Syson Kunda

Background

About Syson Kunda

Syson Kunda is the founder and managing director of two technology companies PingLady and PingTech Academy. After an extensive career in the information technology sector, Syson began her journey a social techpreneur. PingLady is a non-profit company that incubates innovation in women. PingTech Academy is a social enterprise that incubates innovation in children and young adults. PingLady and PingTech Academy vision and mission are rooted in addressing two major global issues using technology: Gender Equality and Poverty (unemployment). PingLady and PingTech Academy programs aim to prepare women, children and youth for the future of work. The programs are aimed at equipping women, children and young adults with coding and robotics skills. The PingLady and PingTech Academy programs also empower and harness women and young people’s technical skills with personal and employability skills required for the future of work. PingLady and PingTech Academy targets unemployed women and youth with the aim of restoring their hope and dignity while also addressing the gender parity gap in the technology industry. On a quest to find information to backup the PingLady business plan in its startup phase, Syson became conscious of a significant problem regarding the scarcity of information related to women in technology in South Africa. Determined to avail this information to the public as a significant aid to address the gender parity gap in the technology industry in South Africa, Syson enrolled for an MIT ICT Management course with University of Pretoria and did a mini thesis on the low retention rate of women in technology in South Africa. Her mini thesis was published in an international journal and details are as follows: Title: A South African Case Study of Women in the Information Technology Sector: Challenges and Recommendations Authors: Syson Nalukwago Kunda, Martina Jordaan, Nita Mennega Journal Title: Organizational Cultures: An International Journal Date: June 27, 2022 Link: https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/a-south-african-case-study-of-women-in-the-information-technology-sector?category_id=cgrn & path=cgrn%2F255%2F259 Syson also acquired a BCom Honours in Business Informatics as well as a BCom degree in Information Management. She is also certified in various disciplines like Managing People, Agile Methodologies, Microsoft, Test analysis. etc