Impact Stories from Entrepreneurship Policy Area
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.
Read More »Report Date...: 3/27/2017
Craftista
Fellow(s): Mariam Keriakos
Country: Egypt
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship
Mariam Keriakos has utilized the skills and confidence gained during the TechWomen program to start her own business. On March 6, Mariam launched Craftista.me, an online marketplace, which sells Egyptian and Middle Eastern handmade crafts to a global customer base. She describes her company as a social business, which aims to empower artisans and to harness the power of technology. With this platform, designers and manufacturers can sell their products, including jewelry, fabrics and clothing, on a global marketplace. In addition to her newest enterprise, Mariam created the ASPIRE program, which teaches children in under-resourced areas about technology and innovation, upon returning home from the program.
Read More »Report Date...: 3/13/2017
Eurasia Mobile Challenge
Fellow(s): Nazira Sherlay
Country: Kyrgyzstan
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship
Nazira Sherlay, 2016 fellow of Kyrgyzstan, traveled to Yerevan, Armenia, to participate in the Eurasia Mobile Challenge Regional Final from January 24-25. For the competition, her team developed a mobile application, Charba, which serves as an educational and trading platform for farmers. It provides information on market prices and trends to help farmers be more profitable. Nazira’s team was selected as one of 24 finalists from nearly 1,000 registered teams representing Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
Report Date...: 1/23/2017
Mentor(s): Anar Simpson
Company: Mozilla
Mentor Type: Impact
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship
Anar Simpson, six-year TechWomen mentor, attended the 2016 Women’s Forum Global Meeting from November 30 – December 2 in Deauville, France. At the event, she participated in a panel on how influencers can better promote women’s entrepreneurship in new sectors. She also discussed what others can do to help female entrepreneurs, as venture capitalists adopting blind pitch reviews, companies like Google actively encouraging women’s entrepreneurship with programs like #40Forward, and governments creating funds for female entrepreneurs
Report Date...: 11/28/2016
e-learning startup
Fellow(s): Ghana Bteich
Country: Lebanon
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship, Youth Engagement
Ghana Bteich, 2015 fellow of Lebanon, recently co-founded a startup that is developing an e-learning platform to provide after-school support for students in need. She has more than 10 years of experience in telecommunications and is applying for the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program under the field of educational planning to acquire more knowledge related to developing curriculum and program designs.
Report Date...: 8/15/2016
Entrepreneurship Summer School
Fellow(s): Ouafa Benterki
Country: Algeria
Cohort: 2012
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship
Ouafa Benterki, 2012 fellow of Algeria, was a featured speaker at the Entrepreneurship Summer School in Algiers, Algeria, organized by the University of Science and Technology – Houari Boumediene in partnership with the Global Entrepreneurship Network. The conference held on July 17-21, brought together experts from the United States, Serbia, Moldovia, the United Kingdom, India, the Netherlands, France, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria with backgrounds in technology, business and entrepreneurship convened to inspire students and professionals. Ouafa presented two topics: turning an idea into a startup and natural language processing. She discussed her experience developing a startup and referenced the TechWomen program as a major motivator and influence.
Read More »Report Date...: 8/1/2016
Lecture
Fellow(s): Omnia Eteyari
Country: Libya
Cohort: 2013
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship
Omnia Eteyari hosted a lecture on entrepreneurship in Tripoli. The event, “From Idea to Company,” aimed to introduce Libyans to the concept of entrepreneurship and how to turn their ideas into a reality. Omnia touched on market research, customer segmentation and idea validation, among other topics, as she walked the audience through the different stages in developing a startup. .Numerous female-led businesses supported Omnia in planning the event by offering venue space, refreshments and photography services. A total of 250 people attended.
Report Date...: 8/1/2016
Searching for Martha
Fellow(s): Sylvia Mukasa, Angel Bisamaza, Zimkhita Buwa, Neza Guillaine, Marthe Beatrice Kepseu, Rumbidzai Rosemary Mambo, Marie Claire Murekatete, Winnie Ngamije
Country: Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Cohort: 2013&2014
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship
During the 2015 Transform Africa Summit, eight TechWomen fellows collaborated on an initiative to empower youth women entrepreneurs in Africa. The initiative, called “Searching for Martha,” aims to offer training to young African girls to develop, sell and promote mobile apps.
Read More »Report Date...: 11/16/2015
Mozilla Cameroon Community
Fellow(s): Dorothee Fouba
Country: Cameroon
Cohort: 2014
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship
Cameroonian fellow Dorothee Fouba launched a Mozilla community in Cameroon after working with the Mozilla community and learning about their global, open-source platforms in San Francisco. A multimedia journalist, Dorothee worked with Mozilla communities to develop, spread and support Mozilla products, in turn using local tech tools and talent. Dorothee officially launched the community in April 2015, which boasts a growing group of 50 individuals working in tech.
Read More »Report Date...: 9/14/2015
Global Entrepreneurship Summit
Fellow(s): Sylvia Mukasa
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2014
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship
Sylvia and her business GlobalX were highlighted during GES 2015 in Kenya. Sylvia is CEO of GlobalX Investments, which specializes in emerging enterprise technologies.
Report Date...: 7/27/2015
