CSNOW – Network of Women in Computer Science

What CSNOW – Network of Women in Computer Science does

CSNOW (Network of Women in Computer Science) is an internal support network and community platform operated within ETH Zürich's Department of Computer Science (D-INFK). It is not a commercial entity; rather, it is an academic initiative established to address the underrepresentation of women in computer science by providing networking, mentorship, peer support, and career development services to female students, researchers, and faculty members within the department. The network's reach is deliberately bounded to the ETH Zürich community, with web access gated through ETH user credentials at csnow.inf.ethz.ch.

The organization's core "product" is its community and event programming rather than a discrete software platform. Its underlying technology is a basic informational website built on ETH Zürich's standard institutional web template, with no proprietary software modules, APIs, or commercial integrations disclosed. The only technical assets beyond the website are social media accounts on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook (all branded @csnoweth / CSNOWETH), used for top-of-funnel community engagement. There are no commercial product launches, patents, proprietary datasets, or AI features.

CSNOW has no independent revenue model, pricing structure, or commercial go-to-market motion. All services are provided free of charge to members as part of ETH Zürich's institutional mission. The organization is funded and operated entirely as an internal unit of ETH Zürich, a Swiss federal public university, with leadership drawn from D-INFK faculty (Prof. Dr. Julia Vogt as Publisher/Editor and Dr. Kristina Hostáková as Editor). It has no separate corporate identity, no external investors, and no fundraising history. With 12 employees and a geographic footprint limited to Zurich, Switzerland, CSNOW functions as a programmatic unit rather than a standalone organization.

Name

CSNOW – Network of Women in Computer Science

Legal name

Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH Zürich)

Website

https://csnow.inf.ethz.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CSNOW is an internal academic support network within ETH Zürich's Department of Computer Science (D-INFK) that provides community, mentorship, and networking services to female students, researchers, and faculty in computer science. It operates a credential-gated website and social media presence with no commercial revenue model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Community Network

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional & Business Networking Communities (MPACAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

Keywords

• Women in computer science
• Academic community network
• Computer science mentorship
• University support network
• Stem diversity initiative

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CSNOW is a non-commercial community and networking forum for women in computer science at ETH Zürich, providing peer support, mentorship, career development, and academic collaboration opportunities within the university's Department of Computer Science (D-INFK). It operates as an institutional support network rather than a product company, offering free access to its community platform and social channels for female students, researchers, and faculty.

Product overview

CSNOW (Network of Women in Computer Science) is a networking and community platform operated by ETH Zürich's Department of Computer Science (D-INFK). It is not a commercial product company but rather an academic support initiative. The website serves as a central hub providing information about the network, with social media presence on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. No distinct product modules, branded product offerings, or commercial services are offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves4 records

Direct peers

• MIT Women in EECS (WiEECS): MIT's women-in-electrical-engineering-and-computer-science network supporting graduate and undergraduate women through mentorship and community events. Directly comparable mission and institutional hosting model.
• Stanford Women in Computer Science (SWiCS): Stanford's departmental women-in-CS network providing community, mentorship, and programming for female CS students. Directly comparable as a university-hosted women-in-computer-science affinity network.
• Georgia Tech Women in Computing (WIC): Georgia Tech's women-in-computing student organization providing mentoring, outreach, and community. Comparable as a peer-institution women-in-CS community network.
• University of Washington Women in CSE: UW's Allen School women-in-CS group supporting students through mentoring and community programming. Comparable as a CS-department-hosted women-in-CS network at a research university.
• Carnegie Mellon Women@SCS: CMU's School of Computer Science women-in-CS network offering mentoring, outreach, and community programming. Closely comparable as a leading CS-department-hosted women-in-CS network.

Broad incumbents

• ACM-W: The Association for Computing Machinery's umbrella for women in computing, supporting chapters and global initiatives. Comparable mission at a broader, professional-society scale rather than a single department.
• AnitaB.org: Nonprofit focused on women in computing through programs like GHC and Top Companies for Women Technologists. Comparable mission of advancing women in tech at a much larger, externally-funded scale.

Regional players

• EPFL Women in Engineering and Computer Science: EPFL's women-in-engineering-and-CS community network based in Lausanne, Switzerland. Closest comparable peer given shared geography and Swiss technical-university context.

Emerging players

• Women in Machine Learning (WiML): Community organizing workshops and mentoring for women in machine learning. Comparable mission with thematic overlap given CSNOW's editorial tie to ETH's Institute for Machine Learning.

Others

• ETH Zürich Department of Computer Science (D-INFK): The parent academic department hosting CSNOW. Not a peer in the competitive sense but the institutional environment within which CSNOW operates and through which it is distributed.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CSNOWETH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/csnoweth
• Instagraminstagram.com/csnoweth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CSNOW – Network of Women in Computer Science