Inspiring Girls in Technology Entrepreneurship

Engage residents and stakeholders

Expand a pilot or a program

Mobilize for systems change

Number of high growth startups

Recruiting and retention rates for local higher education institutions (Dream Metric)

Percentage of graduates from local higher education institutions that remain in LA County 5 years after graduating (Dream Metric)

Unemployment rates (and opportunities) for the formerly incarcerated (Dream Metric)

Technovation gives girls the opportunity to create mobile apps to solve problems in their community. Through this program young girls will develop their technical and entrepreneurial skills while creating solutions for local communities. In creating local app solutions for local problems, young girls in LA can possibly discover the next big start-up idea.

girls get to create cool app ideas through Technovation in the following way:

Teams of middle school and high school girls work together to complete an intensive, 50-hour curriculum. The girls are supported by a teacher (or after-school coordinator) and paired with a mentor who is a female tech professional. The curriculum is open, online and freely accessible to all. Through the program, the girls learn to:

1. Identify a problem in their community: Girls work in teams and identify an idea for a mobile app that will help solve a problem in their community

2. Program an app: Teams develop the actual app using a visual, block-based language called App Inventor (developed by MIT) that requires no prior knowledge of programming.

3. Develop and deliver a pitch: Teams develop a business plan, videotape and submit their app and demo pitches for review.

Ten finalist teams are then be chosen and flown out to Silicon Valley to pitch their apps and business plans to potential investors. The winning teams are awarded $20,000 in seed funding to take their app to market.

The program will kick-off with a Girls make App Day workshop where all teams will meet with their mentors and attend a workshop focussed on the app Inventor platform. All local teams will have the opportunity to present their app ideas at the Regional Pitch event. the winning team will also have the opportunity to visit San Francisco for the World Pitch event, event if they are not selected in the top 10.

All participants, mentors, teachers and students, are required to submit pre and post-program surveys. Results from these surveys help identify the learning goals of the girls and assess impact of the program on these goals.

Anecdotal evidence gathered through case studies will also help to measure impact.

Money (financial capital)

Volunteers/staff (human capital)

Publicity/awareness (social capital)

Infrastructure (building/space/vehicles, etc.)

Technical infrastructure (computers, etc.)

Community outreach