36 girls from Romania advance to the international semifinals of the Technovation Girls competition

New records for the 2024 Edition:
● Over 1000 participating girls, the highest number until now;
● For the first time, middle school teams participated in the Regional Pitch Live and presented their projects;
● The first International Team – girls from Romania teamed up with girls from Pakistan, Poland, and Morocco;
● The youngest participants ever, just 9 years old.

Adfaber.org announced the national winners of the seventh edition of the Technovation Girls competition, supported by BCR and Endava as National Sponsors. Nine teams of girls from Romania have impressed a jury of tech and business specialists with their projects. To participate in the Technovation Girls competition, the students developed a mobile application or an AI prototype that solves a real problem in their community! Over 1000 girls from Romania, guided by mentors and organizers, developed applications that address critical social issues, demonstrating their commitment to creating positive changes through technology.

Globally, this edition had 31,028 entries from over 50 countries, making this year the one with most participants in the program’s history.
The effort and achievements of the students were celebrated and awarded at the Regional Pitch Technovation Girls event in Bucharest, where 12 teams had the opportunity to present their final projects: innovative mobile apps with real social impact.

How are girls changing the world for the better with technology?
“This year was special due to the complexity of the themes chosen by the students from a very young age. The fact that they understood the program, worked on their idea, and then were able to present their projects live in front of an audience shows how powerful the upcoming generation is, especially if given the right environment to develop,” said Maria Popescu, Program Manager at Adfaber.
In total, 36 girls from Romania qualified for the international semifinals of the IT entrepreneurship competition, Technovation Girls.

For the Beginners division (ages 8-12), the Digital Queens team from Pitești, Argeș created Waste Wizard AI, an app that improves recycling in schools. Despite the presence of recycling bins, their analysis shows that many recyclables are still improperly thrown away. Their app uses artificial intelligence to classify waste into four categories, thereby facilitating and recommending proper recycling.

For the Junior division (ages 13-15), the following teams qualified:
– G-POWER from Pitești, Argeș, presented their project Food Lockers. Through this app, students can anonymously donate food in specially designed lockers at school. Other students can access these resources using a unique code, ensuring confidentiality and equal access to essential nutrition for an effective learning day.

-Green Harmonizer from Buftea, Ilfov, created Pawz, an app designed to protect lost or stray animals. Pawz helps owners find their lost pets. Users can send alerts and receive notifications for found animals, all through a user-friendly and intuitive interface.

For the Senior division (ages 16-18), we have six qualified teams:
– Sugar&Spice, a team of five girls from Bucharest, created the AgriConnect, the app that facilitates direct connections between local producers and buyers and allows easy selling and buying of fresh products, with options for delivery or personal pickup.

AgriConnect also gives producers the opportunity to donate surplus products to local shelters and charitable organizations.

– The STEMinistas team from Sibiu presented AIPeacefulness, a platform dedicated to supporting individuals with autoimmune diseases. In recent years, autoimmune diseases have increased globally but are still not fully understood, and many patients do not receive proper treatment. AIPeacefulness is designed for those seeking healing solutions, including the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet.

– Byte Belles team launched AlEarth, an app dedicated to raising awareness of threats to our planet. The team consists of two students from Bucharest, one from Pakistan, one from Poland, and one from Morocco. Their project, AlEarth, features an interactive map where users can see natural disasters and climate emergencies, with options to contribute to associated charities. Users can also add and monitor significant events,
which are verified and displayed in the app.

– MIA AI for Education, formed by three ambitious girls from Bucharest, launched MiaAI for Education, an app designed to improve the learning process for students. Using Artificial Intelligence, MiaAI allows students to access lessons and receive answers to their questions, providing a relaxed and pressure-free learning experience. It is a resource that helps clarify complex concepts in a simple and accessible manner, making learning an interactive and fun process.

– MYBIT team from Bacău has developed TeenTalk, an app dedicated to sexual education and support for underage mothers. Romania faces the highest number of teenage mothers in Europe, a problem that raises many questions about access to sexual education. TeenTalk addresses this challenge by providing essential information about sexually transmitted diseases, practical advice, and moral support. Through lessons, animations, and an AI assistant that responds to questions, TeenTalk lays the foundations for sexual education.

– Penta Power team, consisting of five girls from Bucharest, impressed at the Regional Pitch Technovation Girls Romania with an innovative project. NEXA is a mobile app designed to facilitate the application process for high school and college students looking for job shadowing and internship programs. This project not only simplifies access to valuable experiences but also contributes to the professional development of
the youth.

In addition to the winners, three other teams received special mentions for their efforts in the competition, and one of them also received the Team Creativity Award: Umbrella team from 5A Cosbuc, consisting of five girls from Bucharest in the Beginners division, created the Umbrella app that introduces daily challenges that promote healthy eating and sustainability, all presented in an interactive and fun game format, ideal for children. The innovation and passion of the girls for technology impressed the jury, earning them the special creativity award.

In the Junior division, the Smart.girls team from Târgoviște, Dâmbovița, developed the Career Compass – Navigating Your Path app, designed to support students in their academic and personal development. It provides a virtual platform where students can interact, receive advice, and explore career paths suitable for them.

In the Senior division, the Mojito team from Râmnicu Vâlcea created the Scolio-Fix app, which offers assistance to people suffering from scoliosis, lordosis, or kyphosis. Scolio-Fix provides simple physical therapy exercises and emotional support for those in need. Additionally, the app includes games and useful information to make the treatment process more fun and interesting.

Why is Technovation Girls an Important Program for Girls in Romania?
In a constantly changing world, Technovation Girls opens the door to exceptional opportunities for Romanian girls, helping them to become leaders of the future and express their imagination and creativity for a noble purpose. By participating in this program, they have the opportunity to develop personally and actively contribute to solving various problems in their community, such as environmental protection, health promotion, educational system improvement, and support for equality.

Technovation Girls is a global entrepreneurship and technology program for girls aged 8 to 18, unique in terms of resources in the Romanian educational landscape.
The event brings together numerous experts in technology and entrepreneurship, who offer advice and guidance to young entrepreneurs. This would not be possible without the project partners such as: BCR and Endava – National Sponsors, Edupedu, Kiss FM, Career Magazine – media partners, and Technovation Girls, a global partner.
The event hosted two moments in which two special guests, important for the Technovation Girls community, shared advice with the attending girls.
From BCR, Anca Luca, Startups Community Manager encouraged the girls and spoke about the importance of having women entrepreneurs in Romania.

From Endava, Daniela Spilcă, Development Consultant, shared her experience and what it’s like to be a woman in the world of technology.

After this national stage, beginner, junior, and senior semifinalist teams from Romania enter the global judging stage. On July 9th, we will find out the finalists, and on October 17th, the Technovation Girls World Summit will take place.