Founded in 2006 under the name Iridescent, Technovation emerged from an idea sparked by CEO Tara Chklovski during her time as an engineer at USC. Observing the lack of diversity among her fellow graduate students, Tara was inspired to address this disparity by igniting enthusiasm for science, technology, and innovation among young people. Determined to broaden participation in these fields, she founded our organization to engage youth in STEM education.

Technovation's inaugural program, Family Science, commenced in 2007 at a single school in Los Angeles before expanding to encompass more schools in the area, and eventually reaching the San Francisco Bay Area. Over time, our organization continued to evolve, developing programs in schools and extending our reach to cities such as New York, Chicago, and Florida. In 2010, Technovation Girls was launched as a dedicated initiative to empower young women in STEM.

Technovation's impact spans diverse projects aimed at addressing pressing global challenges, including the creation of solutions for safe drinking water, identification and removal of invasive species, development of air quality monitors, detection of lethal counterfeit drugs, and creation of apps to facilitate connections among isolated youth. Through these endeavors, we remain committed to fostering innovation and empowering the next generation of problem solvers.

We are a global tech education nonprofit that empowers girls to become leaders, creators and problem-solvers. Our Technovation Girls program equips young women (ages 8-18) to become tech entrepreneurs and leaders.

Our learning model We use a three-part model to help girls develop greater self-efficacy and change their attitudes towards STEM.

Participants find a problem in their community and develop a solution to it,which helps bring technology to life in an immediate, tangible way.

Participants work in teams—girls work with a group of friends supported by a mentor (and a parent, if the girls are younger than 12!) and connected to a local Chapter or Club Ambassador.Together they brainstorm, share the workload, and cheer each other on. When everyone's contributing, everyone is also building a long-term community of learning

We dedicate time to building trust with the local community leaders who bring Technovation to their schools, organizations, or towns.

Technovation programs are designed to be flexible, so they can align with diverse community needs and goals and plug in to existing support networks.

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Technovation Girls

irls are changing the world with technology. Climate change, domestic violence, women's equality, accessibility — these are just a few problems 2,100 Technovation Girls teams tackled in 2023. You can join them.

Our global community comprises students, mentors, ambassadors, parents, and judges, all united by their curiosity, creativity, and commitment to solving societal challenges through technology.

Many participants join with no prior tech experience, but possess a willingness to learn and a passion for making a positive impact.