In a new national report by financial tools website SmartAsset, Indianapolis was ranked the fourth best city for women in tech in 2017, up one ranking from last year’s report.

To find the best cities for women in tech, SmartAsset pulled data on men and women in computer and mathematical occupations and looked at 59 of the largest U.S. cities in which there are enough tech workers to provide statistically reliable data from the Census Bureau. The cities were then ranked across four metrics: the gender pay gap in tech, income after housing costs, women as a percentage of the tech workforce and four-year tech employment growth.

While this study does not take into consideration both men and women working in tech companies but in non-tech roles, such as sales and marketing, it does provide an understanding of how Indiana, an emerging tech hub, compares to more established cities.

Recent efforts by TechPoint and other community leaders and organizations have put an intential focus on encouraging more women to join tech companies in both tech and non-tech roles by highlighting their impact in Indiana tech. Here are a few related stories shared by TechPoint:

What it’s like: Haley Altman on becoming a first time CEO 

There is no test, degree or experience that automatically qualifies you to become a chief executive officer. Haley Altman, CEO and founder of Doxly, recently spoke at a Ladies in SaaS event to share her journey from lawyer to tech company CEO. She highlights the specific challenges she faced — such as having few female role models and creating confidence — in this contributed piece.

Growing tech companies owned and led by women

One of the best ways to learn about how to build a tech company is to try and build one yourself. Kristen Cooper did that in 2012 but ultimately decided not to go to market. The process of learning how to build technology was one of the greatest experiences of her life, and it was also the beginning of a path to creating a women’s organization called The Startup Ladies that would help them succeed where she had not.

Innovation and opportunity lured Elizabeth Hagerman back to Indiana 

The decision to start a new job often stems from a desire to move up the ladder or find a better opportunity. After spending more than 10 years in Los Angeles, Elizabeth Hagerman found herself moving out and moving up in her career — and back to Indiana. “It is possible for a girl in her 30’s to be motivated by her career. I was able to come back to Indiana and advance my career more effectively than if I stayed on the trajectory I was following,” said Hagerman.

Paula Romero chooses Indy Tech Fellowship to launch career

Paula was born in Maracay, Venezuela and moved to A Estrada, Spain when she was 11. At 16, she came to Indiana as a foreign exchange student, and at 18, she moved to Indiana for college. She found the Xtern program in 2015, which “was exactly what I had envisioned internships were like: a bunch of students together suffering through the early mornings going to work and coming back to hang out around the city and building memories together,” said Paula. “Indianapolis’ competitive advantage is in how it gives young talent the ability to build the tech community. It has grown quite a bit in the four years I’ve been here, and it has solidified its status which reduces the risk of it crashing. This makes it the perfect city for young grads to take risks. Indy provides the leadership, trailblazers, organizations – like TechPoint or Women & Hi Tech – and network to grow towards your dreams,” said Paula.

‘Ladies in SaaS’ gains momentum in Indianapolis

Building and sustaining a professional network is challenging, but it’s twice as hard when the kind of group you’re looking for simply doesn’t exist. That’s how Kristen Hamerstadt and Robyn Miley ended up starting Ladies in SaaS, a casual, community networking group for professional women in tech and software-as-a-service.

Alexis Fink puts career emphasis on people first

Growing up in the suburbs of Carmel, Ind., did not mean that Alexis was automatically going to choose Indiana as a home after graduation. Her computer science degree from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology would position her to work in our country’s fastest-growing tech companies, many of which were present at the career fairs she attended. But TechPoint’s Xtern program helped Alexis find a supportive community of tech-minded thinkers that ultimately helped her chose Indy for her tech career.

Encouraging Women in STEM: Azerbaijan tech leaders visit Angie’s List 

It is well understood that STEM – science, technology, engineering and math – fields are becoming increasingly important for driving the future of international economies, but how are our international counterparts tackling the same gender and diversity issues that we face in the U.S. and Indiana when it comes to filling the talent pipeline?Five female tech experts and international leaders from Azerbaijan spent their morning asking questions about STEM, tech platforms and culture to a panel of female leaders at Angie’s List this month for a discussion on “Encouraging Women in STEM.”

Prioritizing Diversity and Inclusion in Indianapolis’ tech industry 

Studies have shown that diverse teams are smarter teams. Ensuring all people feel welcome in tech education, community groups and companies helps us build a stronger workforce. Emily Trimble, Campus Director for The Iron Yard Indianapolis, discusses how their most recent class is 50/50 men and women and why diverse teams are crucial to business success.

Hanna Bennett puts down roots at Pondurance

For many Millennials, the opportunity to work remotely and travel the country is not an unreachable dream.Hanna met Pondurance, an information security solutions provider located in downtown Indianapolis, at a cyber symposium during one of her senior classes. “I was open to going anywhere, but I was looking for culture. Pondurance was growing and I could see myself growing with them,” said Hanna, a charter member of TechPoint’s Indy Tech Fellowship.

Do you know an outstanding female in tech who deserves to be recognized? Send your story ideas and nominations to Sara Croft at sara@techpoint.org.