So, I'm not the only woman to despair about institutional sexism in tech

At this year's Founders Forum the power hierarchies that make it so hard for female entrepreneurs to break through were on full display

I have never had a more interesting discussion in a posh loo. On a voluptuous day-bed and plush armchairs, I was sat with several formidable women, all despairing about the sexist curation of one of European technology's most influential events.

This is the 10th Founders Forum London, something like the Davos of tech but set in the home counties. It was launched 10 years ago by Brent Hoberman - investor, co-founder of lastminute.com and non-executive director of the Guardian Media Group - with fellow investor Jonathan Goodwin. The venue is exclusive, the clientele elite and the networking first-class. It bills itself as the premium event in the tech calendar this side of the Atlantic, and tugs on contacts across business, government and royalty to pull it off.