Impact Stories from Entrepreneurship Policy Area

Fellow-led Technovation Girls Uzbekistan team makes record-setting win at World Summit 2023 in California

Fellow(s): Elena Selezneva and Saida Yusupova (Uzbekistan, 2016)

Country: Uzbekistan

Cohort: 2016

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

Technovation Girls Uzbekistan, introduced and spearheaded in 2016 by fellows Elena Selezneva and Saida Yusupova (Uzbekistan, 2016), recently made history when Team Tecnas won the Social Impact Award (Senior Division) at the Technovation Girls 2023 World Summit in California. This victory marks the first world summit win for an Uzbek team in the seven-year history of the competition, hosted this year by Synopsys.

Comprising five girls and a mentor, Team Tecnas developed a virtual reality (VR) application, Sinov, which provides an immersive science lab experience for students who lack access to conventional STEM laboratory facilities. “We are incredibly proud of Team Tecnas’ achievement and hope that their success will inspire other girls in Uzbekistan to pursue their passion for technology and become role models in the field,” Elena shared in a recent message.

Elena and Saida are the co-founders of Tech4Impact, a women-focused NGO that supports innovation, IT entrepreneurship and the green technology sector. The NGO grew from a TechWomen seed-grant winning impact project and has been supported by both the local alumnae community and U.S. mentors including Erin Keeley, Rekha Pai and Eileen Brewer.

Technovation Girls has a long history of support from the TechWomen community, with long-time mentor and Strategic Partnerships Advisor Anar Simpson serving as the Global Ambassador for the program.

Report Date...: 11/20/2023

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(s): Baratang Miya (South Africa, 2015)

Country: South Africa

Cohort: 2015

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

Baratang, co-founder of GirlHype Women Who Code, was recently interviewed by world-renowned Ebony magazine on her journey to bridge the digital divide in South Africa.

Fellow Baratang Miya (South Africa, 2015), co-founder of GirlHype Women Who Code, was recently interviewed by Ebony magazine to discuss her entrepreneurship journey and efforts to overcome the digital divide for women in her home country. EBONY magazine, founded in 1945, is one of the premier international magazines dedicated to spotlighting the brightest among people of African-descent. GirlHype is a registered nonprofit organization that has trained more than one million women and girls in coding. “I started working on GirlHype 20 years ago before there was social media presence and platforms like Facebook,” Baratang shared. “For me, it was more about making sure that women and girls have access to opportunities.” Baratang is a leader in her tech community, often serving as a speaker, writer and advisor for publications and events. She is also the founder of Women Tech Policy Hub (WTPH), which teaches policy entrepreneurship to leading women in STEM.

Report Date...: 07/10/2023

Fellow helps launch Central Asian mentoring program

Fellow(s): Darika Aldasheva (Kyrgyzstan, 2022)

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2022

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

Darika spoke at Kurak Women’s Forum’s recent launch of a groundbreaking pan-Central Asian entrepreneurial mentoring program for women in the clothing industry.

Fellow Darika Aldasheva (Kyrgyzstan, 2022), recently participated in the launch a first-of-its-kind pan-Central Asian entrepreneurial mentoring program for women in the garment industry. This is an initiative of the Kurak Women’s Forum NGO (Kurak), where Darika serves as a board member, with the support of the USAID Trade Program in Central Asia and the Ministry of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic. Darika will serve as both a mentor and coach for the initiative, which features entrepreneurs from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Russia working alongside coaches from Europe and the U.S. “By supporting and inspiring women in business, we believe that we create a positive effect for society as a whole,” Darika wrote in a recent post. “A happy woman with burning eyes can work wonders.”

Report Date...: 07/10/2023

Fellow-founded incubator joins AfriLabs network

Fellow(s): Ichraf Jarray (Tunisia, 2022)

Country:

Cohort: 2022

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

Ichraf’s incubator, Hive 12, has recently partnered with AfriLabs along with 19 other tech and innovation hubs on the African continent.

Hive 12, a multi-faceted incubator founded by fellow Ichraf Jarray (Tunisia, 2022), has recently entered into a partnership with AfriLabs, one of Africa’s leading networks of technology and innovation hubs. In a milestone expansion event, Hive 12 represented one of 19 new hubs from Angola, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Tunisia and Zimbabwe to join the AfriLabs network this spring. “This partnership marks the first step towards developing African markets for our startups, creating opportunities for both parties, and expanding our network,” Ichraf shared in a recent post. Hive12 operates as not only an incubator, but also a co-working space and consulting practice with the recent addition of a research and development department all to serve early-stage startups for women and youth.

Report Date...: 07/10/2023

Fellow shares biz insights on Startups Arabia Podcast

Fellow(s): Eman Hylooz (Jordan, 2016)

Country: Jordan

Cohort: 2016

Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Professional Development

Fellow shares biz insights on Startups Arabia Podcast

Fellow Eman Hylooz (Jordan, 2016), was interviewed on a recent Startups Arabia Podcast’s episode focused on the power of listening to one’s customers. Eman is the founder and CEO of Abjjad, the first subscription-based, Arabic-language e-book platform. Eman has a background in marketing and communications and has been recognized as one of the top female entrepreneurs in the Middle East. She previously worked at world-renowned auditing and tax firm, KPMG, for just four months before quitting to found her business. “One day after another, it felt like I was killing myself,” she discloses on her experience in corporate work. “When I went to [a startup bootcamp], I was so happy and energized. I realized there may be more to life than career and salary… that maybe I should just go after what makes me shine.” Eman goes on to share her story of winning $15,000 USD in seed grant funding, quitting her corporate job and bootstrapping her e-book business for several painful and insightful years before raising $1 million USD of venture capital in her 2020 series A investing round. “I always say it took a pandemic for publishers to realize the importance of digital and for investors to realize [the profitability] of digital.” Today, Abjjad is the largest Arabic e-book platform online with thousands of texts available to subscribers.

Report Date...: 06/19/2023

Fellow speaks at water and sanitation conference

Fellow(s): Sylvia Nyaga (Kenya, 2022)

Country: Kenya

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow speaks at water and sanitation conference

Fellow Sylvia Nyaga (Kenya, 2022) led a session entitled, “Gender and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) financing: Overcoming challenges faced by women-led SMEs (small and midsized enterprises)” at the National Conference on Bankability and Blended financing for SMEs and WASH initiatives, held in Nairobi this spring. “Billions of people worldwide, including 1 billion people with #disabilities, still live without safely managed drinking water, safely managed sanitation and basic hygiene services,” Sylvia wrote in a recent post. “The financing of water and sanitation infrastructure projects in emerging markets is at the heart of this global challenge.” Sylvia is the founder of Syna Consultancy, a social enterprise dedicated to providing safe, inclusive and dignified sanitation experiences, with a focus on elderly, sick, and mobility-impaired individuals. Through Syna, she has developed the UTULAV toilet, an accessible and portable device for the physically challenged.

Report Date...: 06/19/2023

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