Julie Wainaina

A Kenyan tech entrepreneur empowering women in STEM through mentorship and innovation

Julie Wainaina is a visionary Kenyan tech entrepreneur whose work has profoundly impacted women's participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Founder of TechWomen Kenya, she created a platform that has trained over 5,000 women in digital skills since 2016. Her initiatives include coding bootcamps, mentorship programs, and partnerships with global tech companies like Google and Microsoft.

Wainaina's most notable achievement is developing the Digital Literacy for All initiative, which expanded access to tech education in rural areas through mobile classrooms. Her TEDx talk "Bridging the Gender Divide in Tech" has been viewed over 2 million times globally. In 2019, she launched the first African women's hackathon series that produced solutions addressing maternal health and climate change challenges.

Her work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality) and Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure). Recent projects include a partnership with UNESCO to create curricula integrating AI ethics into school programs. Over 80% of her program graduates secure tech-related employment within six months of training.