This post is part of our World Pitch Recap, and was written by Heloisa, one of our stellar Student Ambassadors from Brasil! Heloisa beautifully recaps the big event of World Pitch Week – Pitch Night, which was hosted by Oracle in 2019. Read on to re-live the big event!
World Pitch Night, on August 15, was without a doubt the most anticipated moment of the world pitch week. After working on their projects for months, it was time for the 12 finalist teams of Technovation Girls to pitch their ideas at Oracle.
We were greeted by Tara Chklovski, Founder and CEO of Technovation. She talked about the history of Technovation Girls, the issues the program addresses, and the impact that it has had so far — what she didn’t say is that we were just about to see that impact in the eyes and actions of the girls about to present.
One by one, teams of young girls went up on the stage to talk about problems they detected in their communities and an idea they had to address those issues.
A team of 11-years-olds from Canada created Cloud9, an app for kids to express themselves and deal with social anxiety. Team Social Relay, from India, created Baton, a platform to ensure that NGOs and initiatives have a greater social impact when collaborating with temporary workers. LiterTree, a team from Cambodia, created an app to preserve and promote Khmer poetry, which is at risk of being forgotten due to the Khmer Rouge Genocide. Five girls from Nigeria created Hands Out to raise donations to help families pay for their children’s education. Valentina, a brave 10-years-old from Bolivia, talked about waste management and her app to promote recycling. Lastly, team Young Inventor created an app and device to detect opioid addiction and provide access to the necessary resources.
I was a Technovation Girls participant in 2018 and a Student Ambassador this season — so I thought I knew Technovation. But, honestly, when I sat in that auditorium and watched those presentations, the only thing I could think of was “WOW!” Those girls left me speechless! They are such strong, fearless young women who not only have learned how to code and created a real, functional mobile app but who care about their communities and the world. To me, that is the power of education.
And if, just like me, you feel impressed by now, know that those were only half of the finalists, the Junior division. After a short (and necessary, to get emotionally prepared) break, it was time for the Senior teams.
LPSN, from Spain, gave an emotional presentation on women’s mobility and safety and introduced the emergency response app they created. Also with women’s protection in mind, team D3c0ders from Albania created a platform to raise awareness on domestic abuse and provide resources to victims. The next app was Uproot, created by Sidney Hough from the United States to help farmers identify harmful weed species. Team Tech Witchesfrom India created Maitri, an app to combat the loneliness felt by children in orphanages and senior citizens in old-age homes by connecting them to spend time together. Five girls from Brazil created Safe Tears, a platform where people can monitor how they are feeling and reach out for help to prevent suicide. Team Coco, from Kazakhstan, closed the night with a delightful pitch on environmental issues and their work to incentivize recycling through real actions taken inside a 3D game that uses augmented reality.
I believe I speak for the whole audience when I say we were all impressed by the courage, effort, and creativity of the girls. They all had remarkable ideas, and they didn’t stop there: they worked hard to develop their projects and learn everything they needed in the process. They pitched their apps, but they also pitched their dedication, perseverance, and commitment, and especially their vision for the world.
Later that night, we welcomed our keynote speaker Justine Sass, Chief of the Section of Education for Inclusion and Gender Equality at UNESCO. With a profound speech on education and gender equality, she encouraged the audience to reflect on the investments we are making for the next generation and prompted us to take action to create a better and more inclusive world. Justine made me realize how deeply connected education and gender issues are, and when she left the stage, I only felt more inspired to continue my work on these issues.
The winning teams were announced shortly after: D3c0ders and Social Relay were awarded the 1st place in their categories and the 2nd place went to Uproot and LiterTree. Team Brain Squad, from Nigeria, won the public online voting and got the People’s Choice Award. I can’t stress enough how beautiful it was to listen to the pitches and how inspiring and empowering it was. All of the teams — winners, finalists, visiting teams and even those who did not make it to the World Pitch — did a marvelous job of taking on a challenge, believing in themselves, working on their ideas, and creating something to change the world.
Journalist Kris Reyes, the emcee of the evening, did a perfect job of enlightening the event with her energy and excitement. We closed the night with a reflection activity, as we raised our candles for a better world with more gender equality. To me, it was also a gesture of love and gratitude for the opportunity of attending the Technovation World Pitch Summit. Each of us was there because we believe in a better future – and being there made me believe even more on it.
World Pitch was a night of technology and entrepreneurship. It was a night of culture, with finalists from 10 different countries and people from many others; it was a night of girls and women; of power; of hard-work, determination, and courage. Above all, it was a night to celebrate all of these things.
Heloisa is from Brazil. She participated in Technovation in 2018 and became a Student Ambassador in 2019.