Teams Of Girls From Kazakhstan And Hong Kong Take Top Prizes At International Mobile App Competition

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Aug. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday at Google Headquarters two teams of girls from Kazakhstan and Hong Kong (China) took top awards at the 2017 Technovation World Pitch Summit, the world's largest tech entrepreneurship program for girls. Twelve finalist teams and visiting teams traveled to Silicon Valley for the finals.

Senior Division Winner
Team: /flash
App name: QamCare
Almaty, Kazakhstan

Team /flash took home the top prize in the Senior Division. Their app, QamCare, keeps track of traveling routes of users.  Its goal is to be used in case of emergency to provide information about the user's location, complete with a panic button.  QamCare originates from the Kazakh word Qamqor, which stands for care and support. The app is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal "Peace" by providing safety to citizens and making it available to everyone. The Senior Division finalists and winner were funded by Google's Made with Code. Google's Made with Code is a movement launched in June 2014, to inspire millions of teen girls to take their first step in code, and to see it as a means to pursue their dreams.

"Safety is key. We want to make our app better and promote it," the girls said right after their win.

Junior Division Winner
Team: Dementia Care Companion
App name: Dementia Care Companion
Jordan, Hong Kong

In the Junior Division, team Dementia Care Companion took home the top prize for its app also called Dementia Care Companion.  Dementia Care Companion provides personalized training to dementia patients through interactive games that help maintain the basic activities of the patient.  The app has a corresponding family app which allows the patient's family to monitor the progress of the patient as well as a location tracking function to ensure the patient is safe and accounted for.

"We are hoping to take our app worldwide, reaching as many dementia patients and their families as possible," said Team Dementia Care Companion.

Technovation World Pitch Summit is the culmination of months of hard work and intense competition from 11,000 girls all over the world (over 100 countries) who submitted apps to the Technovation Challenge, a global initiative from STEM education nonprofit Iridescent. Girls ages 10-18 (working in teams of 1-5), were tasked to identify a problem in their community addressing the internationally agreed upon UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The girls then built mobile apps to address that problem using business planning to launch their apps. The finalists were pitching for seed funding and scholarships, and a total of $145,000 was awarded to finalists and runner-ups. Education scholarships went to the top six teams and six runner-up teams in each division (junior and senior).

"Since 2010 more than 15,000 girls from over 100 countries have participated in Technovation," says Tara Chklovski, Founder, CEO, Iridescent. "One of the smartest investments we can make in our own futures is to empower girls to become technology entrepreneurs."

In partnership with UN Women, girls' projects had to address at least one issue within the overall SDG focus areas: poverty reduction, quality education, good health and well-being, climate action, peace and justice or gender equality. Teams were supported by over 2,000 mentors.

"On behalf of Made with Code, we're honored to be hosting the Technovation Challenge 2017 World Pitch and Award Ceremony at Google, and are so inspired by these young women who are helping solve some of the world's largest and most pressing issues by learning new skills –  computer science, entrepreneurship, communication, problem-solving, and collaboration. The combination of technical skill and creativity on display at this event are exactly what we try to cultivate at Google and within the broader tech industry," said Maggie Johnson, VP, Education and University Programs at Google.

The finalist teams were in Silicon Valley for the entire week where they had a chance to network with each other, pitch live, and visit tech companies.  In addition to Google, the Technovation program is sponsored by major supporters such as Salesforce and Adobe and others.

Now in its eighth year, Technovation has worked with over 15,000 girls around the world to develop mobile apps and startups to solve problems around a diverse range of issues, including food safety, nutrition and much more. After participating in Technovation, 60% of girls from the U.S. enroll in further Computer Science courses with 30% majoring in Computer Science in college, 65 times the national rate for U.S. female college students. Globally, 70% of the girls are interested in pursuing further technology related programs.

"In this record-setting year, it is so inspiring to these girls and so many around the world desiring to get out of their comfort zone to solve real community problems using newly found skills in technology and business," adds Madhavi Bhasin, senior director of Technovation.

About Iridescent and Technovation

Iridescent is a science, engineering, and technology education nonprofit organization that empowers underrepresented young people to become self-motivated learners, inventors, and leaders. Founded in 2006 by CEO Tara Chklovski, Iridescent now has more than 100,000 children, parents, mentors, and educators have participated in its two global programs: Technovation, the world's largest global tech entrepreneurship program for girls, and Curiosity Machine, a unique, open-ended, project-based learning program that inspires students, families, and teachers to solve science and engineering problems together.  Through Technovation, girls develop key 21^st century skills and competencies and a sense of 'self-efficacy' - the ability and confidence to solve problems.  In 2017, Iridescent was co-recognized along with Technovation Global Ambassador Anar Simpson for Outstanding Mobile Industry Individual Leadership at the GSMA Women4Tech awards.

About Made with Code

Made With Code is a Google-initiative launched in 2014 to inspire millions of teen girls to learn to code and help them see coding as a means to pursue their dreams.

Millicent Fortunoff
M. Fortunoff Communications
917-306-3841
[email protected]

SOURCE Iridescent

Related Links

http://www.iridescentlearning.org