Impact Stories from Economic Impact Policy Area

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Report Date...: 08/14/2023

Fellow delivers digital fashion talk at FemInno event

Fellow(s): Ainura Tursunalieva Sagyn (Kyrgyzstan, 2017)

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2017

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development

Fellow Ainura Tursunalieva Sagyn (Kyrgyzstan, 2017) delivered a talk on digital fashion at the FemInno conference in Yerevan, Armenia this July. The largest female innovation conference in its region, FemInno aims to showcase and empower leading women in science, technology and business. Ainura’s talk delved into the concept of digital fashion and how it connects to web 3 and the metaverse. Ainura works in operations at Artizant, an NFT digital fashion marketplace. She is also CEO of Tazar, an eco-sustainability application. “The contributions of women have been instrumental in reshaping industries, driving progress, and fostering diverse perspectives,” Ainura shared in a recent post. “It’s crucial to recognize and empower the roles of women, as a more inclusive tech industry leads to better solutions and a broader societal impact.”

Report Date...: 8/21/2023

Fellow joins delegation at 1st Climate Resilience Salon

Fellow(s): Safiya Aliyu (Nigeria, 2018)

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2018

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development

Fellow Safiya Aliyu (Nigeria, 2018) recently served as a delegate at the first Climate Resilience Salon to take place in Nigeria. Supported by the U.S. Consulate General Lagos, the event convened women-led organizations, climate-tech entrepreneurs and local leaders championing efforts to mitigate climate change in their communities. Event speakers included U.S. Consulate Deputy Political and Economic Chief Kenise Hill, who emphasized that “climate change is a threat that sees no borders.” Safiya has served in the renewable energy sector for over 15 years. She is a general manager at SOSAI Renewable Energies Company and the country director of their Matan Arewan Initiative, which works to amplify the capacity of women working in all aspects of the northern Nigerian renewable energy industry. “It was an eye opener to understand how climate affects any sector you can think of locally, nationally and globally,” Safiya shared in a recent post.

Report Date...: 08/21/2023

000 seed grant win

Fellow(s): Safa Buzgeia (Libya, 2022)

Country: Libya

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Fablab Libya’s “Libyan STEM Hub”, an educational technology project conceived and spearheaded by fellow Safa Buzgeia (Libya, 2022), recently earned 40,000 USD in grant funding from the Islamic Development Bank as a part of their 14-week Tadamon Accelerator experience. Under Safa’s leadership, the Fablab Libya team prepared a non-profit business plan, submitted a pitch deck, and took part in a pitch competition, ultimately placing in the top three among 47 civil service organizations in the accelerator. The project went on to be recognized as one of Tadamon Accelerator’s seven best development projects at this spring’s Forum on Contributing to the Reduction of Poverty in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Fab Lab Libya is an incubator and civil society organization working to spread the culture of digital manufacturing, technology and entrepreneurship, primarily through the implementation of workshops and projects. Libyan STEM Hub aims to establish a first-of-its-kind interactive electronic educational platform, offering modern and practical STEM teaching methods to help bridge the gap in technology content and capacity building around distance learning in the nation. “I think the Tadamon Accelerator experience offered a great next step, with a wonderful conclusion, to what I learned during my TechWomen impact project journey,” Safa shared in a recent letter.

Report Date...: 8/21/2023

Fellow delivers smart tech talk at Google I/O event

Fellow(s): Kseniia Tsyganova (Kyrgyzstan, 2022)

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development

Fellow Kseniia Tsyganova (Kyrgyzstan, 2022) gave a talk centered on internet of things (IoT) technology at the Google I/O Extended conference in Bishkek this August. Kseniia’s presentation, “Smart Home: Simpler than you think,” led the audience through her years-long journey of trial and error to embed her own home with smart technology. She also offered tips for adopting home automatization technology and explored the prospective advancements of near-future smart homes. “My journey and its first fruits inspired me to share my knowledge with the world,” she shared in a recent post. Google I/O Extended is a global event that brings together tech-community specialists to share and learn about new Google technologies and products, connect with industry experts and expand their networks. It was organized by the local Google Developers Group (GDG) and held at Ololo Planet, an innovation and creativity hub in Bishkek.

Report Date...: 08/28/2023

Fellow founds nonprofit Data for Africa Impact (D4AI)

Fellow(s): Rosaline Macharia (Kenya, 2022)

Country: Kenya

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Fellow Rosaline Macharia (Kenya, 2022) recently founded Data for African Impact (D4AI), a non-profit organization that aims to equip and inspire African youth with data science tools. To mark the founding, D4AI hosted its first webinar, “Decoding Data Science: Unleashing Its Potential,” on August 23. The webinar, featuring prominent Australian data scientist Dr. Xin Li and D4AI Head of Training Charles Ndung’u, offered insights into the present and future applications of data science and elucidated the importance of data science literacy in Africa. In September, the program will also launch STEMEd for girls, a free online training program for high school girls. “The establishment of Data for African Impact stands as a remarkable milestone—a testament to the career goals I set following my TechWomen experience,” Rosaline wrote in a recent post. “My heartfelt appreciation goes out to… my impact coaches, Beth Steinberg and Arezoo Riahi,” she continued. “Your insights and guidance have been a guiding lig

Report Date...: 08/28/2023

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