On the occasion of the International Day of Women, there is no better time to introduce the five women founders who each in their own industries are driving innovation and working on ways to make space for themselves and other women in the global market. These five Syrian women leaders were carefully selected to take part in our most recent Entrepreneurship Program Project Championing Women in Business Leadership.
From the fields of Edtech, Legal tech, and health tech and content creation, these women leaders all put the community at the heart of their business; creating companies that tackle issues affecting Syrians around the world. We are proud to play a small role in their inspiring stories and look forward to following their journeys from one success to the next.
Asma Baghdadi
Founder & COO of SyrGo
Asma Baghdadi is the founder of SyrGo, a women-led startup established in 2021 that provides accessible and affordable legal aid to Syrians in diaspora around the world. With a passion for technology since childhood, she is driven by a focus on impact, always striving to make a difference in the startups she works with. Leveraging her business background and passion for technology, Asma is focusing on driving SyrGo toward success and providing the needed support to Syrian communities all over the globe.
Jin Dawod
Founder and CEO of Peace Therapist
Jin Dawod is the founder Peace Therapist, an award-winning platform and social tech initiative working with organizations and individuals to provide psychological support by matching therapy seekers with expert psychologists fluent in their mother tongue. They provide therapy in English, Turkish, Arabic, and Kurdish and provide free therapy services for refugees and disadvantaged groups. Jin founded Peace Therapist after her own experience surviving the conflict in Syria. Peace Therapist is recognized globally, most recently winning the Youth Leadership and Innovation Award from the Migration Youth and Children Platform & Global Forum On Migration and Development GFMD ·
Hekma Jabouli
Executive Director of Exotech
Hekma Jabouli is a biomedical engineer, inventor, entrepreneur, and co-founder of ExoTech that offers innovative mobility solutions for people who suffer from paralysis. To date ExoTech has supported more than 500 cases with their Lightweight, comfortably designed ExoTech Exoskeleton. In 2023, they won first place in Jusoor’s Startup RoadShow 4. Hekma Jabouli was also granted the Golden Residency Certificate from the Dubai Government as a medical researcher and was a speaker and exhibitor at the Dubai Expo.
Hale Çolak
General Manager of Pixel
Hale Çolak is the general manager of Türkiye-based Pixel which produces creative media marketing production for other business clients. Her company provides comprehensive services, including all types of production, marketing, and brand management.
Hale has been working in the fields of production, advertising, and journalism for 12 years in Türkiye. Hale considers herself a social activist alongside her work, as she strives to empower women and marginalized groups in Syrian society and stimulate positive change. She was able to train and integrate many women into the work team, and her contributions were recognized on a global level by Creative Associates International in Washington in 2016.
Safa Elcasim
Founder & CEO of Unlimited Education
Safa Elcasim is the founder of Unlimited Education, providing educational opportunities for Syrian students in Türkiye, along with career development programs to enable them to enter the global market. She also volunteers as a project manager in a Syrian-Turkish Charitable organization that provides social services to Syrian refugees in Türkiye.
