We are humbled and proud to announce that TRaiCE is one of only 8 companies to be featured by Microsoft as part of its #BuildFor2030 campaign for gender equality. At TRaiCE, gender equality is an important company goal and one that we have strived to achieve. So, to have our efforts validated by Microsoft means the world to us. But we don’t want to rest on our laurels just yet. We know there is so much more work to be done and we are using this honor to spur us on to bigger and better things, both in terms of our product and the team that makes it all happen. After all, building a world-class risk monitoring solution demands a world-class work environment where everyone is honored, respected, and valued the same. Here’s a quick look at what this entails.
The Microsoft #BuildFor2030 campaign and TRaiCE
The #BuildFor2030 campaign is a Microsoft initiative that aims at supporting the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Launched in 2020, the campaign has 5 unique themes that mirror the UN SDGs. These are
Gender equality
Climate action and sustainability
Digital inclusion and accessibility
Enabling nonprofits
Empowering communities
Each year, Microsoft promotes the UN’s developmental goals by showcasing tech solution such as TRaiCE that ally with their #BuildFor2030 themes. As we mentioned before, TRaiCE was selected for gender equality, and we are very much at home with this theme. Our company is co-founded by the male-female duo of Sony Gabriel and Geetha Ramaswamy. So, in terms of gender equality, we’d like to think that we were off to a flying start right from the get-go!
While Sony takes care of the company’s day-to-day operations as CEO, Geetha acts as the CTO and is responsible for its tech advancements (considering that less than 4% women hold the title of CTO in the global fintech industry, this is another feather in our cap). Here they are talking about building for 2030 with Microsoft and more:
An interview with our co-founders
What does it mean to you personally to have TRaiCE feature in the Microsoft #BuildFor2030 campaign?
Geetha: It’s an honor and it feels very gratifying to know that the folks at Microsoft see something in us that matches their high standards. It is also a golden opportunity for us that we want to grab with both hands and make the most of.
Sony: It’s a moment of great pride for us to be featured in Microsoft’s campaign. Working towards goals such as gender equality is something we are very proud to be a part of. It’s also inspired us to think about ways that we can work towards fulfilling some of the other #BuildFor2030 goals such as sustainability and inclusion. For example, we could use TRaiCE’s ability to measure subjective data to assess a company’s carbon footprint or their employee hiring practices. This can help ethical investors choose investments that are socially and environmentally responsible. So, lots for us to think about here.
Have you put any policies in place that enhance gender equality at the TRaiCE organization? If so, what are they?
Geetha: We’re looking to be proactive in equalizing the ratio of men to women right from our hiring practices onwards. But it is a challenge because we see that more men than women apply for jobs with us. We’re seeing that gap even at the job application stage and want to correct it by making it clear in the job descriptions we put out that gender equality is an objective to us.
Sony: Also, there are a lot of women looking to rejoin the workforce after taking time out to look after their families. We make it clear in our job descriptions that they are welcome here even if they have gaps in their resume.
What roles do women hold in your organization?
Sony: I’m happy to say that we have women represented in all the key roles available at TRaiCE such as UX, QA, project management, and content.
Geetha: One huge gap I see is in the development side of things. We don’t have enough women in this department and are hoping to address that gap soon. Personally, I would like to see even more women being empowered and contributing in our organization in lead critical roles.
How does the TRaiCE organization deal with unconscious bias?
Geetha: This is a tricky one. The problem with unconscious bias is that you don’t know it exists. But we try to treat everyone on an equal footing and give out opportunities based on an employee’s skill sets and nothing else. If anything, I am guilty of giving the women at the company an extra push to ensure they are pulling their weight. We have a very flat hierarchy at TRaiCE. So, anyone can walk up to us and voice their concerns. And we’ve found that listening to and addressing their concerns empowers them so we’re very mindful that we do that.
Sony: I think having Geetha in the leadership role is a big advantage for us here. Hopefully, that encourages the women in the company to express their opinions and concerns freely. I believe we’ve been successful in creating a safe space for all our employees, male or female, by having regular one-on-one conversations with them and encouraging them to express their opinions.
Geetha: I’d also like to mention that we don’t impose accountability on anyone without giving them the required authority to complete their tasks. From personal experience, accountability without responsibility is stifling. Authorizing our employees sets them up for success and gives them a safe space to thrive.
Finally, describe TRaiCE in one sentence
Geetha: An innovative solution that measures a business's digital health daily.
Sony: An end-to-end automated risk monitoring solution that detects red flags and monitors business risk continuously.
Conclusion
A big thank you to our co-founders for sharing their thoughts! We would also like to thank Microsoft for recognizing and including us in their #BuildFor2030 campaign. As Sony and Geetha said, it is a proud moment for the entire TRaiCE team, and we look forward to supporting Microsoft in this and other social campaigns. As they #BuildFor2030, we are building with them on this journey towards a more positive and inclusive future. To know more about how TRaiCE simplifies risk monitoring, you can check out our Microsoft marketplace listing, visit our home page, or schedule a demo with us today!
