"The tech industry gave me access to growth and mobility. With Inclusive Tech, I aim to ensure technology serves everyone, creating equal opportunities for all."

Mina Saidze’s journey to founding Inclusive Tech reflects resilience and purpose-driven entrepreneurship. After transitioning from social sciences to tech and excelling as a data analyst, she often stood out as one of the few women or people of color in the industry. Motivated to tackle AI biases and promote diversity, Mina founded Inclusive Tech, Europe’s first organization dedicated to closing the tech diversity gap and fostering ethical AI practices.

In this interview, she shares her entrepreneurship journey, leadership insights, and vision for a more inclusive tech landscape.

1- What inspired you to start Inclusive Tech? Can you share your journey from the tech industry to becoming a founder and industry leader?

After graduating from secondary school, I completed a voluntary year with a lobby organization for renewable energies in Tanzania. I then studied social sciences at Humboldt University in Berlin and quickly realized that I was more interested in statistics.

So I switched to economics because I wanted to understand the world. That's why I represented Germany at the official G8 and G20 youth summits in St. Petersburg and London and contributed to a communiqué that was presented to the German government.

I wanted to be able to recognize problems and understand phenomena. That's why I taught myself programming and specialized in big data analytics.

Through a lot of discipline and passion, I managed to make a lateral move into the tech industry and was able to work as a data analyst for leading media and tech companies.

While this brought me recognition, I realized that as a woman and person of color, I am an exception in my industry - whether in the office, at meetups or conferences.

During an impactful experience, I became aware of the problem of data bias and societal impact of AI, which sparked my interest in AI ethics and diversity in tech. I wanted to make my work sustainable, but realized that there was no place to turn to with my concerns.

Motivated by a passion for creating meaningful impact and supporting others, I established Inclusive Tech—Europe's lobby and consultancy dedicated to championing diversity in technology and advancing ethical practices in AI.

2- What drew you to the field of Data & AI? Was there a specific moment that influenced your decision to pursue this career path?

I love data. It is universal and not geographically bound. It can be used to identify problems, understand phenomena and predict developments on the basis of which solutions can be developed. Data is much more than just numbers and I love how diverse I can work as a data analyst - I'm a cleaner, logistician, artist and much more.

Data records are rarely clean. This means that they contain data errors that need to be corrected or removed. This cleansing takes a lot of time, but is incredibly important for the informative value of the data. I then transport this data from A to B or from one application process to the next - that requires logistical skill. The data evaluation and its interpretation is in turn a very creative process; it's like creating a painting with all the data materials that are available to you.

3- Can you explain the mission of Inclusive Tech and how you aim to achieve it?

The tech industry has empowered me with opportunities for social participation, recognition, and mobility. It offers the promise of prosperity, flexible work options, and remote possibilities—making it especially beneficial for women and other underrepresented groups.

My goal is to ensure more people in Germany and Europe can access these opportunities. Only through broader inclusion can AI-based products become more innovative, diverse, and equitable

For me, this also means not only recognizing dangers such as the abuse of power and bias of AI, but actively preventing them. That is why I have been campaigning for a responsible approach to future technologies for years.

With Inclusive Tech, I founded the first organization in Europe that advises on AI ethics and diversity in the tech industry. Our mission is to close the diversity gap in tech and develop human-centric technology. We focus on education, community and awareness.

How can inclusive technology be developed without algorithmic biases? How can we promote diversity in tech teams? To this end, we offer training offers, consulting services, campaigning, event hosting and keynote speaking.

We create awareness through dialog with representatives from politics, business, science and society.

4- How does Inclusive Tech work to promote ethical practices in AI? What challenges have you encountered in this space?

We work closely with the public and private sector. However, I often encounter that AI ethics is viewed as charity instead of business case and that often short-term product and business success is prioritized over long-term benefits for society, users and employees.

In light of the EU AI Act, the world's first AI regulation, social, legal and regulatory issues can no longer be ignored. Hence, AI ethics must be integrated into the AI strategy from the outset, not as an afterthought. It is crucial for top management to establish clear responsibilities for AI ethics at C-level - be it as Chief Technology Officer or Chief Information Officer. It is also advisable to set up a specialized department or project management, as StepStone has done. Tech employees can help integrate bias and user testing into product development and use synthetic data in AI development so that all population groups are adequately represented. Companies that develop ethically responsible AI systems not only fulfill a legal obligation, but can gain the trust of customers and the public.

5- What advice would you give to aspiring female entrepreneurs?

In my experience, it’s crucial for female entrepreneurs to build a strong network of equally ambitious people. Supporting others creates a collaborative community where everyone thrives. One of my mentors shared advice that I live by every day: “Don’t forget where you come from, where you’re heading, and where you aspire to be.” This grounding perspective helps me stay focused and intentional, both in my own growth and in helping others achieve their goals.

Thank you Mina for the Interview and insights !