The gender gap in the IT field persists. In 2014, only 26 percent of computing occupations and 6 percent of corporate CIO positions in the United States were held by women, according to National Center for Women & Information Technology.
Intel Capital is set to take a hand in closing the gap. The venture capital firm established a $125 million program designed to support IT startups run by women and underrepresented minorities, according to a CIO report. This program comes on the heels of Intel's separate $300 million initiative aimed at increasing the number of women and minorities in its own workforce.
Intel has already selected the first four companies.
Brit+Co is led by founder and CEO Brit Morin. The company is an online platform that offers tools for women to accomplish projects from simple crafts to high-tech manufacturing.
CareCloud is a health IT company that offers services such as revenue cycle management, practice management, EHR, billing, patient engagement and more. Albert Santalo founded the company in 2009. He now serves as the company's chairman and chief strategy officer.
Mark One was co-founded by Justin Lee, who now serves as CEO. The company's flagship product is Vessyl, a "smart cup" that tracks what you drink and helps manage beverage intake.
Venafi is a cybersecurity company focused on next-generation trust protection. Tammy Moskites serves as the company's CIO and chief information security officer.