Impact Stories from Entrepreneurship Policy Area

Selected for the MENA ChangemakerXchange summit

Fellow(s): Afnan Ali

Country: Jordan

Cohort: 2011

“Afnan was selected to attend the first ChangemakerXchange summit in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, sponsored by social entrepreneurship platform Ashoka and software giant SAP. The summit took place in Dubai in late August. Afnan was one of the twenty MENA-based entrepreneurs who attended the summit, which gathered participants to network, join forces and spark change. The summit included access to mentorship, training and fundraising resources.

Afnan was selected for her work founding Eureka Tech Academy, an initiative to train children to become techpreneurs and engineers. Eureka is considered the first academy in Jordan and the Arab world to develop the innovative capabilities of children in the areas of technology and engineering.”

Report Date: 9/4/2017

Fellow(s): Nadia Habsatou

Country: Cameroon

Cohort: 2016

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship, Youth Engagement

In 2014, Boko Haram attacked a small village in the Far North Region of Cameroon. Several public places were destroyed, and today, thousands of children and young people are affected by armed conflict. “They face harm, fear, loss, kidnapping and exploitation. Schools are damaged or overtaken by armed groups.” In this guest blog post, Nadia Habsatou, 2016 fellow from Cameroon, provides an update on her team’s action plan that is helping students receive training and access to education amid many challenges.

Report Date: 7/24/2017

Fellow(s): Lina Lebedeva

Country: Kazakhstan

Cohort: 2015

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship, Youth Engagement

Lina Lebedeva, a 2015 fellow from Kazakhstan, was inspired by her TechWomen experience to start a school for Kazakhstani students between the ages of 13 to 18 who are interested in biology. Started shortly after returning home from the United States, the program has grown from just ten students to now approximately 100 enrolled. Popular courses include those focused on genetics and biotechnology.

Report Date: 7/24/2017

Fellow(s): Nargiza Abdubalieva

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2016

Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship

Nargiza Abdubalieva, 2016 fellow of Kyrgyzstan, was one of five people to organize InkubasiaLAB, a business model validation lab accelerator for early-stage, Kyrgyzstan-based entrepreneurs addressing social and environmental issues, June 19-23. Silicon Valley professionals, including representatives of Facebook, Google, Apple, LinkedIn, Salesforce and other startups, facilitated training, and Nargiza was responsible for entrepreneur and mentor recruitment.

Report Date: 6/19/2017

Fellow(s): Joy Makumbe

Country: Zimbabwe

Cohort: 2015

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability

Joy Makumbe, 2015 fellow of Zimbabwe, discusses her startup challenges and the impact of TechWomen on her personal and professional life in an interview featured on She Leads Africa. SunPower hosted Joy for her mentorship, where she “realized that there was so much untapped potential in Zimbabwe for solar power on the domestic, industrial and agricultural fields,” Joy stated.

Report Date: 6/12/2017

IEEE Women in Engineering International Leadership Conference

Fellow(s): Nadiah Saba’neh; Salima Kaissi

Country: Morocco, Palestinian Territories

Cohort: 2013, 2015

Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth

Nadiah Saba’neh, 2015 fellow and Head of the Technical Development Directorate at the Palestinian Higher Council for Innovation and Excellence, presented an overview of the Palestinian entrepreneurship ecosystem at the IEEE Women in Engineering International Leadership Conference, May 23 in San Jose, Calif. The session was moderated by Salima Kaissi, 2013 fellow of Morocco and co-founder of eSTEM Morocco, who chaired the entrepreneurship track of the conference.

Report Date: 5/22/2017

Hello World Kids

Fellow(s): Eman Hylooz, Hanan Khader

Country: Jordan

Cohort: 2013, 2016

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship, Youth Engagement

TechWomen fellows are transforming generations around the world. The World Economic Forum and International Finance Corporation named 100 Arab startups shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including Abjjad, founded by 2016 fellow Eman Hylooz of Jordan, and Hello World Kids, founded by 2013 fellow Hanan Khader of Jordan. The Jordanian entrepreneurs will meet with King Abdullah ll to discuss the future and the challenges of the tech startup scene in Jordan.

Report Date: 5/15/2017

Fellow(s): Rawan Abukhadrah

Country: Jordan

Cohort: 2016

Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship

On April 2, Rawan Abukhadrah, 2016 fellow of Jordan, launched her mobile application, Jeel. The application aims to support parents in developing physical, cognitive and emotional skills of their children, from infants to preteens. Jeel is based on more than two years of research conducted with Ulm University in Germany and focuses on both parents and their children by utilizing online and offline platforms and activities

Report Date: 4/17/2017

Fellow(s): Afnan Ali

Country: Jordan

Cohort: 2011

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Youth Engagement

Afnan Ali, 2011 fellow of Jordan, founded Eureka Tech Academy in 2013 to teach children the concepts of engineering and invention to transform ideas into products. Since then, more than 500 students have participated in her programs, and she has developed a team of three full-time and 19 part-time employees. In December 2016, Afnan pitched Eureka at the Rise Up Summit in Cairo, Egypt. She was one of six entrepreneurs selected out of 23 pitches to participate in a 10-day acceleration program hosted by RiseUp and TechWadi in Silicon Valley.

Report Date: 4/10/2017

Fellow(s): Abiola Illupeju

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2015

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship

Abiola Ilupeju, 2015 fellow of Nigeria, founded Moat Academy in 2016 to support locally developed, high-quality software by providing training to ICT graduates to increase their qualifications and employability. In January, the academy’s first cohort graduated, followed by another cohort in March.

Report Date: 3/27/2017

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