From Tomboy to EdTech Titan
Claudia Rademaker’s fun facts paint a vivid picture of her dynamic personality and diverse interests. Describing herself with the hashtags #Energetic, #Curious, and #Innovative encapsulates her vibrant, inquisitive nature and her drive to push boundaries. Her life story is a compelling narrative of transformation: from a bullied tomboy in the Netherlands to a successful top model in Asia, an international entrepreneur with multiple startups, and a PhD holder passionate about educational quality and equality.
Her musical tastes reveal an eclectic and spirited side, drawing motivation and joy from iconic artists like Queen, Jimi Hendrix, Madonna, and Harry Styles. This musical diversity reflects her broad interests and enthusiasm.
Rademaker values impactful and thought-provoking literature, with The Power of Now being a significant read for her due to its evolving relevance through different life stages.
She also embraces her unique achievements with humor and confidence, mentioning her role in a big-screen action movie where she played a villain and her quirky ability to speak backwards. Her book title, “Dream Big and Make It Happen,” encapsulates her philosophy and determination, highlighting her belief in setting ambitious goals and realizing them.
In the end, it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years.
How Claudia Rademaker's Childhood Laid the Groundwork for Educational Equity
Claudia Rademaker’s childhood experiences significantly shaped her personal and professional journey. Growing up in Harlem, the Netherlands, her early life was marked by a strong interest in technology and innovation, as evidenced by her childhood aspirations of becoming a computer programmer or toy inventor. Her favorite subjects in school were physical education and gymnastics, while history was less engaging for her. Her first encounters with technology, including the Commodore 64, early mobile phones, and Palm Pilots, laid the foundation for her future career.
Nadia Comaneci, the gymnastics champion, was a key role model for Rademaker, inspiring her with her achievements in a field she was passionate about as a child. However, her formative years were marred by bullying from a teacher who mocked her learning difficulties. This negative experience fostered a deep-seated drive within her to prove her worth and overcome feelings of inadequacy. The resilience built from these early struggles led her to pursue diverse roles—fashion model, entrepreneur, and academic—culminating in a mission to reform education.
Rademaker’s experiences with bullying and her determination to defy those early challenges have profoundly influenced her career focus on educational equity. Her work with Lega, an assessment platform used globally, reflects her commitment to creating fair and accessible learning environments. The personal adversities she faced have driven her to advocate for equal opportunities in education, using modern technology to bridge gaps and enhance quality.
When Resilience Fuels Innovation: Overcoming Early Challenges in Tech
Claudia Rademaker’s tech career path reflects her blend of creativity, resilience, and passion for innovation. Beginning with a Fine Arts degree in design, she pivoted toward business administration, focusing on entrepreneurship and product development, eventually earning a PhD. Her early experiences, particularly bullying in school, fueled her drive to excel and influence the education sector, culminating in co-founding Duga, an all-in-one digital assessment platform.
Rademaker’s career is marked by diverse roles—fashion designer, actress, entrepreneur, and teacher. Her leadership at Duga has been transformative, contributing to its growth from a research project to a globally used platform in over 130 countries. Winning the Microsoft Global Partner of the Year in Education (2020) is one of her proudest achievements.
The biggest challenge she faces in the male-dominated ed-tech industry is securing investor support, with male-led companies receiving most of the funding. However, her resilience pushes her to constantly improve and advocate for innovation that promotes equality and quality in education.
What drives Claudia is her passion for creating solutions that make learning less stressful and more accessible. She emphasizes that while tech transformation may seem complex, her goal is to simplify it. Her personal journey toward work-life balance is ongoing, and she continues to prioritize self-care, learning from her younger team members, and striving to create a meaningful impact on education worldwide.
Claudia Rademaker’s 10 Favorite Things
- Favorite Music Artists: Queen, Jimi Hendrix, Madonna, Harry Styles.
- Favorite Book: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.
- Favorite Childhood Activity: Gymnastics and physical education.
- Favorite Tech Gadget: Commodore 64 (her first encounter with technology).
- Favorite Movie Genre: Action films (she played a villain in one).
- Favorite Hobby: Designing and inventing.
- Favorite Sport: Gymnastics (inspired by Nadia Comaneci).
- Favorite Quote: “Dream Big and Make It Happen” (also her book title).
- Favorite Pastime: Engaging in conversations about equality and diversity.
- Favorite Inspirational Figure: Lakeisha Gunther (admired for her competence and advocacy for education).
Navigating the Gap in Professional Support
Claudia Rademaker’s reflections on mentorship and role models reveal her keen awareness of the challenges and opportunities these figures can offer. Despite her significant achievements, she currently lacks a mentor, expressing a desire for one but noting that she hasn’t yet found a suitable match or vice versa. This situation highlights a gap in her professional support network that she acknowledges could be beneficial.
In terms of role models, Rademaker is actively seeking inspiration. She hasn’t yet identified a female role model in her field, underscoring a broader issue where women historically have had fewer prominent figures to look up to in business compared to men. This quest for a role model reflects her recognition of the value these figures can bring, not just for guidance but for inspiring new perspectives and leadership qualities.
Rademaker values mentorship highly, recognizing its potential for providing valuable insights and support. She believes that a mentor does not need to be in the same industry or role, but rather someone who can share their experiences and how they’ve overcome challenges. This mindset underscores her belief in the broader benefits of mentorship, including the opportunity to learn from diverse experiences and apply these lessons to one’s own career.
The Importance of Fostering Team Growth and Collaboration
Claudia Rademaker views leadership as a role focused on inspiring the team towards a common goal and fostering mutual learning. She believes that good leaders empower their team members, support their growth, and engage with their ambitions, creating a positive work environment. In contrast, bad leaders misuse their power, ignore issues of inequality and diversity, and resist change, perpetuating outdated practices and unhealthy organizational cultures.
She admires Lakeisha Gunther, Vice President and General Manager of IoT at Microsoft, for her competence and advocacy for education. Claudia describes herself as open-minded, communicative, transparent, and curious. She values listening, implementing changes, and challenging norms to drive improvement and innovation. Her core values include inclusion, equality, and teamwork, with a focus on embracing diverse perspectives and fostering collaboration.
From her experiences, Claudia has learned that insecure and impersonal leaders who prioritize being right over empowering their team create toxic work environments. She emphasizes that effective leadership involves balancing analytical skills with intuition, being human-centered, admitting mistakes, and promoting clear communication. Claudia identifies her strengths as problem-solving, innovation, and seeing the big picture, while acknowledging weaknesses such as being a workaholic, talking fast, and impatience. Her approach to leadership reflects a commitment to personal growth and creating a positive impact within organizations.
When Conversations Matter: The Importance of Dialogue in Promoting DEIB
Claudia Rademaker views diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEIB) as fundamental principles that ensure individuals do not have to undermine others to succeed. For her, these concepts mean providing equal opportunities across all areas of life, including education and the workplace. This belief underpins her work with Duga, an assessment platform designed to ensure that academic evaluations are not influenced by gender, ethnicity, or other personal attributes, and that students with special needs receive equal chances to succeed.
She identifies transparency, open-mindedness, team collaboration, and a culture where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities as key indicators of a good company culture. Claudia’s experiences as a woman of color in the tech industry have highlighted significant barriers, including initial biases and judgments. She has overcome these challenges by learning to assert herself more confidently and becoming tougher as needed.
Claudia argues that more women need to enter and lead in the tech industry, pointing out that investments in edtech are disproportionately directed towards male founders despite the predominance of female end users. She observes that women are often judged based on past accomplishments rather than future potential, and she advocates for more women in leadership roles to address this imbalance.
In her discussions about DEIB, Claudia emphasizes the importance of dialogue with both female and male colleagues, finding these conversations refreshing and supportive. She believes that past barriers have eroded her self-confidence but notes that mentorship could have provided valuable reinforcement. She advises companies to engage more with talented women, offer them leadership opportunities, and ensure equal pay for equal work.
Challenges in implementing DEIB include misinterpretations of these concepts and a lack of male leaders championing these issues. Claudia believes that gender diversity at the top levels of organizations is crucial for diverse decision-making and is often overlooked or inadequately addressed. Reflecting on her career, she wishes she had confronted these issues sooner and plans to continue standing up against injustice to pave the way for future women in tech.
DEIB = fundamental principles that ensure individuals do not have to undermine others to succeed. For her, these concepts mean providing equal opportunities across all areas of life, including education and the workplace.
5 Best Quotes by Claudia Rademaker Inspiring Other Women:
On Ambition: “Dream big and be proactive in pursuing your goals.”
On Self-Belief: “Recognize your competence and don’t let others undermine your confidence.”
On Leadership: “Effective leadership is about empowering others and creating a positive work environment.”
On Diversity: “Diversity, equality, and inclusion should be fundamental principles in every organization.”
On Resilience: “Stay resilient and believe in yourself, especially during setbacks.”
The Importance of Supportive Friendships in Self-Care
Claudia Rademaker emphasizes the importance of mental health and work-life balance, highlighting her strategies for maintaining good mental well-being. She relies on supportive friends who encourage her to relax and create balance in her life. Despite her busy schedule, which often leads to working late hours due to her passion for her work, she acknowledges the ongoing need for better self-care.
Claudia finds motivation in her work’s impact on education and in celebrating the achievements of her team. This passion and purpose are key drivers for her daily engagement. She does not report experiencing burnout, indicating that her strategies for maintaining mental health and balance are effective so far.
Her advice for companies aiming to foster a mentally healthy workplace includes ensuring that corporate values are not just stated but actively implemented in daily operations and decision-making. She underscores the importance of listening to team members from diverse backgrounds and generations, which can lead to valuable insights and enhance company culture. Claudia also advocates for taking a strong stance on issues like equality, diversity, and inclusion, as these actions can significantly boost team morale and spirit. She believes that inclusiveness is essential, as it affirms the value of each individual within the organization.
Dream Big
Claudia Rademaker shares several insightful pieces of advice and reflections as she wraps up her conversation. She values the encouragement and belief of her network, which helps her stay confident and resilient during setbacks. She emphasizes the importance of being reminded of her capabilities and the need to believe in herself, especially when facing challenges.
If she could go back in time, Claudia would have benefited from having some coding knowledge to better understand the development timelines for new product features. She advises her younger self to avoid self-limitation, recognize her competence, and not let others undermine her confidence.
For young girls and women aspiring to enter STEM fields, Claudia encourages them to dream big and be proactive in pursuing their goals. She underscores the importance of not setting limits on one’s ambitions and seeking opportunities.
Looking forward, Claudia expresses contentment with her current role and excitement about the future. She is enthusiastic about her ongoing journey and is eager to see where it leads, indicating a strong sense of fulfillment and anticipation for what comes next.
Many thanks for having me on your podcast Queens of Tech. Jasmine Moradi! You're doing amazing and important work!
Biography
Claudia Rademaker holds the esteemed positions of Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, and Co-founder at Dugga, a cutting-edge digital assessment platform grounded in research.
Her professional journey spans international collaborations with start-ups, scale-ups, and contributions to international business development across diverse industries. Claudia’s expertise extends to academia, where she served as an Assistant Professor, researcher, and lecturer at both Stockholm University and the Stockholm School of Economics. Her doctoral thesis, conducted at the Center for Media and Economic Psychology, Stockholm School of Economics, received recognition through the prestigious Wallander stipend from the Jan Wallander and Tom Hedelius Foundation, Handelsbanken.
In a remarkable achievement, Dugga, under Claudia’s leadership, was honored with the Microsoft Global Partner of the Year Award in Education in 2020. Demonstrating unparalleled growth, the company expanded its user base from two countries to a global presence, reaching users in over 120 countries within a span of 12 months.
Claudia’s outstanding contributions to the field have earned her a place in the first cohort of the most promising female founders in Edtech, as recognized by the Female Edtech Fellowship (FEF). Actively engaged in FEF, Claudia willingly lends her expertise to assist others in scaling and navigating business challenges, reflecting her commitment to fostering collaboration and growth within the Edtech community.
