Juliana Rotich is more than a technologist; she is a pioneer whose work is reshaping Africa’s digital frontier and telling new stories about what’s possible for women across the continent.
Born in Kenya, she has used her brilliance, conviction and creativity to build tools, lift voices, bridge divides and to show that African women don’t only belong in tech, they are needed there.
From early on, Juliana was drawn to problems and possibilities.
With a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, she worked in data analysis and software roles in the U.S. before turning her sights toward the urgent challenges facing Africa.
Her defining moment came with Ushahidi, co-founded in 2008.
The Swahili word for “testimony,” Ushahidi became a powerful open-source platform enabling crowdsourced mapping of crisis events, helping communities report violence, disasters or other emergencies, often in places where traditional communication channels were weak.
Juliana helped lead this work, making technology the living bridge between people in crisis and the help they needed.
But Juliana didn’t stop there.
She saw that connectivity itself, including reliable internet access even without consistent electricity, was a barrier.
With that in mind she co-founded BRCK Inc., an African tech company that creates rugged, self-powered connectivity solutions built for the edges.
These innovations are not just technical, they are lifelines, especially for women and girls in remote, underserved communities.
Her leadership goes beyond product and innovation.
She sits on important advisory boards, engages with global forums and uses her voice to push for gender equity, digital inclusion and responsible innovation.
Juliana has been a Senior Fellow at TED, contributed to United Nations expert groups and advised corporations and governments on data, sustainability and technology policy.
Juliana’s impact has earned her wide recognition.
In 2011 she was named Social Entrepreneur of the Year in Africa by the Schwab Foundation at the World Economic Forum.
She also won the German Africa Prize and featured in many “top women” and “women in technology” rankings.
These are not just awards, they mark how many lives have been touched, how many possibilities opened and how many young women are now seeing themselves as innovators.
Her story is deeply human.
In it you see resilience, vision and humility.
She proves that excellence need not come from wealth, that technology can be a tool of care, not just commerce, and that African women can lead not by imitation but by inventing.
Juliana Rotich is one of Africa’s great women, not simply for what she has built, but for what she inspires, capability, possibility and the courage to create.
