Emerging Leaders
Mentors
Host Companies
Impact Stories
Fellow(s): Elmira Obry
Country: Kazakhstan
Region: MENA
Cohort: 2022
Project/Action: Fellow showcases digital health Innovation at GITEX Europe
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Public Health
Fellow Elmira Obry (Kazakhstan, 2022), founder of Foody.AI, represented Kazakhstan’s growing tech ecosystem at GITEX Europe, May 21 to 23 in Berlin, Germany. Foody.AI, a digital health platform that integrates artificial intelligence with nutrition science, was featured among global startups and presented directly to investors, partners and ecosystem leaders — including Zhaslan Madiyev, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry.
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Backed by local accelerators such as Astana Hub and MOST Ventures, Foody.AI is part of a new wave of tech solutions designed to meet global health challenges through personalized, preventive approaches. It uses AI-driven tools to deliver customized nutrition guidance, helping users make data-informed decisions about their daily wellness. Already gaining early traction in five countries, the platform is preparing for broader international expansion.
“We’re proud that our product was born in Kazakhstan — a country that is now laying the foundations for the next generation of the digital economy,” said Elmira, who also represented Foody.AI earlier this year at Central Asia Startup Cup in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.Report Date: 07/14/2025
Fellow(s): Aseel Honein
Country: Lebanon
Region: MENA
Cohort: 2013
Project/Action: Fellow honored as a 2025 L’Oréal Woman of Worth
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development
Fellow Aseel Honein (Lebanon, 2013) was recently recognized as one of L’Oréal’s Women of Worth 2025, receiving the Sustainable Architecture & Innovation Award, celebrated at a gala dinner on June 26 at Sursock Palace Gardens in Beirut, Lebanon.
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Aseel is honored for her commitment to reimagining architecture as a tool for both sustainability and social impact. In a video featured at the event, she reflected: “I forged my own path, step by step. I transformed obstacles into opportunities, and barriers into bridges.”
Aseel is the founder of Indigo Kousba, a rural eco-tourism retreat in North Lebanon, and Parallel Studio, a design and technology academy focused on empowering youth through hands-on programs in architecture, design thinking and social innovation. Through Parallel Studio, she also created Architecture in a Box, a program that introduces children and teenagers to architecture, urbanism and cultural heritage through interactive learning and games.
“Guided by the same passion,” she shared, “I launched Architecture in a Box, a modest initiative in scale, yet monumental in impact.”Report Date: 07/14/2025
