Female Founder Focus: Katie Inder, Concise

Here at the Digital Greenhouse, we're proud to celebrate the remarkable achievements of women leading the way in the entrepreneurial landscape. In our "Female Founder Focus" series, we delve into the inspiring stories of these trailblazers, showcasing their journeys, the challenges they've overcome, and the invaluable insights they've learned along the way.

We'd like to introduce you to Katie Inder, Founder of Concise. Concise empowers businesses to make data-driven decisions that enhance business performance and value by analysing data and transforming it into tangible insights. Concise also offers data strategy and management services and coaching to give businesses the power to excel in data.

We met Katie at our Starting Up Saturday bootcamp and simply had to get together to find out more about herself as a female founder, and her journey navigating the industry as a Data Engineer.

Q. Tell us all about your business! What is your origin story, and the highlights of your entrepreneurial journey? 

I founded Concise, a data consultancy with a mission to help businesses grow and succeed with data. Having worked as a data engineer in the UK and locally, I spotted a gap in the market for a boutique agency to help local companies solve real business problems with data. We're just getting started, but the biggest highlight to date has been meeting so many supportive and like-minded individuals.

Q. Throughout your entrepreneurial journey, what has been the most significant challenge you have overcome, and how did you navigate it?

We’ve only been incorporated and running for a month so I’m sure the hardest is yet to come but I’m looking forward to the challenge. Up to this point, the most significant challenges have been navigating and understanding all the complexities of starting your own business. But I’m grateful to have support from mentors as well as Digital Greenhouse to help me learn. I’m much more comfortable behind a screen tippity tapping some code, but entrepreneurship pushes me out of my comfort zone to learn new things and talk to lots of people.

Q. As a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field, have you encountered any unique challenges or biases? If so, how have you addressed them, and what advice would you give to other women facing similar situations?

I’ve been accustomed to being one of the only women in the room since A Levels and I’d say the feeling that you need to prove yourself never goes away. But the teams I've worked with have always valued me, I take a lot of pride in what I do and I think that it speaks for itself. My advice to other women facing similar situations is to persevere, speak up, and stay confident. Those who recognize talent and dedication will see past any biases.

Q. Who are your female role models in the business/ tech industry?

Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code, a charity which aims to increase the number of women in computer science and close the gender gap. 

Q. What advice would you give to aspiring female entrepreneurs who are hesitant to take the first step?

All you really stand to lose is time, everything else will return, and there are so many lessons to be learnt along the way even if the end is failure. I believe I will succeed but I’m not afraid to fail. 

Whilst you should always be your biggest cheerleader, a lot of my strength comes from the support of those around me. I’m really lucky to have wonderful friends and family who are rooting for me. I’ve been doing a lot of networking recently and I’ve been delighted at how warm and supportive everyone has been.