WE THE PEOPLE: DEFENDING DEMOCRACY—FROM CRISIS TO COLLECTIVE ACTION

The Digital Economist, April 2025

Drawing on decades of experience across tech, entrepreneurship, and
advocacy, Mary Ann Pierce reflected on how the landscape has evolved for
women across platforms. She shared personal observations on exclusionary
policies and how they impact democracy and economic stability across her
diverse clientele. She also identified successful models for scaling digital
literacy and financial inclusion among marginalized women and
underscored the importance of women-led innovation in shaping the future economy.

Cultural Change
Despite progress for many women across diverse platforms over time,
women in corporate tech meetings are often second-guessed until
validated by a male colleague. This underscores persistent gender norms,
unconscious bias, microaggressions, and the need for cultural change in
corporate environments. The rise of femtech and medtech is a bright
spot. Women-led innovation in their long-neglected health care has
surged, with platforms, devices, and therapies designed by and for
women. Women comprise 65 percent of medical students. Yet it’s
concerning that male-run companies often secure funding, highlighting
a gap between innovation and investment equity.

Diversity and Leadership
Therefore, we must have more women and cultural diversity in public
health leadership as well as in funding organizations: family offices,
venture, and private equity to ensure the benefits of these neglected
innovations reach all women and are run by women innovators who will
accrue wealth creation. By far, American women have the economic
power to build a better world. During this great transformation of wealth,
it is estimated that women will inherit 70 percent of $82T+. Now we must
shift our mindset from being consumers to transforming into creators
and investors in the future economy. Building platforms, like Ireland’s
AwakenAngels, enables women to fund women founders globally.