Swapna Sarang

Indian social entrepreneur bridging gender gap in STEM through grassroots education initiatives

Swapna Sarang is a visionary social entrepreneur from Mumbai, India who has pioneered innovative approaches to gender equality in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Since launching STEMBridge in 2021, she has created over 150+ grassroots learning centers across rural India, providing hands-on tech education to over 25,000 girls. Her Code for Change program combines coding literacy with real-world problem solving, recently winning the 2023 UNESCO Women in Science Award. Swapna's work is highlighted in the documentary series PBS Digital Frontiers, showcasing how her initiatives have increased female tech enrollment in partner schools from 12% to 47% in just three years. She also co-founded the Girls' Tech Labs network which now operates in 12 countries, proving scalable models for tech education in resource-limited settings. Her TEDx talk Bridging the Digital Divide with Heart has garnered over 2.1 million views, inspiring similar initiatives globally.