Women’s health needs are routinely overlooked in the wellness industry, leaving millions without products designed for their comfort, dignity, or daily realities. Sheilisa McNeal is addressing this inequity as the founder and CEO of Fria Inc, where she develops technology that centers women who have long been underserved. A recognized innovator and social entrepreneur, she was selected for EY’s Entrepreneurs Access Network and has been featured by Essence and Women in Retail Leadership Circle. Sheilisa draws on twenty five years in corporate communications and seventeen years as an NYU adjunct instructor, pairing business rigor with deep commitment to health equity. She has earned national recognition through major pitch competitions and speaking engagements. Sheilisa is creating a future where wellness products reflect the people they are meant to serve.

Location of impact: United States

In Egypt, women are not afforded the same freedom of movement, limiting their access to work, education, and economic mobility. Nouran Farouk is changing this reality as the co-founder and CEO of Dosy, the country’s first tech enabled platform that trains women to safely operate scooters and bicycles. Through Dosy, she has trained more than seven thousand women and created hundreds of jobs, expanding opportunity in communities where women are often excluded from public space. A physician and social entrepreneur, Nouran is the People and Skills Winner of the 2024 UN Tourism Women in Tech competition, a Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur, and a Ban Ki moon Global Citizen Scholar. Her work connects mobility, climate resilience, and women’s economic power to build more inclusive cities where women can move freely and lead.

Location of impact: Egypt

Across Africa, small farmers lose economic value because raw agricultural ingredients are undervalued and global beauty markets rarely invest in locally led, sustainable supply chains. Violet Amoabeng is closing this gap as the founder and Managing Director of Skin Gourmet, a zero waste skincare company that transforms wildcrafted Ghanaian produce into high end, edible beauty products. Her model creates income for farming communities while proving that African made products can lead global markets. With experience in procurement, supply chain strategy, and sustainable innovation, Violet has scaled Skin Gourmet from a local startup to an internationally distributed brand featured by CNN and Forbes. She holds an MBA in Finance and Supply Chain Management and is pursuing a Master’s in Sustainability. A champion of circular beauty, Violet is building equity through African led enterprise.

Location of impact: Ghana

Across East Africa, farmers lose significant income to post harvest waste, especially from non export avocado varieties that are discarded despite their economic potential. Florence Alice Mathingau is transforming this loss into opportunity as the co founder and CEO of Agri Business Solutions, which aggregates surplus avocados from twelve thousand farmers and converts them into high value products through a zero waste circular model. The company processes crude oil, recycles peels into briquettes, grows seedlings from discarded seeds, and uses pulp waste to feed black soldier fly larvae. With a master’s degree in Public Health and extensive experience in agribusiness finance, Florence has advised regional institutions, led national networks, and won major accelerators including the CGIAR and Land Accelerator. Her work strengthens farmer livelihoods and demonstrates how circular agribusiness can drive sustainable economic growth.

Location of impact: Kenya

Entrepreneurs with disabilities face systemic barriers to capital, mentorship, and visibility, limiting their ability to build and scale companies despite strong market potential. Diego Mariscal is removing these barriers as the founder and CEO of 2Gether
International, a global startup accelerator run by and for entrepreneurs with disabilities. Under his leadership, 2GI has supported more than seven hundred startups, helping them raise approximately eighty four million dollars in investment, revenue, and acquisitions. Diego has built strategic partnerships with corporations including Comcast NBCUniversal, Google.org, and JPMorgan Chase, and he serves on the U S Securities and Exchange Commission’s Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee. A trailblazer in inclusive entrepreneurship, Diego is creating a world where founders with disabilities have equitable access to resources, capital, and opportunity.

Location of impact: United States

Newborns around the world die from preventable causes simply because lifesaving monitoring tools are unavailable or inaccessible in low resource settings. Ratul Narain is addressing this crisis as the founder and Managing Director of BEMPU Health, a social enterprise developing medical innovations that improve survival during the most vulnerable moments of a child’s life. With engineering training from Stanford and early R and D experience at Johnson and Johnson, Ratul shifted from corporate work to field based problem solving in India, where he identified critical gaps in neonatal care. BEMPU has since developed four innovations, including the TempWatch, named a TIME Magazine Top Invention, reaching more than one hundred sixty thousand newborns across twenty three countries. An Echoing Green Fellow, Ratul partners with UNICEF, WHO, and national governments to scale equitable neonatal care.

Location of impact: India

Across Latin America, small and medium sized businesses struggle to access credit because they lack reliable financial records, limiting their ability to grow, stabilize revenue, and withstand economic shocks. Francisco Javier Román Roig is solving this challenge as the co founder and co CEO of tuGerente, a SaaS platform that digitizes inventory, sales, and financial management for thousands of underserved SMEs. Through tuGerente, businesses have grown revenue up to four times, reduced financial volatility by half, and accessed formal credit for the first time. With more than twelve years of experience in corporate banking, startup consulting, and SME development, Javier is a Latitud Fellow and mentor to early stage entrepreneurs. He also leads Bolivia’s youth business association, Juventud Empresa. Javier is expanding financial inclusion by giving small businesses the data they need to thrive.

Location of impact: Bolivia

In Palestine, chronic disease is rising while affordable, high quality health solutions remain out of reach, limiting people’s ability to manage conditions like hypertension, high cholesterol, and blood sugar disorders. Hitham Kayali is addressing this gap as the founder and CEO of Palolea, the first company in the Middle East to produce olive leaf extract ingredients standardized by active component. By applying pharmaceutical grade precision to an abundant local resource, Palolea delivers natural formulations with consistent dosage, stability, and bioavailability. Hitham previously led national economic development efforts, including the Al Karameh National Empowerment Fund and ProsperPalestine, and has worked across sectors in Palestine and the United Kingdom. With a PhD in Conflict management and a background in international development, he is creating health and economic opportunity through science driven, locally rooted innovation.

Location of impact: Palestine

Health systems worldwide rely on diagnostics and preservation tools that are costly, fragile, and inaccessible in low resource settings, leaving millions without timely detection of diseases such as tuberculosis and antimicrobial resistance. Dr. Rajkumar Halder is closing this gap as the founder and CEO of Ruhvenile Biomedical, an innovation driven company creating proprietary biomedical solutions that work without cold chain requirements and reduce reliance on harmful chemicals. Trained at IIT Kharagpur with a PhD from Spain and postdoctoral research in Germany and the United States, he has developed globally recognized technologies including BiomLife, truGnom, UroStabl, and Cokisol, now deployed on five continents. Honored by governments and scientific institutions worldwide, Dr. Halder builds deep tech tools that strengthen healthcare access while advancing sustainable, science based innovation.

Location of impact: India

Across the United States, renters face unsafe living conditions and limited transparency in housing, leaving millions without the information they need to advocate for better homes and hold property owners accountable. Ofo Ezeugwu is addressing this inequity as the founder and CEO of WYL, a resident insights platform backed by Google that helps housing providers improve living experiences while reducing risk. Over thirteen years, he has built one of the industry’s most comprehensive datasets on resident experience, leading to national studies with major firms and a predictive risk pilot with Fannie Mae that validated WYL’s core methodology. A Forbes thirty under thirty honoree for social impact, Ofo advises the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the National Multifamily Housing Council. He is creating a future where every renter can live with dignity, safety, and voice.

Location of impact: United States