TechWomen Emerging Leaders Program (USA)

TechWomen is the US Department of State’s flagship mentorship exchange for women in STEM, bringing about 108 emerging leaders from 22 countries across Africa, Central and South Asia, the Middle East and Europe to the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago for five fully funded weeks. Participants are matched with professional mentors inside leading tech companies, deliver a mentorship project and finish with a program in Washington, D.C.

Eligible applicants are women with at least two years of full-time STEM experience from program countries including Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and Kazakhstan. Applications open each November with a deadline in early January, and the program covers airfare, housing and daily costs.

• Women with at least two years of full-time professional experience in STEM fields (internships and part-time work do not count toward the two years).
• Citizens and residents of one of the 22 program countries, including Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, South Africa, Rwanda, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Albania.
• Minimum of a bachelor's degree or four-year equivalent, with proficient written and spoken English.
• Eligible for a US J-1 exchange visa, with limited or no prior experience in the United States, and not a US citizen or permanent resident.
• A proven record of community or voluntary service and demonstrated leadership in your professional track.
• Committed to returning home to mentor women and girls and share what you learned.
• Women with disabilities and applicants experiencing displacement are explicitly encouraged.

• Spend five weeks embedded with a professional mentor at a leading technology company in the San Francisco Bay Area or Chicago.
• Plan and deliver a mentorship project based on your learning goals, guided by professional and cultural mentors.
• Choose a track (biotechnology and health, green technology and sustainability, IT and communication, or science and engineering) that shapes your programming.
• Join workshops, company visits and networking events across the US tech ecosystem.
• Travel to Washington, D.C. for the closing program with US government and industry leaders.
• Develop an impact plan you implement back home, often with seed-grant competitions for alumni.

• Fully funded by the US Department of State: round-trip international airfare, shared furnished apartment housing, program activities and a daily allowance.
• Direct mentorship inside companies in Silicon Valley and Chicago that most professionals never access.
• A cohort of about 108 emerging leaders from Africa, Central and South Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
• Membership of a powerful alumnae network running mentoring and seed-funded projects across program countries.
• US Embassy engagement in your country during selection and after return.
• No application fee at any stage.

• Prepare your professional story: the application weighs leadership, community impact and a clear plan for mentoring women and girls at home.
• Applications for each cohort open around November on the TechWomen website; the recent cycle closed January 7, so target early January 2027 for the next deadline and confirm on the site.
• Complete the online application in your own words (plagiarism checks are run) with your CV and references.
• Semifinalists are interviewed, often by US Embassy personnel in their country.
• Final selections are announced by late May, with the exchange running in the autumn.
• If not selected, reapply: many participants succeed on a second attempt with a stronger impact story.