Elena Selezneva and Saida Yusupova

Elena Selezneva and Saida Yusupova, both 2016 fellows of Uzbekistan, serve as Technovation Regional Ambassadors for their country. They first learned about Technovation during the TechWomen program and felt inspired to start a local chapter upon their return home. In 2017, their first year implementing the Technovation curriculum, 90 girls participated; this year, the program welcomed 310 girls. One team of girls has been selected to advance to the Junior Division Finals at World Pitch in Silicon Valley for developing ELIST, an app that will more equitably divide household chores between girls and boys.
Elena and Saida are committed to expanding the Technovation program in Uzbekistan. This year was the first time they had students participate at the Junior Division level and also the first time they had teams join from outside of the capital region of the country, and they plan to grow even further in 2019.