Marcela Mejía

Colombian tech entrepreneur who pioneered women's coding education in Latin America

Marcela Mejía (born 1978) is a Colombian software engineer and founder of Codeando Colombia, a nonprofit organization that has trained over 10,000 women in coding and digital skills since 2003. Her work has transformed the tech landscape in Latin America by addressing gender disparities in STEM fields. Through partnerships with universities like the National University of Colombia and multinational corporations like Microsoft, her programs have created pathways for marginalized women to enter tech careers.

Mejía's initiatives include the CoderDojo Colombia network, providing free coding workshops in rural areas. Her CodeGirls program specifically targets indigenous communities, with over 30% of participants coming from Afro-Colombian and indigenous backgrounds. A 2019 study by the Inter-American Development Bank showed her graduates earn 40% higher wages than national averages in tech sectors.

In 2015, she launched the Campus Colombia initiative, establishing 15 tech hubs across the country. These centers now serve as incubators for female-led startups, with 72% of businesses founded through the program still operational after three years. Mejía's work has been featured in Forbes and El Tiempo, and she advises the Colombian government's digital transformation strategy.