Aurora Tech Award

The moment we’ve all been waiting for: the Aurora Tech Award 2025 has crowned its winners. They're changing the game for women in tech, one breakthrough at a time 🔥🌪 This year, we received 2,018 applications from 116 countries. And now, we proudly present the 5 boldest who rose to the top: ⚡️✨ $30,000 — HerVest (Nigeria) by 'Solape Akinpelu Akinpelu ⚡️✨ $20,000 — NIDO Contech (Chile) by LORETXU GARCIA ARRAZTOA ⚡️✨ $15,000 — FlexiBees (India) by Shreya Prakash ⚡️✨ $10,000 — Arkangel AI (Colombia) by Laura Velasquez Herrera ⚡️✨ $10,000 — UpLeap (by breathe medical) (Switzerland) by Leonie Korn Each of these founders built something from scratch — and today, they’re building the future. We’ll be sharing more from behind the scenes soon. This is only the beginning. Don’t switch the channel. #AuroraTechAward #BuildYourTable UPDATE: A mistake slipped into the on-screen description of Leonie Korn’s business UpLeap (by breathe medical) in this video. It should say “Learning reimagined for medical professionals,” not “for neurodivergence”. We apologize for the oversight and will take greater care moving forward.

The Aurora Tech Award 2025 ceremony was a kaleidoscope of events, impressions, and emotions. We have our five winners, yet all of the 2025 finalists hold a place in my heart. 'Solape Akinpelu, LORETXU GARCIA ARRAZTOA, Nyifamu Ogechi Manzo, MBA, Leonie Korn, Heiura Itae-Tetaa, Gulnaza Khalmanbetova, Veronica Lee, Shreya Prakash, Thais Sterenberg, Laura Velasquez Herrera, thank you for sharing your wisdom during the interviews, for your energy, and positive vibes. It was a pleasure to see how you support and greet each other! This event was a challenge in many ways. We learned a lot. Once again, I was reminded that for me, it's not just about what I do — but who I do it with. A great team is what makes ambitious projects not only happen, but shine! I am collecting a list of everyone involved with the event for our official page, and you’d be surprised how huge it is! Here I want to thank the core team — the people who did the heavy lifting, while staying in the tagging limit. All my gratitude to the Aurora Tech Award team: Isabella Ghassemi-Smith, Ksenia Matveeva, Nadeen Hossam, Nurdaulet Turar , Serafima Piterskaia, and Lola Kabina. To our event wizard Yerkezhan Shaldybayeva and two more members of inDrive Impact Growth team members who were with us on the ground: Ilia Zorin, and Elena Petukhova (habibi, it wouldn’t have worked without you!). Also, deep thanks to others who played a huge role in making this event happen: Veronika Mokhnachevskaya, Nick Kireev, Mariia Nikolaeva, Daniil Korobkov, and Aelita Nikulina. Thank you, KANAT NOGOIBAYEV, Shorouk Ibrahim🇪🇬, and Meruert Kuttybaikyzy, for the media support! Ekaterina Kazmina and Daria Akimova, thank you for your involvement and for representing us at the inDrive booth! We organized the award within Entreprenelle’s event. Rania Ayman, Batool Hani Mattar, Passant Samir — what a ride it was! Thank you. Massive shout-out to our content production team: Lagasso Advertising Agency, Gasser Darwish, and a crew of mobile videographers and photographers who aren’t on LinkedIn. A heartfelt thank you to Omar Atef and our agency, Advertisup If I ever do an event in Egypt again, I know who to call! Thank you, everyone, who came to Cairo for the ceremony or supported us in any other way! I appreciate it! #AuroraTechAward #BuildYourTable

Entlaq is proud to announce the launch of the first edition of the Women in Entrepreneurship Report – Egypt! (https://lnkd.in/deHf2epA) This milestone publication sheds light on the key challenges and opportunities for women entrepreneurs across Egypt—especially in high-growth sectors like tech and finance. In 2023 alone, women received just 1.2% of total VC funding, with 72% of women-led MSMEs categorized as micro-scale businesses. The report also highlights a significant digital divide: rural women are 45% less likely to access the internet, and only 30% of online learners are women. Furthermore, only 35% of women entrepreneurs have access to mentorship, and just 28% participate in capacity-building programs. The report was officially launched on Saturday, April 12, 2025, during the She Can | Adding Values event by Entreprenelle at Creativa innovation hubs - Cairo, with the support of our strategic partnership with Entreprenelle. Our Head of Policy and Research, Reham ElMorally, PhD, FHEA, presented the key findings and later moderated an engaging panel discussion titled “Her Voice, Her Tech: Closing the Digital Gap – Encouraging Women’s Participation and Leadership in Tech Innovation.”   The panel brought together distinguished voices from the ecosystem: 🔹 Nelly Mahmoud, Chief Officer Marketing, Youth Segment Services & Financial Inclusion at EGBANK 🔹 Sara Amir, Business Development Manager at EMEA 🔹 Nadeen Hossam, Partnership Manager at inDrive Startup Programs 🔹 Rasha Tantawy, Co-Founder of Women Entrepreneurs Network We extend our sincere gratitude to our valued partners for their support in bringing this report to life: EGBANK , Aurora Tech Award, EdVentures, Entreprenelle, and Nahdet Misr. Download the full report today and explore how we can collectively foster a more inclusive and equitable entrepreneurship ecosystem in Egypt: https://lnkd.in/deHf2epA #SheCan2025 #WomenInBusiness #CairoEvents #womeninentrepreneurship

One of our Top 10 finalists, Veronica Lee (founder of Borderless), just gave the Aurora Tech Award x inDrive gift pack the unboxing it deserves 😍 From the oversized tee (already reassigned to her co-founder) to the stickers (laptop-ready) to the notebook designed for 20+ years of big founder ideas—this one hit home. Always love seeing how each piece of the experience lands with the brilliant women we’re proud to back 😎

A reminder for all founders: Start where you are. 👉🏼 Airbnb founders - no experience in travel. 👉🏼 Warby Parker - no experience in eyewear. 👉🏼 Dropbox founders - no experience in cloud. 👉🏼 Uber founders - no experience in transportation. 👉🏼 SpaceX founders - no experience in space travel. 👉🏼 WhatsApp founders - no experience in messaging. The biggest innovations often come when founders don't accept 'this is how it's always been'. Go after it. #founders #startup #vc #business

I had a wonderful time at the networking dinner yesterday at Creativa Innovation Hub, hosted by Aurora Tech Award with inDrive and Entlaq Holding It was a privilege to connect with such inspiring professionals and ecosystem leaders. Special thanks to Nadeen Hossam, Isabella Ghassemi-Smith, and the Aurora Team for organizing a special event. Congratulations to the Aurora Tech Award finalists—your stories serve as a powerful reminder of the possibilities that innovation can create. I also want to thank inDrive for their commitment to the global startup ecosystem and their emphasis on supporting women-led initiatives. I’m eager to maintain our connections and explore potential collaboration opportunities moving forward.

🏆 Proud to Be Among the Top 5!! 🏆 What a ride! Out of 2018 applications, I placed #5th in the Aurora Tech Award – a global prize for #women #entrepreneurs building impact-driven #startups in #emerging markets. 💉I had the chance to pitch UpLeap (by breathe medical) – our AI-powered training platform, like Duolingo for medical training. Designed for healthcare professionals where training is limited but the need is critical. 🔦 To be recognized by the Aurora Tech Award – out of 2000+ applications – means a lot. Not just for me, but for what it says: that #smarter, #accessible medical training in emerging markets deserves the #spotlight. 🙌 My #highlight? Gathering in #Cairo with the other top 10 finalists. Brilliant minds, bold ideas, and a shared drive to build something that #matters. Every conversation was #energizing and fun, every project #inspiring. 🙏 Big thanks to the Aurora Tech Award team for building a space where women and bold ideas are truly seen and #supported. Special shoutout to Isabella Ghassemi-Smith, Ksenia Matveeva, Tamara Loseva, Elena Petukhova, and many more. We need more women out there #leading, #building, and shaking things up – let’s keep going 💪🌍 #AuroraTechAward #WomenInTech #Entrepreneurship #EmergingMarkets #ImpactDriven #FemaleFounders #UpLeap #Grateful #HealthcareInnovation

If you’ve ever wondered who’s behind the Aurora Tech Award 👀 Isabella Ghassemi-Smith — Head of the Award Ksenia Matveeva — Product Lead Tamara Loseva — Marketing Lead Nadeen Hossam — Partnerships Manager, EMEA And behind the scenes: Serafima Piterskaia — Social Media Editor Lola Kabina — Graphic Designer Plus a whole lot of amazing people from the broader Impact Growth team at inDrive — we’ll introduce them soon!

🌟 I had the pleasure of attending an incredible networking dinner yesterday at creativa innovation Hub hosted by Aurora tech award by inDrive and Entlaq Holding. It was an honor to meet and connect with such an inspiring group of professionals. Special thanks to Nadeen Hossam and Isabella Ghassemi-Smith and the whole Aurora Team for organizing and making this event a memorable experience. Great work by Entlaq on their latest report. It highlights crucial aspects of women’s participation in entrepreneurship with clarity and purpose. Kudos to the brilliant finalists of the Aurora Tech Award—your stories are inspiring and a powerful reminder of what’s possible with innovation and determination. Also, deep appreciation to inDrive for their meaningful support of the global startup ecosystem and for shining a spotlight on women-led ventures through initiatives like this. Looking forward to staying connected and exploring opportunities for collaboration in the future.

Just this morning, I returned from Cairo, where we spent three days celebrating bold women founders in the tech world 💫 Aurora Tech Award is one of inDrive’s impact projects. The award has been held before, but this year was the first time we went this big — it was a real test for the whole team, and especially for me, as this was my first major event as a part of the inDrive’s impact team. We decided not to limit ourselves to pitch sessions and the awards ceremony alone. The participants had a rich three-day program, during which they got to know each other and us better, attended the She Can event, went on a tour to the iconic Pyramids of Giza, and ended the experience with an informal evening connecting with potential partners — both from inDrive and beyond. I’ve had experience organizing events remotely before, including internationally, and it’s always more stressful than doing something in your own city — especially when you’re a control freak with high internal quality standards. But we really set a high bar. I believe the Aurora Tech Award has the potential to become an even bigger platform in the future — one that gives female entrepreneurs and impact-driven startups the spotlight they truly deserve. And most importantly, we now have the confidence that our team has the expertise and experience to make that happen. Huge thanks to everyone who supported this event — I truly hope it felt less like a business trip and more like a small mission filled with meaning and joy.