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Girls technology program reaches and empowers girls in new countries and communities in 2019

More than 7,200 girls from 57 countries around the world accepted our challenge to identify and solve real-world problems in their communities through technology and entrepreneurship, a 3% increase from 2018. Tackling problems including elder care, CO2 emissions, and more, their perseverance and success reflects the continued excitement and need for hands-on learning programs focused on empowering young girls with a desire to learn. This is felt through the passion and increasing participation of girls in countries like Mexico and Nigeria – where submitted apps increased 60% and 129%, respectively, from 2018 to 2019 – as well as strong submission numbers from the United States, Canada, India, and Kenya. And, a special shout out to Spain with the strongest submission numbers of all participating countries this year.

Interestingly, this year girls completing the challenge were more technologically curious than past participants – more than 95 different programming platforms were used by teams to build their mobile apps including highly rated ones in industry according to Mashable. This indicates an interest in learning to use technology beyond what we offer in the curriculum. MIT’s App Inventor remains the most popular platform to create mobile apps, but Thunkable, a drag and drop mobile app builder for iOS and Android, experienced a 370% increase in submissions built using it compared to last year.

We hope the hard work, creativity, and technical skills the girls have built – combined with more than 23,000 girls across 115 countries who have participated in the Technovation program the previous eight years before them – inspire new girls in communities around the world to become the change they wish to see in the world.

In addition to virtual judging, teams of girls from around the world are participating in 50+ Regional Pitch Events throughout May and June as part of our quarterfinals. At the quarterfinals, the teams demo and pitch their apps and startups live to a panel of judges and event attendees. Following our online semifinals, the top 12 teams will find out they will be traveling to Silicon Valley for Technovation’s 9th World Pitch Summit the week of August 12.

This movement would not been possible without the support of more than 140 Regional Ambassadors, over 3,200 mentors running the programs, 83 student ambassadors, thousands of parents and families, and the dedication of Technovation sponsors including Adobe Foundation, Salesforce.org, Uber, Google.org, General Motors, Cisco, and numerous other supporters.

Thank you to all the amazing young women who are taking this journey with us this year – and especially the 15% who are returning after participating in previous seasons. You are all winners and world changers to us! And, thank you to everyone who makes this program not only memorable, but life-changing: For our girls, our communities, and our world. Learn how you can get involved.