Youth At the Centre of Innovation
At the 2025 Women and IP Symposium, a dedicated session explored how supporting young women entrepreneurs can drive inclusive innovation. Chaired by WIPO’s youth engagement facilitator, Nadine Hakizimana, the session highlighted how the inclusion of youth, particularly women, has become a key pillar of WIPO's strategic vision for inclusive innovation.
The session was designed to explore the unique challenges and opportunities faced by young women in IP, and to offer a platform for visibility, support, and progressive dialogue. Attendees were encouraged to think beyond the present and envision a future where women play a central role in shaping the global innovation and creation landscape.
Stories of Resilience and Creativity
The session featured a powerful lineup of speakers whose stories embodied creativity, courage, and perseverance. Isabella Springmuhl Tejada, a fashion designer from Guatemala, presented her brand 'Down to Xjabelle,' which merges traditional Indigenous textiles with inclusive fashion. Her work is both a tribute to her cultural heritage and a statement on representation, as she is among the few designers with Down Syndrome leading their own label on the global stage. Her success underscores the benefits of providing inclusive platforms that enable diverse voices to thrive in the IP space.
Through her collaborations with women artisans and individuals with disabilities, Isabella is helping to redefine what entrepreneurship looks like, creating a ripple effect that challenges stereotypes and inspires others to follow their creative instincts.
Innovation and Impact in STEM Fields
Another standout presentation came from Dr. Maryna Kuzmenko, a Ukrainian entrepreneur working in AgriTech. As co-founder of a company that uses artificial intelligence to optimize agricultural productivity, her story laid at the intersection of scientific innovation and real-world applications.
She shared her journey of transitioning from a dearth of resources, where early inventions went unpatented, to becoming a recognized innovator with dozens of design protections. Her experience highlights the vital role that access to IP education and funding support plays in enabling women to transform promising ideas into protected and scalable ventures.
Dr. Kuzmenko also spoke to the value of mentorship and being part of supportive ecosystems, especially in traditionally male-dominated sectors like agriculture and technology.
Building a More Inclusive Innovation Ecosystem
A recurring theme throughout the session was the need for stronger support systems for young women entrepreneurs. From better access to information and funding to the creation of tailored mentorship programs, the discussion focused on tangible ways to level the playing field.
Rather than simply acknowledging the barriers, the speakers outlined strategies for overcoming them. These included expanding youth-specific IP training initiatives, encouraging collaboration between generations of women innovators, and ensuring that policy efforts are matched by investment and commitment in implementation.
The session also addressed the importance of visibility, not only in media and branding but also within policymaking and global conversations that include more women in the IP ecosystem.
Looking to the Future
As the symposium concluded, the session left participants with a strong call to action. Engaging young women in IP is not a one-off initiative. It must be a top priority across institutions, sectors, and borders.
Announcements of upcoming research opportunities and plans for continued engagement through WIPO events signaled that the momentum does not stop here. The message from this session was clear: when young women are given the opportunity to lead, they redefine innovation itself. Their journeys, fueled by resilience and creativity, are already shaping the IP systems of tomorrow, and they are only just getting started.
Learn more about WIPO’s youth engagement programs and upcoming events for Women and IP.