Mary-Jo is first and foremost a mum to three boys aged, 15, 13 and 9 and with this, is a middle- aged single, working mum forging ahead with an innovative product called YakBit. Yakbit is B2B software to help businesses measure inclusion processes at work, not just outcomes, with a view to creating greater psychological safety in the workplace. She gained a scholarship from Norfolk Network in 2019 (with match funding from a charity she was a trustee of) to study for an MBA at the UEA, graduating (at last) this summer, after a hybrid on-line finish to studies. Mary-Jo is not techy by nature, although as a secondary school teacher she oversaw English and IT back in 1995 and managed to complete a 2-day JavaScript course back in the early days! Her passion and vision are about making better talking and listening interactions in the workplace, acknowledging that mental health in the workplace costs money. Research shows that for every £1 invested in employee mental health, companies can expect an average return of £5 due to increased productivity and fewer sick days. (Deloitte, 20) YakBit provides an affordable and scalable solution for insight into talking and listening habits in small team meetings; habits that are enhancing or inhibiting full participation and engagement of the workforce. This quantitative data, with additional coaching, will support behaviour change for more inclusive practises at work. In the time since graduation, Mary-Jo has been awarded the Santander /UEA Do It and Grow It Award, and is now reaching for the 50K Scale It award along with three other grants to make the Yakbit prototype ready for beta testing. Co-founding with Jo Hughes in Sydney, Australia, this really is a global and virtual Start Up about to seek EIS and SEIS and all beyond. Early pitching with Synch Norwich in November 21 with John Fagan, made Mary-Jo realise the warmth and inclusivity of the Norfolk Tech crowd, and talking at Norfolk Developers Conference in June cemented her position in the “ones to watch.” We all know (or need to know) that a female founder has a x 2.5 multiplier on ROI for investment. The power of these awards cannot be underestimated. “Working in the education industry for 30years, as teacher, advisor and coach has enabled me to realise that the push for greater equality in the workplace is more important than ever before. My grandmother would have been arrested and sectioned for the thoughts and ideas that I share. One sobering thought. The DevelopHer Awards have never been so important and relevant