Top 10 Women in Tech Groups and Resources in the United Kingdom in 2026

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Code First Girls
• UK Government Women in Tech Taskforce
• STEMettes
• Women of Silicon Roundabout
• BCSWomen & The Lovelace Colloquium
• WeAreTechWomen
• WomenTech Network UK
• AnitaB.org London Community
• Girls Who Code UK Pathways
• Women in Tech Employer Awards
• Conclusion
• Frequently Asked Questions

Code First Girls

Topping our list is the UK’s most formidable engine for gender parity in tech. Code First Girls operates at an unparalleled scale with a clear mission: to provide one million opportunities for women by 2025, directly tackling the national skills shortage. Its flagship programme, the CFGdegree, is a 16-week, free, intensive bootcamp sponsored by corporate giants like Barclays and Goldman Sachs, offering a direct pipeline into well-paid tech roles.

For graduates, their +Masters programme delivers advanced 4-week specialisations in AI/ML, DevOps, and Cybersecurity. This structured pathway is a powerful antidote to the stark funding landscape, where all-female founding teams received just 2.3% of VC funding in 2025.

Applications for courses are regularly announced on the Code First Girls website and social channels, such as their Instagram feed announcing when CFGdegree applications go live. The value is immense: free, industry-recognised education, direct links to sponsoring employers, and a vast alumni network. As professional Amanda Rogers highlights, such programmes make tech careers "tangible and accessible". For career-changers across the UK, from Manchester to Cardiff, it's a proven, cost-free route into the sector's most in-demand roles.

UK Government Women in Tech Taskforce

Launched in December 2025 by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), the Women in Tech Taskforce represents the most significant structural initiative on our list. Born from a national call for evidence, its mandate is to dismantle systemic barriers, from investment gaps to regional disparities and caring responsibility penalties.

The taskforce addresses critical imbalances head-on. In 2025, all-female founding teams received just 2.3% of total UK venture capital funding. Its work directly influences initiatives like the Investing in Women Code, which by 2025 had 290 signatories including major institutions like HSBC and Barclays, committing them to improve support for female entrepreneurs.

While not a traditional membership group, its work shapes the entire ecosystem. Tech professionals can contribute to consultations and follow its policy recommendations. For female founders in Bristol or Manchester, this could mean improved access to the £4m TechFirst Women's Programme, which funds 300 paid placements. As detailed in the taskforce's call for evidence, its value is creating a more equitable foundation for the entire UK tech industry, ensuring growth from London to Edinburgh is built on diverse talent.

STEMettes

Focused on girls and non-binary youth from ages 5 to 25, STEMettes represents the critical long-term investment in the UK's tech future. Their work ensures the talent pipeline starts early, combating stereotypes before they take root and building confidence for the next generation of innovators in hubs from Cambridge's Silicon Fen to Edinburgh's fintech scene.

Their annual schedule includes inspirational frameworks and hands-on experiences. Key activities for 2026 include their STEAM Seasons events, such as the Ambitions Season Panel in June, and practical challenges like the Physical Hack 2026. Crucially, they offer a structured 4-month 1:1 mentoring programme running in multiple yearly cohorts, directly connecting young people with professionals in the field.

Young people can sign up for events and mentoring via the Stemettes website, while parents, educators, and tech professionals can volunteer as mentors or speakers. The value is foundational: early exposure, community support, and demystifying STEM careers. For the UK to maintain its competitive edge in AI and engineering, nurturing this diverse, young talent from all regions is not just beneficial - it's essential.

Women of Silicon Roundabout

As the UK's premier networking stage, Women of Silicon Roundabout is the unmissable annual conference for connecting at scale. Scheduled for 26-27 November 2026 at London's ExCeL, it attracts thousands of attendees and hundreds of exhibitors, from scale-ups to giants like Trainline, and features keynotes, workshops, and recruitment fairs.

"The connections I have built with mentors and peers have made the greatest difference in my growth so far."
- Shoshana Sugarman, emphasising the value of community relationship-building.

Professionals can purchase tickets or seek sponsorship through their employers. The value lies in concentrated, high-impact networking and learning, where you can hear from leaders at Google UK or Microsoft UK and meet peers from across the national ecosystem. Recognised as the UK's largest women-in-tech gathering, WOSR provides a unique density of connections, crucial for moving from solo practice to performing on the industry's main stage.

BCSWomen & The Lovelace Colloquium

Providing a respected, professional home for women in tech across the UK, BCSWomen is the specialist group of the Chartered Institute for IT. Its crown jewel is the BCSWomen Lovelace Colloquium, the UK's principal academic conference for women and non-binary undergraduate and masters computing students, serving as a vital bridge between academia and industry.

The 2026 event is scheduled for April in Bath, following the 2025 colloquium in Glasgow, showcasing its intentional national reach across the UK's research-intensive hubs. This circuit connects the talent pipelines of universities in Oxford, Cambridge, and Edinburgh directly with the professional standards of the chartered sector.

Students can submit papers and attend the colloquium, often with bursary support, via platforms like the Eventbrite listing for the 2026 colloquium. Professionals can join BCSWomen, participate in local branch events, and volunteer as judges or mentors. The value is dual: for students, it's prestigious recognition and early career networking; for the industry, it's a structured pipeline ensuring the UK's future tech leadership is diverse, skilled, and professionally anchored.

WeAreTechWomen

A powerhouse for visibility and career advancement, WeAreTechWomen runs the acclaimed TechWomen100 Awards and serves as a central hub for news, events, and thought leadership. In 2026, the community’s theme is "giving to gain," emphasising reciprocal mentorship where senior leaders actively uplift the next generation, a concept explored in their commentary from female tech leaders.

Individuals can nominate peers for awards, attend events, and engage with extensive online content. The value lies in high-profile recognition that can turbocharge a career and access to a community focused on actionable growth. This is critical in a landscape where, despite progress, only 24% of UK tech exec roles are held by women.

As a platform, WeAreTechWomen amplifies success stories to create visible role models. This active celebration and network-building is vital for challenging the status quo in UK boardrooms and tech hubs, ensuring individual achievement resonates across the entire industry.

WomenTech Network UK

Providing a robust global community with strong UK activity, the WomenTech Network excels at creating accessible content and structured support. They champion "micro-learning" as an essential skill for 2026 and run dedicated mentorship programmes, harmonising worldwide reach with local impact for professionals across the UK's regional tech centres.

Their 2025 UK Career Summit is set for 15 October, with the global conference following in May 2026. Professionals can join as free members, apply for mentorship schemes, and attend both virtual and in-person events detailed on their comprehensive event calendar.

"Join us on a mission to inspire 1 000 000 women, minorities and their allies in science and engineering."
- Anna Radulovski, CEO & Founder, WomenTech Network

The value lies in a supportive, global network that offers consistent local touchpoints. For those in growing hubs like Manchester, Bristol, or Edinburgh, the WomenTech Network UK provides vital connections beyond immediate geography, ensuring talent from across the nations can access the same caliber of community and career development as those in London.

AnitaB.org London Community

While AnitaB.org is globally renowned for the Grace Hopper Celebration, its London Community offers consistent, local value through monthly virtual networking and practical entry pathways. This sustained connection provides a vital, low-barrier ensemble for those seeking their place in the capital's competitive tech scene, from the fintech towers of Canary Wharf to the AI labs of King's Cross.

The community hosts regular events listed on the AnitaB.org membership site, fostering local peer networks. Crucially, it champions an Apprenticeship Pathway Program designed for non-traditional entrants without a computer science degree, directly addressing the prohibitive cost of unpaid internships in a city like London.

Interested individuals can join events and explore these alternative routes. The value is in regular, structured networking with a local peer group and access to tangible pathways into tech. As the organisation promotes on its social channels, this focus on apprenticeships and sustained local engagement helps build a more inclusive and accessible foundation for talent, ensuring the city's tech growth is powered by diverse voices.

Girls Who Code UK Pathways

Continuing its expansion in the UK, Girls Who Code has adapted its model with Pathways - a suite of free, virtual courses offering structured, cohort-based learning for students aged 14-18. This shift from self-paced clubs to guided programmes ensures quality tech education reaches young women across the UK, regardless of their school's resources in Manchester, Cardiff, or Belfast.

The table below outlines the core Pathways courses available for the 2025-2026 cycle, designed to feed talent directly into university computer science programmes and apprenticeships alike.

UK students, parents, and educators can find programme details and application windows on the Girls Who Code website. As highlighted in their 2024 annual report, this structured approach is key to levelling the playing field early, providing high-quality tech education that builds a confident and skilled pipeline for the UK's future digital economy.

Women in Tech Employer Awards

In a sector where transparency drives progress, the Women in Tech Employer Awards serve as a crucial benchmark for corporate commitment. These awards publicly recognise companies making tangible strides in equity, helping job-seekers identify environments where they can truly resonate and thrive, from the startup accelerators of Shoreditch to the corporate HQs of Reading.

They highlight concrete initiatives over vague promises. For instance, La Fosse Academy was celebrated for its exceptional female placement rates, while Kinly was recognised for its internal ‘Powerhouse’ programme for high-performers, which is 40% female. This contrasts starkly with the broader investment gap, where all-female founding teams received just 2.3% of VC funding in 2025.

"Celebrating these achievements amplifies stories, creating visible role models who inspire the next generation."
- Leaders from Salesforce on the impact of recognition programmes.

Professionals can review award winners and shortlists to prioritise supportive employers like Numerix, recognised in the Women in Technology & Data Awards 2026. For companies, entering benchmarks them against peers committed to the Investing in Women Code, which had 290 signatories by 2025. This shifts the power dynamic, enabling talent to find orchestras where their individual notes are valued and amplified.

Conclusion

The journey in UK tech no longer needs to be a solo performance. The symphony of support is rich and varied: from the free, industry-backed training of Code First Girls to the early inspiration of STEMettes and the high-impact networking of Women of Silicon Roundabout. Whether you are a student in Glasgow, a career-changer in Bristol, or a developer in London, your ensemble awaits.

The key is to move from tuning your instrument in isolation to finding the community that will help you resonate. For those ready to build their technical score, structured education provides the foundation. Programmes like the 25-week Solo AI Tech Entrepreneur Bootcamp (approx. £3,200) or the 15-week AI Essentials for Work course (approx. £2,900) offer affordable, flexible pathways to gain the AI and development skills demanded by employers from DeepMind to fintech giants.

As Anna Radulovski of the WomenTech Network inspires, "Success isn't just about achieving your goals, it's also about having the courage to pursue them in the first place." In the UK's world-class tech ecosystem, that courage is best fostered together. Find your community, sharpen your skills, and step into the collective harmony of a sector where your individual talent is amplified by a powerful, supportive orchestra.

Frequently Asked Questions