Technovation Girls is a free, international program for technology and entrepreneurship education. It equips young women aged 8 to18 with key technology, entrepreneurship and leadership skills, preparing them to become tech leaders and entrepreneurs. With support from volunteer mentors, girls work in teams to design, code and launch mobile apps that tackle real-world challenges.
Created in Silicon Valley (United States) in 2009, Technovation Girls has reached girls in 100+ countries. The Ottawa chapter, hosted by the University of Ottawa, has been running Technovation Girls locally since 2025.
The Technovation Girls Ottawa chapter offers two divisions:
Over 14 weeks, teams work together to identify an issue within their community, develop an app concept, create a business plan and build a working prototype. Along the way, they build key skills in coding, entrepreneurship and marketing.
You can take part in the Technovation Girls Ottawa Chapter by either joining the in-person club or registering for the Digital Technology and Innovations in the Changing World (ICD2O) credited course, offered by the Faculty of Engineering Secondary School.
The Technovation Girls Ottawa club meets weekly on Wednesdays and three Saturdays during the club period for a kick-off event, coding sessions and a pitch presentation in Montreal at the beginning of May. The club enables girls and feminine-aligned non-binary youth to learn key skills and work with mentors to build a mobile app. Participation in the club is free.
Students registered in this credited high school course gain access to the Technovation Girls Ottawa chapter since it’s fully integrated into the curriculum.
In this course, students write simple computer programs using foundational programming concepts and learn how to create clear, maintainable internal documentation. They also explore how computers work by examining hardware configurations, software options, operating systems, networking basics and safe-computing practices.
Each week, teams gather in person at the University of Ottawa for hands-on workshops. During these sessions, they meet independently to work on their app ideas and business plans.
The club runs from January 31 to May 9, 2026. Here’s a breakdown of the schedule:
The club is open to students from grades 8 to 12. Girls (cis and trans) as well as non-binary youth who are comfortable in female-centred spaces are all welcome.
If you want to complete this program as part of a credited high school course, you can register for the Digital Technology and Innovations in the Changing World (ICD2O) through the Faculty of Engineering Secondary School. The Technovation Girls program is fully integrated into the course.
As a mentor, you’ll help teams by:
Mentors must:
Mentors will attend weekly workshops (two hours each) from February 4 to May 6, 2026.
Technovation is a global tech education non-profit that empowers girls to become more confident leaders, creators and problem-solvers. It offers engaging, student-centred programs in which girls ages 8 to 18 learn how to create AI and app-based technologies to solve real-world problems. Technovation has reached girls in more than 100 countries. It’s supported by Google, TE Connectivity, Shopify, ServiceNow, eBay, AT&T, FactSet, Vianai Systems, Best Buy, TEKsystems, SAP, Oracle, Spectris, Synopsys and Vodafone.
Faculty of Engineering, University of Ottawa
CBY B111
161 Louis-Pasteur
Ottawa, ON, Canada
K1N 6N5
Monday to Friday
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Phone: 613-562-5491
For more information about Technovation Girls, email the Outreach office at [email protected]
