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.

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Report Date...: 11/20/2023

Mentor enters VP of DEI role at Walt Disney Entertainment

Fellow(s): Mentor Queen Denchukwu

Country:

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

Mentor Queen Denchukwu recently accepted the role of Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at Disney Entertainment of the Walt Disney Company. In the first-of-its kind role, Queen will oversee DEI, People and Culture for Disney Entertainment’s studios, television, ad sales and platform distribution. Queen leaves her role as Head of DEI at Lucasfilm, where she has served since 2021. She previously helmed the global diversity partnerships strategy at Autodesk. “I’m looking forward to working with and learning from the dynamic Disney Entertainment DEI folks,” Queen shared in a recent post. “Much to learn, I still have,” she quipped, adopting the parlance of the famously wise character Yoda from Lucasfilm’s Star Wars franchise. ​

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Report Date...: 11/20/2023

Fellow(s):

Country:

Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls

Mentors Mimi Hills and Melissa Biggs recently co-facilitated the donation of $2,000 USD to the TechWomen program via tickets sales proceeds from the 15th Anniversary Gala of Women in Localization in the San Francisco Bay Area. Held on October 12, 2023 at the Glasshouse in San Jose, CA, the gala was attended by 300 members and featured a panel on financial literacy, women on boards, and psychological safety, followed by the presentation of the book “Boldly Inclusive Leader” by author Minette Norman. “From the onset of planning our Gala Anniversary party, we decided to follow our 10th anniversary’s tradition by donating part of the proceeds to a nonprofit,” shared W.L. Vice-President and Technology Board sponsor Olga Beregovaya in a recent feature on Slator. “We sought organizations championing global innovation, tech awareness, and women’s professional growth worldwide. TechWomen was the obvious pick.”​

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Report Date...: 10/30/2023

Fellow featured on podcast on Software Engineering

Fellow(s): Durdona Bakhronova (Uzbekistan, 2020-2021)

Country: Uzbekistan

Cohort: 2020-2021

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

“Making mistakes is indeed learning,” shared fellow Durdona Bakhronova (Uzbekistan, 2020-2021), who recently appeared as the featured guest in the Sigma Podcast episode, “The Truth about Software Engineering.” There, she discussed her work as a software engineer, current experts in the field, product building, the IT industry on national and global scales, women’s contributions to the field and her experience with TechWomen. Durdona is a front end engineer for Super Dispatch, a smart platform for automobile shipping. She is also an organizer for Google Developer Groups Tashkent, a Women Techmakers community leader and a mentor for the ICT4Girls project. Last spring, she was awarded the Kelajak Bunyodkori presidential medal for her contributions to IT education and communities and was selected for the “17 faces of action” project organized by the United Nations. ​

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Report Date...: 8/14/2023

Fellow moderates panel on tech markets featuring U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce Marisa Lago

Fellow(s): Reevana Balmahoon (South Africa, 2022)

Country: South Africa

Cohort: 2022

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

In collaboration with her local U.S. mission and WomHub, fellow Reevana Balmahoon (South Africa, 2022) recently moderated a panel on opportunities for start-ups in the U.S. through SelectUSA Tech, a Commerce Department program that connects early-stage and startup technology companies to investment prospects in the U.S. market. The panel included Marisa Lago, U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, Mamela Luthuli, CEO of TakeNote IT group, and Dr. Georgette Fraser-Moore, President and CEO of Transformation Lead. Reuben Brigety II, U.S. Ambassador to South Africa also attended the event. “Women play an important role in global economic growth,” Reevana shared in a recent post. “As barriers continue to break in this realm, let’s celebrate their impact when growing our communities, governments and businesses.” WomHub is a lean incubator and co-working hub for female founders in science, technology, engineering and manufacturing. Having worked there for nearly six years, Reevana is a tech lead and advisor for the organization, specializing in technology content curation, development and management, and technical advisement for strategic partnerships.​

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Report Date...: 08/14/2023

Fellow delivers digital fashion talk at FemInno event

Fellow(s): Ainura Tursunalieva Sagyn (Kyrgyzstan, 2017)

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2017

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

Fellow Ainura Tursunalieva Sagyn (Kyrgyzstan, 2017) delivered a talk on digital fashion at the FemInno conference in Yerevan, Armenia this July. The largest female innovation conference in its region, FemInno aims to showcase and empower leading women in science, technology and business. Ainura’s talk delved into the concept of digital fashion and how it connects to web 3 and the metaverse. Ainura works in operations at Artizant, an NFT digital fashion marketplace. She is also CEO of Tazar, an eco-sustainability application. “The contributions of women have been instrumental in reshaping industries, driving progress, and fostering diverse perspectives,” Ainura shared in a recent post. “It’s crucial to recognize and empower the roles of women, as a more inclusive tech industry leads to better solutions and a broader societal impact.” ​

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Report Date...: 8/21/2023

Fellow joins delegation at 1st Climate Resilience Salon

Fellow(s): Safiya Aliyu (Nigeria, 2018)

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2018

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

Fellow Safiya Aliyu (Nigeria, 2018) recently served as a delegate at the first Climate Resilience Salon to take place in Nigeria. Supported by the U.S. Consulate General Lagos, the event convened women-led organizations, climate-tech entrepreneurs and local leaders championing efforts to mitigate climate change in their communities. Event speakers included U.S. Consulate Deputy Political and Economic Chief Kenise Hill, who emphasized that “climate change is a threat that sees no borders.” Safiya has served in the renewable energy sector for over 15 years. She is a general manager at SOSAI Renewable Energies Company and the country director of their Matan Arewan Initiative, which works to amplify the capacity of women working in all aspects of the northern Nigerian renewable energy industry. “It was an eye opener to understand how climate affects any sector you can think of locally, nationally and globally,” Safiya shared in a recent post.​

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Report Date...: 08/21/2023

Fellow Founded Incubator Joins AfriLabs Network

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

Country: Tunisia

Cohort: 2022

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

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. ​

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Report Date...: 7/10/2023

Mentor(s): Mentor Jill Finlayson

Company: Berkeley Lab

Mentor Type: Professional

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

Mentor Jill Finlayson was recently featured in an episode of Aarna’s News podcast, “Knowing When to Leave, Finding the Right Fit,” where she shared her career journey and the importance of adaptability, transferable skills, and diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Hosted by Aarna Sahu, Aarna’s News is a collection of stories from leading women in STEM who’ve influenced the workforce and inspired others to join the fields. During her interview, Jill emphasized the importance of pivoting, pursuing growth opportunities, and finding career-value alignment.   “Embrace change and stay curious,” she advised. “Your career path doesn’t have to be a straight line.” Jill currently works at the University of California, Berkeley where she serves as the managing director of CITRIS Innovation Hub and director of the Expanding Diversity and Gender Equity in Tech (EDGE) Initiative.​

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Report Date...: 10/02/2023

Fellow earns Mini-MBA from Felestineya Business Program

Fellow(s): Abeer Saidam (Palestinian Territories, 2020-2021)

Country: Palestinian Territories

Cohort: 2020-2021

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

Fellow Abeer Saidam (Palestinian Territories, 2020-2021) recently earned her Mini-MBA from the Felestineya Business Administration Program, an initiative offered by the Bank of Palestine in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and in partnership with the Business Women Forum (BWF), and Ernst & Young Company (EY). The program provides skills and leadership development for women entrepreneurs and project leaders across Palestine who possess demonstrated business acumen. “It has been an intense and rewarding experience and I’m proud of the knowledge I’ve gained,” Abeer shared in a recent post. “I now feel more confident than ever in tackling complex challenges.” Abeer is the founder and CEO of Khzanty, an e-commerce platform for women wishing to buy, sell, and donate bespoke clothing​

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Report Date...: 9/25/2023