Impact Stories from Economic Impact Policy Area
Fellow visits Tbilisi for networking with WE-Champs
Fellow(s): Darika Aldasheva
Country: Kyrgyzstan
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow Darika Aldasheva (Kyrgyzstan, 2022) shared her experience with the TechWomen program during a panel discussion in Tbilisi, Georgia this December for Strengthening the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem by Networking Regional Women’s Chambers of Commerce and Business Associations (WE-Champs), for which she was recently selected as a beneficiary. WE-Champs, funded by the U.S. State Department Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI) and facilitated by the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), aims to promote women’s economic security and gender-responsive institutions in Europe and Eurasia.
The event brought together women entrepreneurs and leaders of women’s associations and chambers of commerce from 15 countries across the region to share best practices and discuss the findings from the Regional Gender Analysis.
Report Date...: 12/11/2023
Fellow selected as eTradeforWomen Community Leader
Fellow(s): Tadhim Uwizeye
Country: Rwanda
Cohort: 2023
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow Tadhim Uwizeye (Rwanda, 2023) has recently been selected to serve as an Anglophone African countries’ Community Leader for eTradeforWomen, an initiative of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). UNCTAD is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that amplifies the interests of developing countries in world trade. ETradeforWomen promotes women’s economic empowerment and gender equality by providing a platform for women entrepreneurs to elevate their knowledge, skills and resources in digital innovation, e-commerce & entrepreneurship. Community Leaders must be female CEOs or founders of digital businesses that have been in operation for at least two years.
Tadhim is the founder and CEO of Olado, an e-commerce platform offering business-to-consumer product sales for Rwandan enterprises and organizations.
Report Date...: 12/04/2023
Fellow announces founding of STEM training and university preparation platform Stemio
Fellow(s): Natalya Yusupova Klimenko
Country: Uzbekistan
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Fellow Natalya Yusupova Klimenko (Uzbekistan, 2017) has recently announced the founding of Stemio, an innovative online learning platform designed to help students prepare for STEM courses and gain greater access to universities and the admissions process. Subscribers to the platform will receive access to worldwide courses, 24/7 online support, unlimited practice and knowledge testing opportunities, and guaranteed university admission.
“By my calculations, every year more than 2 million school students in Central Asia and neighboring countries take exams in mathematics, physics, chemistry or biology when applying to STEM universities.” Natalya explained in a recent announcement. “80% of them fail due to the low level of education in schools. It is an incredible 2 billion dollar opportunity in this region alone.”
Natalya has a professional background in digital marketing management and most recently served as the Head of Sales at Billz, a retail business management software company. She launched Stemio to help students shore up teacher and resource shortages, combat institutional corruption, alleviate personal study pressures and develop a clear and desirable career path.
Report Date...: 11/27/2023
Mentor(s): Lori Kahn and Claudia Galvan
Company: Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Oracle
Mentor Type: Professional and Cultural
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development
The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) recently announced mentors Lori Kahn of Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Claudia Galvan of Oracle among its five 2023 recipients of the Advocating Women in Engineering Award. This is one of the highest distinctions awarded by SWE is bestowed on members of the engineering field who have demonstrated a track record of professional excellence and advocacy for women in engineering.
They will be honored during the annual WE23 conference held this year in Los Angeles from October 26 to 28, alongside other global players making significant contributions to the advancement of women in STEM.
“There’s more advocating to do to get more girls into STEM careers and keep them there,” Lori expressed in a recent post announcing the honor.
Report Date...: 09/25/2023
Fellow-led Technovation Girls Uzbekistan team makes record-setting win at World Summit 2023 in California
Fellow(s): Elena Selezneva and Saida Yusupova (Uzbekistan, 2016)
Country: Uzbekistan
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Youth Engagement
Technovation Girls Uzbekistan, introduced and spearheaded in 2016 by fellows Elena Selezneva and Saida Yusupova (Uzbekistan, 2016), recently made history when Team Tecnas won the Social Impact Award (Senior Division) at the Technovation Girls 2023 World Summit in California. This victory marks the first world summit win for an Uzbek team in the seven-year history of the competition, hosted this year by Synopsys.
Comprising five girls and a mentor, Team Tecnas developed a virtual reality (VR) application, Sinov, which provides an immersive science lab experience for students who lack access to conventional STEM laboratory facilities. “We are incredibly proud of Team Tecnas’ achievement and hope that their success will inspire other girls in Uzbekistan to pursue their passion for technology and become role models in the field,” Elena shared in a recent message.
Elena and Saida are the co-founders of Tech4Impact, a women-focused NGO that supports innovation, IT entrepreneurship and the green technology sector. The NGO grew from a TechWomen seed-grant winning impact project and has been supported by both the local alumnae community and U.S. mentors including Erin Keeley, Rekha Pai and Eileen Brewer.
Technovation Girls has a long history of support from the TechWomen community, with long-time mentor and Strategic Partnerships Advisor Anar Simpson serving as the Global Ambassador for the program.
Read More »Report Date...: 11/20/2023
Fellow leads 4-day Tech Business Mission to Malaysia
Fellow(s): Ayesha Hammad Zaman (Pakistan, 2022)
Country: Pakistan
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow Ayesha Hammad Zaman (Pakistan, 2022), recently led the four-day Tech Business Mission to Malaysia under the banner of the Pakistan Tech Forum, a platform she co-founded to enhance Pakistan’s IT exports. The mission, organized in concert with GMB Malaysia, facilitated meaningful business partnerships between Pakistani organizations and the IT ecosystems of Malaysia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. A total of 20 organizations, including enterprises, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and startups participated in the initiative alongside Malaysian government institutions, investors, local IT companies and other stakeholders. The event showcased the diversity of Pakistan’s tech ecosystem, underscoring the nation’s aspirations for entrepreneurship and economic growth in the tech sector. “The real work starts post delegation as we work closely with the stake holders in the Malaysian tech ecosystem to promote bilateral trade,” Ayesha shared in a recent post. “[I] can’t emphasize enough how much confidence we have gained after the support expressed by the Pakistan High Commission in Malaysia.” Ayesha is the founder and CEO of Skills Todo, an IT workforce training platform. This spring she also successfully hosted Skills Gala & Talent Hunt 2023, an original concept IT mega expo, in Lahore, Pakistan.
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Report Date...: 11/13/2023
Fellow interviewed for IFC’s Accelerate4Youth Program
Fellow(s): Ichraf Jarray (Tunisia, 2022)
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow Ichraf Jarray (Tunisia, 2022), founder of incubator Hive12, was recently interviewed for a video on how the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) Accelerate4Youth Program is driving entrepreneurship in Tunisia. “If we want to take the entrepreneurial ecosystem to the next level we, as stakeholders, need to combine our efforts and work together in a strategic and sustainable way,” Ichraf emphasized in a recent post highlighting the video, where she discusses how the Accelerate4Youth program has supported efforts to more equitably distribute Tunisia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Read More »Report Date...: 11/06/2023
Fellow partners with mentor and founder of Families Without Borders to bring IdeaTest Lab to innovators in Sierra Leone
Fellow(s): Fellow Nermin Salah Mostafa (Egypt, 2013)
Country: Egypt
Cohort: 2013
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow Nermin Salah Mostafa (Egypt, 2013) recently partnered with Families Without Borders, a nonprofit organization founded and directed by mentor Terri Khonsari, to deliver her brand new IdeaTest Lab program to scholars from Sierra Leone. Nermin spent six weeks delivering her IdeaTest Lab to STEM graduates in Sierra Leone, helping them shape innovative ideas into concrete business models. The program drew support from a variety of TechWomen alumnae, including fellows Reham Nasser, Fatma Telib and Richmonda Pearce who served as team mentors. Mentor Catherine Simpson acted as a judge in the culminating pitch competition and TechGirls fellow Farida Kroush delivered a session. “Witnessing their boundless enthusiasm and unwavering dedication has truly been inspiring,” Nermin wrote in a recent post. “Together, we’re paving the way for a brighter future, one step at a time.” Families Without Borders provides young leaders with full college scholarships and training in entrepreneurship, digital literacy, communication and financial management. IdeaTest Lab furthers Nermin’s learnings and impact from her Hubert Humphrey Fellowship at Penn State University last summer. The winning team, EverFresh, was accepted at the American University in Cairo’s AUC Venture Lab, the top accelerator in Africa, which the team will join for their spring 2024 cohort.
Read More »Report Date...: 10/30/2023
Fellow app funded $10k USD for English teaching bot
Fellow(s): Bermet Dosmambetova (Kyrgyzstan, 2022)
Country: Kyrgyzstan
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow Bermet Dosmambetova (Kyrgyzstan, 2022) and her team recently placed in the top three of the Accelerate Prosperity incubation program, earning $10,000 USD in investment capital for their startup application, ooQU. OoQU is a Telegram bot which allows users to practice and improve their spoken English pronunciation and vocabulary. The product was developed out of the Startup Nation Kyrgyzstan hackathon, which Bermet attended in September. At the time of reporting, they have over 200 users, 10% of whom are using a paid subscription. “I am burning with the idea that as many people as possible in my country will become fluent in English, because it opens up endless opportunities,” Bermet shared in a recent post.
Read More »Report Date...: 10/30/2023
Fellow moderates panel on tech markets featuring U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce Marisa Lago
Fellow(s): Reevana Balmahoon (South Africa, 2022)
Country: South Africa
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development
In collaboration with her local U.S. mission and WomHub, fellow Reevana Balmahoon (South Africa, 2022) recently moderated a panel on opportunities for start-ups in the U.S. through SelectUSA Tech, a Commerce Department program that connects early-stage and startup technology companies to investment prospects in the U.S. market. The panel included Marisa Lago, U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, Mamela Luthuli, CEO of TakeNote IT group, and Dr. Georgette Fraser-Moore, President and CEO of Transformation Lead. Reuben Brigety II, U.S. Ambassador to South Africa also attended the event. “Women play an important role in global economic growth,” Reevana shared in a recent post. “As barriers continue to break in this realm, let’s celebrate their impact when growing our communities, governments and businesses.” WomHub is a lean incubator and co-working hub for female founders in science, technology, engineering and manufacturing. Having worked there for nearly six years, Reevana is a tech lead and advisor for the organization, specializing in technology content curation, development and management, and technical advisement for strategic partnerships.
Read More »Report Date...: 08/14/2023