges with employees working on the frontlines of the tech industry, as well as their joy at forming connections with fellow students.

As feedback for the next event, participants suggested longer events with more time allocated for panel discussions and Q&A sessions and to facilitate more interactive dialogues. They also provided several ideas such as observing AI hackathons, etc., to further expand the circle of interaction.

*Rikopeer
Rikopeer is a community that supports science and engineering students to fulfill their lives without gender barriers by broadening their perspectives and connecting with their peers. (Founded April 2024)