Lina El Sayed

Jordanian edtech pioneer expanding STEM education access for Middle Eastern girls

Lina El Sayed founded CodeFuture in 2016 to address the severe gender gap in Jordan's tech sector. Growing up in Zarqa, she witnessed how cultural barriers prevented girls from pursuing STEM careers. Her platform provides free online courses in coding, robotics, and AI tailored for Arabic-speaking students. Through partnerships with UNICEF and Jordan's Ministry of Education, CodeFuture has trained over 150,000 girls across 12 Arab countries.

In 2019, El Sayed launched the SheCodes initiative, establishing 45 after-school labs in conflict zones like Gaza and Yemen. Her World Economic Forum article outlined strategies to make STEM education culturally inclusive. During the pandemic, she developed an AI tutor system that provided personalized learning paths for 300,000 students. Her work inspired the UAE's Ministry of Education to adopt similar programs. Forbes named her among its 30 Under 30 in 2021, recognizing her role in creating 1,200 tech jobs for women by 2022. She currently advises the World Bank on digital education policies for MENA region.