The usual funding announcements that land in my inbox relate to growing businesses, so one rather unusual one last week from a company about education and training stood out. Code First Girls, which teaches women to code, at no cost, has raised £4.5 million from angel investors and investment funds to expand its operation. It is the largest provider of free coding courses for women.
The fundraising is, it seems to me, a reflection of just how bad the skills shortage is in technology and how stark the gender gap in the sector remains, both of which the company is challenging. According to a recent study, only 17 per cent of those employed in the technology sector are women.
With the money, Code First Girls