Impact Stories from Entrepreneurship Policy Area

Fellow podcast to be broadcast on VIU streaming

Fellow(s): Thulile Khanyile (South Africa, 2022)

Country: South Africa

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow podcast to be broadcast on VIU streaming

“Let’s Talk Science with Thuli”, a podcast developed by fellow Thulile Khanyile (South Africa, 2022), is now available as a televised show on the VIU video streaming platform, which is available in 16 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. With a three season distribution deal, Thulile aims to communicate the relevance of STEM to mainstream society through relatable stories of the innovations and solutions of scientists, engineers and technologists. Season 2 of the show features TechWomen fellows Dilnoza Ibragimova (Uzbekistan, 2022) and Emna Harigua (Tunisia, 2022). The podcast version is also still available on most popular audio streaming platforms, with new episodes coming out this summer.

Report Date...: 05/15/2023

Fellow & founder of agritech company named Young Global Changemaker

Fellow(s): Chinwendu Nweke (Nigeria, 2022)

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow & founder of agritech company named Young Global Changemaker

Fellow and CEO Chinwendu Nweke (Nigeria, 2022) and her Aladinn Project recently won first place out of 15 finalists among 50 semifinalists for the 2023 Young Global Changers (YGC) Recoupling Awards. The Aladinn Project is spearheaded by Bridge Merchant Enterprise, an agritech company founded by Chindwendu in 2019. It is based on a social impact model that works to eliminate post-harvest waste and promote food security with an online application connecting small holder farmers with local and international markets. Through Bridge Merchant Enterprise, Chinwendu hopes to “see hunger and poverty eradicated using technology and people-empowered solutions,” YGC related in a recent post. Chindwendu received her award at the Global Solutions Summit 2023 in Berlin, Germany from May 15 to 16, during one of many powerful networking and development opportunities afforded to annual winners. YGC is a project of the Global Solutions Initiative. Founded during the 2017 German G20 Presidency, it proposes policy responses to major global problems addressed by the G20, the G7 and other global governance assemblies.

Report Date...: 05/08/2023

Fellow initiative wins Oxford Map the System Final

Fellow(s): Aliaa Ahmed (2022)

Country: Egypt

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

Fellow initiative wins Oxford Map the System Final

Nomken, an initiative co-founded by fellow Aliaa Ahmed (2022), recently won the University of Oxford Map the System Final, a competition where which students map systems to address global systemic challenges. The initiative will continue on to the inaugural Map the System Semi Final hosted on Hopin, a state-of the art online event and conferencing platform, showcasing students systems-mapping projects from across the world. Nomken, established in December 2022, raises awareness of how nutritional intervention can enhance the quality of life for children and adults with Down Syndrome. Nomken holds workshops on a variety of topics, such as nutrition, psychological support and success stories for individuals with Down Syndrome and their caregivers. It also raises awareness about Down Syndrome, challenges misconceptions about it and highlights the potential of individuals with Down Syndrome to contribute positively to society given the right support and opportunities. Aliaa is the head of the nutrition and research unit at Egyptian Food Bank. She is also the founder of Alma, a virtual nutrition clinic. She is deeply inspired by her young daughter, who was born with Down Syndrome.

Report Date...: 05/08/2023

Fellow NGO collaborates with Riga TechGirls in Latvia

Fellow(s): Fellows: Elena Selezneva, Saida Yusupova

Country: Uzbekistan

Cohort: 2016

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

Fellow NGO collaborates with Riga TechGirls in Latvia

Tech4Iimpact, an NGO founded by fellows Elena Selezneva and Saida Yusupova (Uzbekistan, 2016) recently sent a delegation to the TechChill conference in Latvia, April 26 to 28, as part of their program, “Female Founders Across Borders (FFAB),” which was co-organized with Riga TechGirls and funded by the Ministry of foreign affairs of Latvia. The delegation of finalists from the FFAB program, including startup founders and mentors, participated in panel discussions, pitch sessions, master classes and networking opportunities with global contemporaries. A cornerstones of the trip was the “Women in Tech Community Networking” event, held in Riga Castle, the official residence of the President of Latvia, which was attended by the First Ladies of Latvia and Estonia, Andra Levite and Sirje Karisas. Tech4Impact was founded in 2019 to support innovation, IT entrepreneurship and green tech among youth and women in Uzbekistan and the Central Asian region.

Report Date...: 05/08/2023

Fellow(s): Eman Herawy (Egypt, 2022)

Country: Egypt

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow innovation, Geni, wins prizes at web 3.0 event

Fellow Eman Herawy (Egypt, 2022), co-founder of NoonDAO (decentralized autonomous organization) and Arab Blockchain Week, recently won three prizes at ETHDenver’s BUIDLathon for her co-creation Geni, an AI-based tool that generates requirements for smart contract security tools. Geni won Best Developer Tooling Solution for Filecoin Virtual Machine (FVM), Best Developer Infrastructure/Tooling on Mantle and the Open Aurora Bounty. #BUIDLathon is a conference held in Denver, Colorado that brings together developers and advocates of distributed computing on the Ethereum blockchain. There weren’t many bounties for security-related items,” Eman wrote in a recent post, “but we wanted to hack for security-related products and WE DID IT!” Eman co-founded NoonDAO, an Arab women-led DAO, to advocate for Arab women’s empowerment. In 2021, she was featured by Fintech Reviews on International Women’s Day as one of the top 21 blockchain leaders.

Report Date...: 05/01/2023

Fellow energy co. hosts children’s solar training academy

Fellow(s): Fortunate Farirai (Zimbabwe, 2022)

Country: Zimbabwe

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow energy co. hosts children’s solar training academy

Sustenergy, of which fellow Fortunate Farirai (Zimbabwe, 2022) is Founder, Managing Director and CEO, conducted its two-day Solar for Kids program this spring. Under its training division, Sustenergy Training Academy, the company trained 26 kids from over 15 primary schools and high schools on how the solar power system works. “Our most [sic] gratitude goes to our kids,” Fortunate wrote in a recent post, “who were engaging and interactive in making the program successful.” Sustenergy is an energy company centered on developing renewable energy technologies that can deliver affordable, modern, safe and environmentally friendly energy on a global scale.

Report Date...: 05/01/2023

Fellow launches fintech product development course

Fellow(s): Azhar Mambetova (Kyrgyzstan, 2019)

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow talks equity in tech in interview for The Ouut

Fellow Azhar Mambetova (Kyrgyzstan, 2019) recently launched a proprietary course entitled “Product Management – Launching Digital Financial Services.” The certificate-bearing course consists of five components targeted at financial services professionals seeking to create digital products. The course will instruct on identifying client needs, developing a minimum viable product, managing a development team, building a development process and analyzing product metrics. It also features several guest lecturers, including fellow Darika Aldasheva (Kyrgyzstan, 2022). Azhar believes her course will help “drive innovation and create remarkable products.” With over ten years of experience in fintech, she currently works as a managing director for Kompanion bank and a Digital Financial Services Consultant for the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Bishkek.

Report Date...: 04/10/2023

Fellow initiative hosts U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission to raise awareness of State exchange programs

Fellow(s): Janatu Veronica Sesay (Sierra Leone, 2022)

Country: Sierra Leone

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Fellow initiative hosts U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission to raise awareness of State exchange programs

STEM Girls Initiative Sierra Leone, a program of which fellow Janatu Veronica Sesay (Sierra Leone, 2022) is founder and CEO, recently hosted U.S. Embassy Freetown Deputy Chief of Mission Stephanie A. Bunce during an event held to raise awareness of exchange programs offered by the U.S. Department of State. Held at Njala University, the STEM Girls Initiative event was attended by hundreds of staff and students, to whom the U.S Embassy representatives provided insights and encouragement on eligibility and application for these programs and how to become part of a community of impact. Fellows from these programs, including TechWomen, Fulbright and YALI, also contributed to the program, sharing their exchange experiences and the positive impacts they’ve since been able to effect on their communities upon returning home. “TechWomen has helped me connect with changemakers across the globe and build lifelong relationships that will lead to collaboration,” and U.S. Public Relations Officer Sarah Van Horne, who was also in attendance at the event. STEM Girls Initiative Sierra Leone was born out of Janatu’s experience as a TechWomen Emerging Leader. It aims to raise awareness among junior and secondary school girls on how to find career paths in STEM, aligning with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal three (SDG3).

Report Date...: 04/10/2023

Fellow named AI Global Ambassador by SwissCognitive

Fellow(s): Reema Diab (Jordan, 2019)

Country: Jordan

Cohort: 2019

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

Fellow named AI Global Ambassador by SwissCognitive

Fellow Reema Diab (Jordan, 2019) has recently been named an AI Global Ambassador 2023 by SwissCognitive, a world-leading artificial intelligence network that sources experts in the field of AI to facilitate the successful integration of the technology into the modern world. Reema is the founder and CEO of Galaxy Organization For Technology and a senior consultant for Tesla. She recently gave a speech on STEM skills for the job market at Al Hussein Technical University in Jordan, joined a panel for Swiss Cognitive entitled, “Redefining Business Performance with Generative AI,” and next week will deliver a keynote address for Women in AI USA focused on Generative AI Strategy for Boards and C Suites. Her recent TedX PSUT Talk on the future of jobs will soon be available for viewing.

Report Date...: 4/3/2023

Fellow launches DigiWomen Camp with USAID Future Growth Initiative

Fellow(s): Merjen Saparmyradova (Turkmenistan, 2019)

Country: Turkmenistan

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

Fellow launches DigiWomen Camp with USAID Future Growth Initiative

Fellow Merjen Saparmyradova (Turkmenistan, 2019), founder and director of Sanly Bilim Educational Center in Turkmenistan, has recently launched DigiWomen Camp in partnership with USAID’s Future Growth Initiative. This four-month program provides access to spaces and training in IT and software development for women and girls over the age of 16. The nearly 100 participants to-date, upon successful fulfillment of the program, will earn a completion certificate and have developed a portfolio and/or finished product to kick-start their own IT business. DigWomen Camp is the first program of its kind in Turkmenistan. It aims to augment the qualifications of women and girls as a pipeline towards heightening their presence in the virtual and in-person IT job market in the country. “The first step towards increasing women’s and girls’ access to technology and digital spaces,” Merjen explained in a recent post, “is to promote digital education and actively support and encourage girls’ participation in related subjects.” Sanly Bilim Educational Center first began working with USAID projects in November of 2022, and in December partnered with the USAID Youth Development Project to host their six-month TechYouth Bootcamp, which provides tech training for youths aged 18 to 25 in the areas of web and mobile application development, user interface and experience (UI/UX), graphic design, and IT and system administration. In that same month, Merjen won the Alumni of the Year in Women’s Empowerment Award during the U.S. Embassy in Ashgabat’s first ever New Year’s Alumni Gala.

Report Date...: 3/27/2023

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