She Builds: Women-Only Hackathon at Lovable

Situation

In the rapidly growing AI and vibe coding space, Elena Verna (Head of Growth at Lovable) identified a concerning gender gap in AI technology adoption. Despite Lovable's brand featuring traditionally feminine elements (pink/purple colors, heart logo), only about 20% of their users were women. This disparity threatened to reverse progress in tech gender diversity just as AI was lowering barriers to software creation.

Actions

Lovable launched "She Builds," a women-only hackathon initiative with several key components:

• Exclusive access: Created a dedicated space where women could explore vibe coding without intimidation
• Resource provision: Offered unlimited access to Lovable's platform for 48 hours
• Community building: Brought women together to collaborate and support each other
• Recurring format: Established regular cohorts (next starting December 15) with plans for a major event on International Women's Day
• Minimal barriers: Built the hackathon platform itself using Lovable, demonstrating the accessibility of the tool

Results

The hackathon revealed distinctive patterns in how women approached building with AI:

• Hyper-local focus: Participants created solutions for immediate family and community needs
• Caregiving applications: Many built tools to help elderly parents, children, or household management
• Community service: Solutions for church groups, children's sports teams, and other local organizations
• Practical utility: Emphasis on solving everyday problems rather than pursuing venture-scale opportunities

The initiative demonstrated that when given space and tools, women created software addressing needs that had previously gone unserved because they weren't considered commercially viable in traditional software development.

Key Lessons

• Representation gap persists: Even with lower technical barriers, AI adoption shows significant gender disparities that require intentional intervention
• Safe spaces matter: Creating women-only environments can encourage participation and exploration in emerging technologies
• Different problem focus: Women often prioritize different use cases than men, focusing on caregiving, community, and hyper-local needs
• Democratized building unlocks diversity: When software creation becomes accessible to non-technical people, it enables solutions for previously underserved needs
• Community accelerates adoption: Bringing people together around new technology creates momentum and support that individual exploration might not achieve
• Inclusion requires action: Companies must proactively create pathways for underrepresented groups rather than assuming equal adoption will happen naturally
• Diversity impacts product direction: Who builds technology influences what gets built, making representation crucial for creating solutions that serve everyone