Impact Stories from Entrepreneurship Policy Area

New fellow wins Tech Sis of the Year Award

Fellow(s): Oluwatobi Otokiti (2022)

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development

New fellow wins Tech Sis of the Year Award

Shortly after returning home from completion of her TechWomen program, fellow Tobi Oluwatobi (Nigeria, 2022) was given the honor of the Tech Sis of the year award by the Art of Technology Lagos (AOTLagos). She is recognized as one of the top 10 female product management leaders in Africa, a product mentor at Google Launchpad, and the founder of ProductDive, the largest product management community and school in Africa. Her recent induction as a Techwomen fellow also contributed to the win. When I heard my name being called on the stage,” Tobi shared, “I was astounded by the love…I’m dedicating this award to any female whose ever desired to get into and thrive in Tech. You can become a Tech Sis, too.”

Report Date...: 1/16/2023

Fellow gains recognition as local data science trailblazer and mentor

Fellow(s): Fellows gain recognition as national trailblazers and mentors

Country: Zimbabwe

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development

Fellow Henrica Makulu (Zimbabwe, 2022) was recently featured in a news story recognizing her rising profile as a pioneer in data analytics in her country. Titled “34-year old shining in tech world,” the story highlights Henrica’s recent nominations as a finalist for the WomenTech Mentor of the Year and WomenTech Community Award for 2022. “This is super-significant because Loveness [Nleya] and I are the first Zimbabweans to get this far in these global awards,” Henrica shared. Henrica credits her recognition to her work as founder of HM Digital data consulting, through which she has impacted over 3,000 people with training, mentorship and advising in digital literacy and data analytics. In November, Henrica accepted the role of Senior Specialist Consultant of Business Intelligence at Medscheme Holdings. She was also featured, along with fellow Wadzanayi Kimberley (Zimbabwe, 2022), on the cover of the inaugural issue of “25 Women in STEM Magazine,” which seeks to spotlight Zimbabwean women trailblazers in STEM. There, Henrica shared that she believes “stories are just data with a soul” and that she is passionate about providing data insights that inform business decisions in her community.

Report Date...: 1/9/2023

Fellow shares journey on Startups Arabia podcast

Fellow(s): Fellow Afnan Ali shares journey on Startups Arabia podcast

Country: Jordan

Cohort: 2011

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

Fellow Afnan Ali (Jordan, 2011), a member of the inaugural TechWomen cohort and founder of Eureka Tech Academy, was recently interviewed on “Startups Arabia” to discuss her journey from electrical communications engineer to founder of one of the earliest programs in Jordan dedicated to engaging youth in tech innovation and entrepreneurship. Eureka Tech Academy has provided useful, basic technological education to thousands of children with the aim of sparking the next generation of engineers, innovators, inventors and tech entrepreneurs. Among other topics, Afnan discusses the founding of Eureka Tech Academy, adapting to a post-COVID world and meeting Queen Rania of Jordan during a program visit in 2017. She also recalls her acceptance of the UN’s UNCTAD award for best female tech entrepreneur in 2020 when she said, “starting a new project does not necessarily need a business plan, but having an unshakeable belief of the ‘why’ behind this project is a must.”

Report Date...: 1/9/2023

Fellows team up on women’s panel for Arab EmTech

Fellow(s): Fellows team up on women’s panel for Arab EmTech

Country: Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellows Diala Al Samarani (Lebanon, 2022), Roshaan Sheikh (Pakistan, 2022) and Rahma Tizzane (Morocco, 2022) recently collaborated with fellow Eman Herawy (Egypt) as panelists to support her “Towards More Women in Tech” event during the Arab EmTech & Startup at Arab Blockchain Week in November. Eman is a leading blockchain developer in Egypt and the founder of Arabs in Blockchain, which seeks to empower the Arab blockchain community through the transfer of knowledge, elimination of language barriers and global and local community connection in Blockchain. She also co-founded NoonDAO which is an Arab women-led decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) advocating for Arab women’s empowerment.

Report Date...: 1/9/2023

Fellow startup wins #WeAreTogether International Prize

Fellow(s): Fellow startup wins #WeAreTogether International Prize

Country: Pakistan

Cohort: 2020-2021

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development

Fellow Nida Farooqui (Pakistan, 2020-2021) recently accepted the “Good Deed of the Year” award and #WeAreTogether International Prize in Medicine and Lifestyle at the International Forum of Civil Participation in Russia on behalf of startup Sehat Kahani, where she serves as Chief Technology Officer. Sehat Kahani is a woman-founded and led digital telehealth platform that connects medical doctors to patients in hard-to-reach and underserved areas of Pakistan. As stated on the website of the International Forum of Civil Participation, the #WeAreTogether prize is intended to “recognize and support the leaders of socially significant initiatives aimed at helping people and improving the quality of life in Russia and the world.” Sehat Kahani is recognized for making a significant impact during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing access to telemedicine professionals and prescriptions at a period when traditional brick and mortar healthcare centers were understaffed and undersupplied. Today, Sehat Kahani has hosted well over a million telehealth consultations with its portfolio of nearly 40 clinics in Pakistan and a network of over 7000 healthcare professionals worldwide. Nida accepted the historic awards as the representative of Sehat Kahani and spoke on several panels during the event

Report Date...: 1/2/2023

Fellow Ayeni Olamide wins spot in SIBC for green startup that transforms waste into furniture

Fellow(s): Fellow Ayeni Olamide wins spot in SIBC for green startup that transforms waste into furniture

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2017

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

Fellow Ayeni Olamide (Nigeria, 2017), founder of green tech company Pearl Recycling, was recently selected among 45 social entrepreneurs for the Social and Inclusive Business (SIBC) Camp 2022. The SIBC’s mission is to support young African entrepreneurs in scaling up and building lasting stakeholder connections through innovative educational methods and networking with mentors, other startups and potential financiers in their ecosystems. Pearl Recycling “transforms municipal solid waste into environmentally friendly furniture for everyday use,” it reads on Ayeni’s SIBC profile. “To date, the company has already recycled more than 52,000 tons of waste.” Ayeni founded the company in 2016 to creatively and concurrently address the issues of waste and unemployment in Nigeria. “The SIBC has helped me connect with other changemakers across Africa and build a lifelong relationship that will lead to collaborations,” Ayeni shares in an Africa Business article on the event.

Report Date...: 1/2/2023

Fellow-founded STEMi Makers wins spot in HundrED’s Top 100 global innovators

Fellow(s): Fellow-founded STEMi Makers wins spot in HundrED’s Top 100 global innovators

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2022

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

STEMi Makers, an organization founded by fellow Amanda Obidike (Nigeria, 2022), has recently earned a place among HundrED’s top 100 most impactful innovations that are changing the face of education in a post-COVID world. HundrED is a mission-driven global organization based in Finland that seeks to recognize and amplify the visibility of global educators who are making a positive impact on global K-12 education through impactful and scalable innovations. STEMi Makers was selected as a top 100 finalist among nearly 3500 applicants reviewed by a committee of academics, educators, innovators, students and leaders from 113 countries. Founded in 2018, STEMi Makers is a platform that works to improve African students’ digital literacy, future-focused skills and employment outcomes by training their educators in how to adopt new competency-based skills and knowledge. They achieve this by hosting bootcamps and partnering with companies and organizations that can provide resources, training and learning opportunities for targets across the African continent. “Our future economic growth,” Amanda states, “depends on an aligned education & future-focused system that supports developmental efforts in generating talents needed to become self-reliant & problem-solvers using STEM.”

Report Date...: 12/26/2022

Fellow Elmira Obry discusses TechWomen journey in recent interview

Fellow(s): Fellow Elmira Obry discusses TechWomen journey in recent interview

Country: Kazakhstan

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow Elmira Obry (Kazakhstan, 2022) recently interviewed with Kazakh online media outlet ER10 to discuss her career journey and experience as a TechWomen emerging leader. Topics included the mission of TechWomen, the application process, the cross-cultural mentorship and Elmira’s intentions going forward. “I plan to investigate the impact of technology on the involvement of women in the country’s economy,” Elmira shared, “and the development of sustainable technologies through the prism of a multiplier economic effect.”
Elmira is the founder of QWANT programming school founder and the CEO of the Bureau for Continuing Professional Development (BCPD) of the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC). “By pooling resources, efforts and expertise,” Elmira emphasized, “we can turn the tide not only on gender equality, but also on growing social and economic stratification.” During the interview, Elmira also stressed the importance of supporting teachers, modernizing technical colleges, and “developing the institution of mentoring” in Kazakhstan. “Many people think that Silicon Valley is about money,” she explained. “Actually, it’s about the supportive environment. In order to attract young people, it is necessary to create a benevolent climate [and] to maintain interest in innovation from an early age.”

Report Date...: 12/12/2022

Seed grant initiative empowers orphans with aquaponic farm

Fellow(s): Seed grant initiative empowers orphans with aquaponic farm – Chiedza Mugabe, Evangelista Chekera, Henrica Makulu, Tafadzwa Murinzi and Yollanda Washaya

Country: Zimbabwe

Cohort: 2022

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

FOCUS Zimbabwe, a self-sustaining food cultivation initiative founded by seed grant-awarded Team Zimbabwe 2022 fellows Chiedza Mugabe, Evangelista Chekera, Henrica Makulu, Tafadzwa Murinzi and Yollanda Washaya, has successfully launched its pilot program at SOS Children’s Village in Waterfalls, Harare. FOCUS Zimbabwe seeks to enable children in orphanages to grow nutritious/organic food by empowering them through hands-on skills training and mentorship in aquaponics, the cultivation of plants and aquatic animals in a recirculating environment. Through this, they hope to cultivate entrepreneurialism, stimulate an interest in STEM and foster a sense of responsibility for the communities in which the children live, while also helping protect them from the elevated risks of drug abuse, crime, prostitution and suicide. To date, approximately 75 people have interacted with the growing system, resulting in local families gaining food to eat, produce to sell, and psychosocial benefits to their overall wellness. FOCUS Zimbabwe was launched with the funding of a $3,000 USD TechWomen seed grant. It has also received support from its aquaponics system vendor, which has donated complimentary training and consultation hours to the project as part of its corporate social responsibility efforts.

Report Date...: 12/05/2022

Fellow(s): Fellow Ichraf Jarray talks entrepreneurship on tv interview

Country: Tunisia

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development

Fellow Ichraf Jarray (Tunisia, 2022) was recently interviewed on the nationally televised Tunisian show “Dentelle” to discuss her entrepreneurial journey. Ichraf is the CEO of HIVE12 coworking space and start-up incubator, a concept she developed after seeing the enormous impacts that the covid-19 pandemic had on the business environment in her community. She wanted to “find a solution that creates some sort of sustainability” for her and other people’s businesses. During the interview, Ichraf discussed the notion of having an entrepreneurial mindset and finding a project that embodied her vision for her community and country. “When there is a vision and a commitment,” she said, “nothing can stop us.” She also emphasized the importance of shaping one’s own experiences, even when they don’t align with your original vision. The secret ingredient,” she says, is to know “I’m enough; I can do it.”

Report Date...: 12/05/2022

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