Anoushka: Hi Spiffy! Did you know that the gender gap is a grave problem that is present in the field of STEM?  Research shows that girls form only 10-15% of STEM researchers and faculty members in prestigious STEM institutes and research and development labs. In India, there are very few women scientists—for instance, in microbiology India’s female-male ratio was 0.57. The gender gap in STEM is increasing every day due to the deep-rooted patriarchal norms that exist in my country and girls are being denied their rights to education, self-independence, and jobs all because of this patriarchal and male-dominated mindset. GirlLytical is an artificial intelligence-based solution to increase the participation of girls in STEM and reduce the gender gap through learning. 

Bryanne: Diversity in computer science and company leadership roles remains a major issue in the tech industry. Despite efforts to introduce coding at earlier ages, schools struggle to prepare teachers to teach computer science skills and the curriculum is uninspired. Our mission is to break down barriers in computer science education to make learning to code more fun, accessible, and inclusive! Our first product, Unruly Splats, combines coding and recess-style play by empowering students to design games with programmable floor buttons that students code to light up, make sounds, and collect points when stomped on.

Leslie: Learning a second language in early childhood is a superpower—cognitive development, social-emotional intelligence, and economic opportunity—but we are failing our kids by using a traditional approach based on rules and memorization. FabuLingua’s mission is to make learning a new language more engaging and accessible for kids so that future generations will develop the innate empathy, cultural awareness, and preparedness to lead an increasingly globalized world. FabuLingua harnesses the power of stories and game design to teach kids new languages based on modern learning science.