Teсhnovation Challenge, a global tech entrepreneurship competition for girls started its new season in Ukraine

The Innovation Park Unit.City hosted the kick-off session of the tech entrepreneurship competition for schoolgirls and the discussion of technical opportunities for girls in Ukraine. Ukraine joined the program in 2017 and has already seen 15 teams of girls making mobile apps for solving issues in the Ukrainian cities. The project in Ukraine is supported by the Western NIS Enterprise Fund and Peace Corps.

“Western NIS Enterprise Fund is happy that the topic of female leadership is gaining support in Ukraine. Technovation Challenge is one of the most significant initiatives, which helps girls realize their role in the community, overcome the stereotypes around women that the society imposes on them, and make this world a better place,” said Jaroslawa Johnson, President and CEO at Western NIS Enterprise Fund.

“We are seeing good results after the first year of Ukraine’s participation in the program. 15 teams presented their mobile app solutions at the national event in Kyiv; five teams made apps for cities at the Technovation Summer Camp in Lviv; and the team from Zaporizhia went to San Francisco, CA to take part in the Technovation Awards Ceremony. These girls have become role models for others in terms of perseverance, entrepreneurial skills, and, most importantly, responsible leadership,” said Iryna Ozymok, Local Economic Development Program Manager at Western NIS Enterprise Fund.

“This year we aim to engage more teams of girls who will succeed through all the competition stages, and come up with apps for their communities; develop a strong network of mentors willing to help the girls bring their ideas in life; and, again, prove all the cities and villages of Ukraine that girls do want and can be tech leaders,” commended Nadiia Babynska, Co-coordinator of the Technovation Challenge in Ukraine.

A number of female leaders from the leading IT companies in Ukraine—including Hrystyna Skopyk, Director of Women Who Code Kyiv; Ruslana Shadrina, computational linguist at Grammarly, co-founder of Myhelix; and Olexandra Alkhimovich, Director of Luxoft Ukraine—participated in the presentation this year, and inspired the girls to dare face challenges, believe in themselves, and explore new horizons for themselves and the cities they live in.