Empowering Women in Tech – Essay Scholarship By Designli

A $3,000 essay scholarship for young women aspiring to be business leaders in technology

The technology industry has evolved radically in the last year with new tools, ways of working, and shifting perceptions of what it means to work in tech. The ‘AI era’ has many layers and an evident learning curve that tests the adaptability of every engineer, developer, and designer. Still, there's a gap left to close: women's participation in tech, and particularly now in AI roles. Beyond being skilled at building AI into products and improving development workflows, women tend to put more weight on responsible AI. A study by Harvard researchers found women were 4.5% more likely to rate values like privacy, safety, accountability, fairness, and human autonomy as extremely important.

Even so, only 31% of women in tech work in AI, a gap that's narrowing, though not fast enough. To help close it, Designli is excited to award a $3,000 scholarship to a female high school, college, or graduate student in the U.S. with an interest in technology, entrepreneurship, and AI.

At Designli, we have the privilege of working with many outstanding female entrepreneurs launching innovative mobile apps and robust SaaS platforms. We know women are still underrepresented in tech, and we want to do our part to change that.

Essay: How can women stand out in the AI business development era?

Statements to follow:

• As AI development shifts from writing code to orchestrating systems, how will you use modern AI tools to build an outstanding SaaS business? (Discuss how women in technology can lead this transition by focusing on user empathy and ethical product design.)

• Successful AI development is moving into legacy industries like logistics, healthcare, and construction. Choose any niche sector, including those listed here or any other of your choice, and explain how you would launch an AI-driven business within it.

• AI tools are only as good as the ethics behind them. How can women in technology stand out by prioritizing transparency and bias reduction in AI software development? Describe the human-in-the-loop business model you would build to compete in the 2026 tech landscape. (In this model, AI automates tasks while humans remain involved to validate results and ensure ethical accuracy.)

• How would you use AI-powered skills development to drive growth in your chosen field? (Explain how you will lead as a technical director, using AI to increase your creative leverage while maintaining human oversight.)

Make it personal

Although the rise of AI development is the topic at hand, we seek an essay that speaks from woman to woman, with a true message behind it.

• What do you hope to accomplish in the tech industry as a female leader, and how do you plan to inspire and empower other women to do the same?

• What challenges have you faced as a young woman interested in pursuing a career in tech, and how have you overcome them?

• What qualities do you see in yourself that are crucial to thriving as a tech entrepreneur, and how so?

About Designli

As a software development company that began as a college startup, we’re passionate about encouraging young entrepreneurs. We believe that the diversity of perspectives is crucial for the growth and progress of any industry and have experienced firsthand the value that women in leadership bring to technology and entrepreneurship. We created the Empowering Women in Tech Scholarship to invest in young women. We’re certain their success in the tech industry will lead to new and innovative ideas that bring a better future for everyone.

We're in a period of constant adaptation, working to deliver maximum value in a fast-moving landscape. Designli's goal hasn't changed: help non-technical founders navigate AI development and reach their product goals with the best possible outcomes.

The way software gets built has fundamentally changed. Modern AI tools have collapsed development timelines, opening doors for a new generation of founders, especially women entrepreneurs, who can ship faster with a lean team that knows how to use AI well. At Designli, we've shown that AI speed and quality aren't mutually exclusive. It's why we specialize in launching high-caliber SaaS products on accelerated timelines, with a focus on great user experience and without the long-term burden of technical debt. Whatever the entrepreneurial stage, we help founders build with purpose, validate with real users, and scale through tight alignment between business strategy and technical execution. 

Eligibility & Requirements

This application is open to female high school seniors, undergraduate, and graduate students. Due to complexities with international funding, we will only consider submissions from U.S. citizens.

Please specify your intended field of study and your current grade or degree level within your application. We also request either proof of college acceptance or a high school transcript at the time of submission.

We’d love to know your future goals and why you deserve this scholarship, so we’re asking you to provide a brief biography of no more than 250 words with your application. We will not assess this bio in our submission evaluation, but it will help us better understand your career goals.

Your submission will not be considered if it does not include the following:

• A short bio with your intended field of study and education level

• Proof of education

• Evidence of U.S. citizenship (valid address)

• A 1,000-word essay

Scholarship Guidelines Regarding the Use of AI

Designli recognizes that AI tools are a standard part of the modern workflow. We don’t expect you to ignore them; we expect you to lead them. However, a generic, AI-generated essay is a missed opportunity to showcase your most valuable asset: your unique critical thinking and strategic perception.

In a sea of AI-generated submissions, how will your voice stand out? True leadership begins with an original voice; use this space to share the ideas that only you can bring to the table.

Our Policy:

• Augmentation: Use AI tools for research and outlining, but the final strategic insights and personal narrative must be your own.
  

• The "Human Moat": We are looking for the unique perspective, personal experience, or creative leap that an AI cannot replicate.
  

• Transparency: If you use AI, list the tools used and briefly describe how they helped refine your thinking.

Evaluation: How We Select a Winner

We prioritize vision over automation. Your submission will be evaluated on three straightforward pillars:

Original Perspective → Your unique vision vs. generic AI narratives.

Business Evolution → Your ability to identify a problem and engineer a business solution.

Strategic AI Development → Your technical plan to build high-quality, ethical software by leveraging AI tools or traditional custom software development.

Application Details

Email your application to scholarship@designli.co
Use your essay title for the email subject line.

Include your full name, mailing address, phone number, and short bio within the email.
You may either upload your essay file directly to the email or share a link.

Submissions Deadlines

November 15, 2026: Submissions due by 11:59 p.m. EST

December 1st, 2026: Winner selected

The scholarship winner will be notified by December 1st, 2026, via email and featured on our scholarship page. Before receiving funds, the winner must provide proof of acceptance to a college or university. All scholarship funds will be sent directly to the winner’s school.

We’re confident your story will inspire others and is worth sharing. However, Designli will not publish, use, or distribute any student submissions without prior written consent.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about this scholarship. If you’d like to learn more about Designli, read Our Why.

Further Reading from Designli

In our blog, we cover AI Product development, business strategy topics, and what it takes to build software in 2026 that can be use as inspiration for your essay

How Strategic UX/UI Design Drives Growth, Trust, and Scalable Products
For founders who want to understand why their product feels off and what to do about it.

A Guide for Non-Technical Founders: Frontend, Backend, and Infrastructure
This breakdown explains what's actually under the hood so you can have better conversations with any development team.

How to Add AI to Your App
This guide explains how to add AI effectively to your app as a non-technical founder.

2025 Women in Tech Scholarship Winner

We’re proud to announce Amber Prong as the recipient of the 2025 Women in Tech Scholarship! A seasoned emergency department nurse with seven years of experience across ED, ED ICU, and pediatric ICU settings. With a passion for healthcare innovation, she’s currently pursuing a master’s degree in informatics in the Nursing Program at the University of Michigan School of Nursing.

We’re honored to support her journey as she works to transform healthcare into a more efficient, equitable, and inclusive system for everyone.

Previous Winners

The 2024 winner of Designli's Women in Tech Scholarship is Janneke Baks. A senior at Arlington High School, Janneke excels in STEM subjects like calculus, computer science, and physics. In her essay, she highlighted the importance of breaking the "glass ceiling" for women in tech and entrepreneurship, while also advocating for environmental sustainability. Outside of academics, Janneke is a talented musician and competitive athlete. She plans to pursue a PhD in engineering to continue her work in sustainability and support women in the STEM field. We’re proud to support Janneke’s future and look forward to seeing what she accomplishes!

The 2023 winner of Designli's Women in Tech Scholarship is Adrianna Relay. Adrianna was accepted to the incoming freshman class at Florida Atlantic University for a start in the fall of 2024. She wrote an essay about the importance – and challenges – of being a woman in tech. She has shown an entrepreneurial spirit at a young age while also excelling in high school and competitive gymnastics. As a high school student, Adrianna did excellent work to provide a better standard of childcare for children with special needs. She has a vision of leveraging technology to continue her work, and Designli is honored to support her education.