Impact Stories from Entrepreneurship Policy Area

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

will travel to U.S. for whirlwind visit to NASA and more

Fellow(s): Dania Maraqah (Palestinian Territories, 2022)

Country: Palestinian Territories

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow mentors winning high school team in Tech-Talent 2023, will travel to U.S. for whirlwind visit to NASA and more

Fellow and physics teacher Dania Maraqah (Palestinian Territories, 2022) recently mentored a winning team in the Tech-Talent 2023 Grand Finale, a science and entrepreneurship competition for high school students in Gaza and the West Bank. As the supervising teacher, Dania and her team, along with 11 other teams selected from hundreds of students, have won the opportunity to experience a 10-day trip to the U.S. to visit NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the University of South Florida College of Marine Sciences and the Imagineers at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. The Tech-Talent program, created by Al-Nayzak (the Meteor Foundation), offers the opportunity for Palestinian high school students to innovate and present unique STEM projects intended for real-world applications. The U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs partners with the Meteor Foundation to help sponsor this event. “As an alumna of TechWomen 2022 Fall,” Dania shared in a recent post, “I am truly grateful for the profound impact the TechWomen program has had on my life, inspiring me to step up and become a mentor for a team of incredible girls in the tech-talent contest.”

Report Date...: 06/12/2023

Fellow featured in article on Technovation Girls’ success

Fellow(s): Maral Hudaybergenova (Turkmenistan, 2018)

Country: Turkmenistan

Cohort: 2018

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

Fellow featured in article on Technovation Girls’ success

Fellow Maral Hudaybergenova (Turkmenistan, 2018) was featured in a recent article for her role in the success of Technovation Girls Turkmenistan as their Regional Ambassador. The story covers the program’s second year in the country, during which participants engaged in 12 weeks of training and project development that included market research, application buildout and video production. The Regional Pitch Day, held at Ashgabat International School, was attended by U.S. Ambassador Matthew Klimow and resulted in four teams, double over the year prior, being selected for the world finals. Finalists, to be announced June 30, will attend the World Summit in Silicon Valley this October. “Technovation is not just a competition,” Maral shared. “There are no winners and losers. All participants are part of a global community of like-minded people striving to change the world for the better.”

Report Date...: 06/12/2023

Fellow speaks at Africa Energies Summit in London

Fellow(s): Sondos Samara (Jordan, 2018)

Country: Jordan

Cohort: 2018

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

Fellow speaks at Africa Energies Summit in London

Fellow Sondos Samara (Jordan, 2018) recently met with U.S. First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, during a USAID event organized with the U.S. Embassy of Jordan in Amman. Sondos Samara was one of four women entrepreneurs currently receiving USAID Business Growth Activity (BGA) support who were invited to the event, where they had the opportunity to discuss their businesses and the contributions that they are making to their sectors. The USAID BGA is a five-year project implemented by Financial Markets International that provides technical and financial support to qualifying small and medium enterprises in Jordan. Sondos is a quality manager at the Environmental Laboratory for Microbiological and Chemical Analysis in Jordan and the founder of Sanadyme, a medtech social entrepreneurship startup.

Report Date...: 06/05/2023

Fellow co-hosts groundbreaking IT mega expo in Pakistan

Fellow(s): Ayesha Hammad Zaman (Pakistan, 2022)

Country: Pakistan

Cohort: 2022

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

Fellow co-hosts groundbreaking IT mega expo in Pakistan

Skills Todo, a company owned and operated by fellow Ayesha Hammad Zaman (Pakistan, 2022), successfully hosted Skills Gala & Talent Hunt 2023, a first-of-its-kind IT and Training ecosystem mega expo that took place on May 27 and 28 in Lahore, Pakistan. The event united tech stakeholders from all sectors under the shared goal of retaining tech talent in Pakistan while also contributing to the export of IT from Pakistan to the world. With nearly 20,000 attendees, the expo brought together software companies, government entities, training companies and academic institutions with tech freelancers and professionals. “We have fresh graduates and those with strong experience who tend to spend two to three years working in Pakistan before brain draining out of the country, as well as freelancers and under skilled professionals not equipped to participate in the full-time workforce,” Ayesha explained during a recent call. “With both Skills Todo and the Pakistani government working to fill these skills gaps and keep talent in the country, it made sense for us to join forces.” Ayesha has also recently announced a freshly-inked partnership with UAE-based Trainocate, which has granted Skills Todo exclusive licensing in Pakistan, starting this year with the distribution of 5,000 Microsoft training certificates. Skills Todo has similarly partnered with Google to disburse 500 Google Professional Certifications scholarships, at a value of 200 to 500 USD each, in her country.

Report Date...: 05/29/2023

Fellow recognized among 100 Technologists to Watch

Fellow(s): Ouafa Benterki (Algeria, 2012)

Country: Algeria

Cohort: 2012

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

Fellow recognized among 100 Technologists to Watch

Fellow Ouafa Benterki (Algeria, 2012) has recently been recognized as one of 100 Technologists to Watch by Women Who Code. Ouafa is the CEO & Founder of MTY Intelligent Software, the first women-led Algerian tech startup specializing in artificial intelligence and natural language processing. She is also an expert advisor at the Arab international Investor Forum and the first Arab/African woman named Microsoft Regional Director, a title that Microsoft annually awards to 100 top IT professionals in the world. She has been selected in the blockchain, front end, data science and software category of this award. Women Who Code aims to elevate diverse leaders in technology by acknowledging their groundbreaking contributions to the industry. “By recognizing 100 Technologists to Watch,” the organization notes, “this list aims to inspire the next generation of diverse leaders and promote gender equality in the industry, thus contributing to a more inclusive field.”

Report Date...: 05/15/2023

Fellow to serve as jurist for Project Afaq competition

Fellow(s): Nadiah Saba’neh (Palestinian Territories, 2015)

Country: Palestinian Territories

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

Fellow to serve as jurist for Project Afaq competition

Fellow Nadiah Saba’neh (Palestinian Territories, 2015) was recently selected to serve as a jury member for Project Afaq in Jericho. Supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by Ma’an Development Center, Project Afaq aims to promote economic empowerment for low income residents of the Jericho and Jordan Valley Governorate, with a focus on women aged 19 to 50. Technical and financial support will be provided to assist women in establishing and leading their own initiatives with the goal of promoting their economic participation and reducing poverty in the targeted regions.25 out of 50 women will compete for the chance to secure grants for entrepreneurial ventures and 18 women will receive vocational training opportunities targeted at their specific interests and passions. Through a comprehensive intervention,” Nadiah wrote in a recent post, “we strive to empower them economically and enhance their resilience in a sustainable manner. Nadiah is the founder of FINOMENA (Female Innovators & Investors of MENA), a digital platform for women entrepreneurs. She also recently completed the European Elective module offered by the Kellogg-WHU Executive MBA Program in Vallendar, Germany.

Report Date...: 05/22/2023

Eight TW fellows recognized in Empower Africa Top 30

Fellow(s): Chepkemoi Magdaline (Kenya, 2019), Emma Mphahlele (South Africa, 2022), Ghada Amina (Egypt, 2018), Henrica Makulu (Zimbabwe, 2022), Ines Umuhoza (Rwanda, 2022), Nevien “Magdy” Farag (Egypt, 2019), Sophie Ngassa (Cameroon, 2014) and Wadzanayi Kimberley Bwanya (Zimbabwe, 2022)

Country: Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Cohort: 2014, 2018, 2019, 2022

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

Eight TW fellows recognized in Empower Africa Top 30

Fellows Chepkemoi Magdaline (Kenya, 2019), Emma Mphahlele (South Africa, 2022), Ghada Amina (Egypt, 2018), Henrica Makulu (Zimbabwe, 2022), Ines Umuhoza (Rwanda, 2022), Nevien “Magdy” Farag (Egypt, 2019), Sophie Ngassa (Cameroon, 2014) and Wadzanayi Kimberley Bwanya (Zimbabwe, 2022) have recently been recognized by Empower Africa’s list Celebrating 30 Women Driving STEM Advancement in Africa. “Their unwavering dedication and tireless efforts are shaping the future of our continent and creating opportunities for generations to come,” Empower Africa notes in a recent post. Empower Africa connects and supports businesses and professionals working to create long-term value with Africa-based projects.

Report Date...: 05/22/2023

Team Pakistan launches seed grant-funded mobile app & campaign to address climate change

Fellow(s): Team Pakistan 2022

Country: Pakistan

Cohort: 2022

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

Team Pakistan launches seed grant-funded mobile app & campaign to address climate change

Fall 2022 Team Pakistan, made up of fellows Amara Dar, Sadaf Gul, Ramla Hassan, Sadafi Shah, Anum Sadiq and Shehnaz Zakia, has recently launched their climate change awareness campaign as part of their TechWomen seed-grant winning initiative. The project, AGAHi, seeks to help people understand, prevent and protect themselves from the devastating effects of climate change following the catastrophic floods that took place in Pakistan last summer. The cornerstone of the campaign is the AGAHi SOS mobile application, available in the Google Play store. It provides real-time flood warning notifications, location risk tracking, local emergency and service contacts, safety tips, and the option to report floods, road blockages and other climate-based hazards. The campaign includes in-person events, such as a recent visit and clean-up project hosted at a girls’ middle school, the distribution of physical literature teaching how to take action and reduce one’s carbon footprint, and a social media push featuring photos of Pakistani women, men and children holding signs with messages such as, “global warming isn’t a prediction, it is happening,” and “the earth is what we have in common.”

Report Date...: 05/15/2023

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