Nthabiseng Seane

A South African tech entrepreneur promoting gender equality in STEM through education and mentorship programs

Nthabiseng Seane is a visionary South African entrepreneur and founder of TechWomenSA, an organization dedicated to empowering women in technology sectors. Born in 1985, she faced significant challenges growing up in a township where access to technology was limited. Despite these obstacles, she earned a degree in Information Technology from the University of Johannesburg. In 2014, she launched TechWomenSA to address the gender gap in STEM fields, which only had 12% female representation at the time. The organization provides scholarships, coding bootcamps, and mentorship programs connecting over 5,000 women with industry leaders by 2019. Her TED Talk 'Breaking Barriers in Tech' has been viewed 2.3 million times. Seane also pioneered the Girls Coding Academy, which expanded to 12 African countries through partnerships with UN Women and Google Africa. In 2018, she co-founded the African Women in Technology Network (AWITN), now representing 3,000+ professionals across 20+ countries. Her work has directly contributed to a 40% increase in female tech enrollments in South African universities between 2015-2019. Recognized by Forbes Africa as 'Top 30 Under 30' in 2017, her initiatives have inspired policies like the 2019 Gender Equity in Tech Act passed by South Africa's Parliament. Seane's legacy continues through her advocacy for digital literacy programs in rural areas and her role as UNICEF's African Digital Champion.