Eva Parth dos Santos – Founder of Mint Girls GmbH

“I think if a strong woman likes technology or she wants to work in that field, she will do everything to get there and not much can hold her back.”

Eva Parth dos Santos is an entrepreneur, business leader and supporter of young girls and women. With her company Mint Girls, she empowers girls to explore their interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics through organic clothing. 

In a Nutshell: Tell us a bit about your job and what role technology plays in it?

A couple of months ago, I founded Mint Girls to produce clothes for girls that love science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). If a girl is interested in any of those topics, until now she would have to go to the boys section to for example get a t-shirt with a robot on it. Books, toys, clothes… they all show that technology is for boys. There are many girls that are interested in how a robot works or how the rocket ship manages to go so high up.

Fundamental beliefs and unconscious biases are built at a young age and once they are there it is difficult to change them.

If I can help girls to feel that STEM topics are also for them and that they can grow in that field if they want to, I have done a good job.

Where did your professional journey start and how did you get to where you are now?

After university, I started working in an international insurance company as a project manager where I was working on different software development projects and implementations. Then I entered the startup world and founded a tech start-up.

I have always had a fascination for numbers and how things work. After having my daughters, my husband and I realized that if we want to let them explore any passion, often we would have to go to the boys section in the store. Since I am a doer, I started to do something about it to help our girls to understand that they can become an astronaut or engineer if this is what they want.

What is the greatest transformation in technology you’ve witnessed in your career?

Technology is a very fast moving and broad field and there are many transformations that I find fascinating. Just looking at SpaceX and Tesla makes you think how much more can still be accomplished and where are we heading? I think there is still more work to do in making technology sustainable.

When you think about ‘women’ and ‘technology’ what comes to your mind first?

For me the topic about women and technology starts a lot earlier – what about ‘girls’ and ‘technology’. 

I think if a strong woman likes technology or she wants to work in that field, she will do everything to get there and not much can hold her back. 

What if a young girl that is still finding her strength and personality, sees that all technology related toys, books or clothes are in the boys section? It will be very hard for her to continue to be interested in technology.

We always hear there are not enough women working in tech. What needs to happen to change that, which steps should be done to achieve gender equality in tech?

Starting with girls and not with women. The important point for me is to allow children to explore the areas they are interested in.

Today there are definitely girls that would like to explore their interest in technology and are held back by not being encouraged, not having role models or other reasons.

If we start to change the way girls (and parents) think about technology, I am sure more of the girls would follow their interest in technology. 

Who are your tech influencers and why?

The most influential people for me are the people around me. Those that have more and deeper knowledge of technology and share their thoughts and reasons.

What has been the greatest piece of advice you have received in your career so far?

Don’t give up. Everyone experiences set backs and it is important to overcome them and grow through them.

If you could host a dinner party with 3 influential people in tech, who would you invite and why?

Sheryl Sandberg – She has not only built a successful career in a male dominant area but also empowered so many other women and girls to follow her footsteps. We can learn a lot from her on how important it is to empower others and help them achieve their true potential.

Elon Musk – He can combine the long term strategy and vision for his (what seems sometimes crazy) ideas and at the same time make them come true. It is encouraging how someone continues to work on their goal even though not many people believe in it and he had to overcome many setbacks.

Komal Singh – An Engineering Program Manager at Google and author of the amazing book ‘Ara the Star Engineer’. I can relate to many things she says and am a huge fan of the book. She is a promoter of the idea to provide female role models and visualize them for girls which is very inspiring.

Eva Parth dos Santos is an entrepreneur, business leader and supporter of young girls and women. With her company Mint Girls, she empowers girls to explore their interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics through organic clothing. 

See more interviews of our amazing Gals.