Adriana Gascoigne

About

Adriana is the founder and CEO of Girls in Tech, a non-profit organization, which she launched in February 2007. As a woman in tech, Adriana’s passion lies in bolstering opportunities around the empowerment, engagement and education of women in tech.

She recently launched Singapore-based start-up, HelpLearn.Asia, an eLearning platform for small and medium-sized businesses.

My Definition Of Success | Success is finding fulfilment in achieving specific milestones in life that directly align with my passion and purpose. As a child, success was driven by recognition from a teacher or parent and as an adult success is driven by the discovery of one’s passion and purpose and how that is directly correlated to the positive impact and progress made.

A Key Talent | Empowerment. The Girls in Tech organization was created on a foundation of empowerment and the motto “don’t ask for permission, ask for forgiveness.” I believe that every individual on this planet carries unique talents; creative expertise and an active imagination based on personal experiences, education and influences and as such, should be encouraged to leverage these assets whenever possible. In building Girls in Tech, I have built trust amongst each chapter Managing Director and their Boards to extend the curriculum, programming as well as the brand to create a more effective, comprehensive movement. Each chapter team is empowered to make their own decisions about program implementation and customization.

Dealing With Doubt | I call my Mom and Dad or a very close friend. I find it soothing and therapeutic to share detailed information about difficult situations or emotional setbacks with those who are closest to me. I doubted myself the most when I had to pitch a series of VCs for a startup that I was building with my partner. I had little knowledge about the process, how much to ask for, how much equity to give, the valuation of the company, realistic revenue projections, how much salary to take as a CEO, etc. I felt naked in a room full of 50+ year-old men. I handled the situation by being honest. I told them that this was the first time I have had to fund raise and if I wasn’t sure about something, I would have to ask an advisor or my legal counsel and get back to them. While that wasn’t an ideal answer it was better than lying or being disingenuous. The company ended up getting funded.

Performing At My Peak | While “always” performing at one’s peak is literally impossible, I focus on three things to keep my mind fresh:
1. Exercise daily
2. Drink raw juice everyday
3. Stay organized
I also remind myself to not sweat the small stuff, be grateful and not to take myself too seriously.

Resources I Use To Stay Inspired |

Independent films (Sci-Fi, Drama, Comedy)
Audible books – favorite fiction and non-fiction
TED Talks
Inspirational speeches from world leaders
ThinkTanks/Conferences such as Aspen Institute, TED, Renaissance Weekend, Summit Series, The Web Summit
I listen to Gregorian Chants to help me relax and focus; Classical and house are also favorites
Concerts/Music
Salsa dancing
Books from my favorite authors such as Ray Kurzweil, Jared Diamond, Thomas L.   Friedman
National Geographic Magazine and TV Shows
VICE HBO Documentaries
Comedy
Nature is very important in meditating and focusing my mind; I enjoy travelling and immersing myself in nature whether it’s biking in the countryside, relaxing on a sailboat or swimming in the ocean.
Being around positive people who enhance who you are/bring out the best in you – my childhood friends and close friends and family; being around my family (mom and dad) helps reinforce and remind me of my true values and how much I am loved.
Continuous curiosity – I enjoy going to the opera, plays, musicals, ballets, art exhibits, museums, travelling, etc. I am eager to learn, absorb and grow to become a more informed and well-rounded individual.

My Future Dreams And Ambitions | I would love to scale/expand Girls in Tech to all developing nations/cities (as well as developed nations/cities) around the globe. I would like “Girls in Tech” to be a household name, which helps women and girls love, live and breathe STEM/education, leadership and entrepreneurship. I would still love to grow my organization “The YOUniform Project,” which is a philanthropy that provides uniforms and educational resources to underprivileged children around the world. Hopefully we’ll be launching this initiative in Southern India very soon!

The Best Advice I’ve Received | Advice that I recently received from my Dad: “When life is difficult go back to the basics” – I experienced the worst year of my life recently and my parents were always there for me emotionally and spiritually. My Dad’s advice to focus on the most basic things in life – shelter, food, health – was an important guiding light for me as I came up for air and reinvented my life after this personal setback. I now live by this motto day-to-day and it helps in sustaining a work/life balance, feeling grateful for the small things in life and to not allow my workload to get overwhelming.

On Inspiring Others | The wonderfully talented people of Girls in Tech (as well as other projects I’ve worked on) have come to me. I was so focused and dedicated to working hard in building Girls in Tech that I never had time to recruit people to help me. Instead the best thing I could’ve done is to wait for people who were passionate about the movement, who shared the same vision for the organization to step forward organically to volunteer and help scale the organization. I always try to lead by example and I believe that that factor in and of itself has helped encourage, motivate and inspire people to be a part of an organization that is making a sustainable impact in the world. The individuals who have been by my side the longest – Kate Brodock, Roxanne Varza (and all of the chapter Managing Directors of Girls in Tech) to name a few – have helped me reach our organization’s goals by developing a corporate strategy, operational guidelines, high-impact curriculum and programming and most importantly, keeping me focused.

The Legacy I Would Like To Leave | The legacy that I would like to leave is to help girls and women enter into the STEM fields, help them become entrepreneurs and leaders in high-tech environments. I would also like to help underprivileged children access educational resources and uniforms to destroy the cycle of poverty and create equality amongst all socio economic classes, races, and cultures around the world.

Interview Questions

[everest_form id="26923"]

View further interviews.

The Legacy Project

Valarie Kaur is a national interfaith leader, documentary filmmaker, and lawyer who centers her work around the power of storytelling. She is the founder of Groundswell at Auburn Seminary, a non-profit initiative with 100,000 members that equips people of faith in social movements. Working with students and communities, she has made award-winning films and led […]

The Legacy Project

Mark graduated with a BCompt degree from UNISA in 1993. After some years as a commodities trader, he decided to pursue a goal of becoming an entrepreneur, which skill and strength he has applied over the past several years in spearheading Blue Label’s impressive organic and acquisitive growth and international expansion. Together with his brother […]

The Legacy Project

Jake Harriman graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy and served seven and a half years as an Infantry and Special Operations Platoon Commander in the Marine Corps. Jake believes that the “War on Terror” won’t be won on the battlefield alone, but that disenfranchisement, lack of education, and extreme poverty must also be […]

The Legacy Project

Petra Škarja is a young entrepreneur with inspirational life story, where motto JUST DO IT takes an important part. She is an author of two best sellers in Slovenia and an organizer of the biggest event for women entrepreneur in Slovenia. She says she is just a girl who decided to make her own way […]

  • Slovenia
  • Entrepreneur
The Legacy Project

Claudio Valladares-Padua has bachelors’ degree in Business Administration and Biology. He started his graduate studies at the University of Florida in August, 1984, completed requirements for a Master of Arts degree in January of 1987 and for a Ph.D. in 1992. Claudio is a co-founder and Vice-President of the Board of IPÊ – Instituto de […]

The Legacy Project

José Manuel Ramos-Horta GCL AC is the United Nations’ special Representative and Head of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS). He was the President of East Timor from 2007 to 2012, the second since independence from Indonesia, and is a co-recipient of the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize. He began his career in […]

Rana Florida

As Chief Executive Officer of the Creative Class Group, Rana Florida TLP manages new business development, marketing, consulting, research and global operations serving such diverse clients as BMW, Converse, IBM, Cirque du Soleil, Audi, Zappos, and Johnson & Johnson – to name just a few. Rana Florida TLP (Legacy Project) She brings to this leadership […]

  • United States
  • Business
Jason Silva Legacy Project

As host of National Geographic Channel’s Emmy-nominated series, Brain Games, Jason Silva Legacy Project will guide you through the twists and turns of your grey matter. Through a series of man-on-the-streets and experiments, Silva will be joined by top experts in the fields of cognitive science, neuroscience and psychology, who will give you the “why” […]

  • Keynote Speaker
Disclaimer
The profiles and images embedded on these pages are from various interviews conducted by The Legacy Project.

These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.

Our Mission

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME