Women in AI

What Women in AI does

Women in AI (WAI) is a global nonprofit community organization founded in 2016 by Hanan Salam and Moojan Asghari, later joined by co-founder Caroline Lair and currently presided over by Dr. Alessandra Sala. Headquartered in Paris, the organization operates without a single fixed headquarters, instead delivering its mission through distributed regional chapters across North America (USA, Canada, Mexico), Latin America (Colombia), EMEA (UAE, France, Aachen/Germany, Saudi Arabia, Kenya), and APAC (Taiwan, Myanmar). It is run by approximately 170 volunteers who are uncompensated and serves a community of 8,000+ women and mission supporters globally.

Its core deliverables are organized into education, inspiration, and research verticals. Education programs include WaiLEARN (AI learning platform), Wai2GO (mobile-accessible AI education), WaiDATATHON (data hackathons), WAILabs (research participation), WAIMentorship (career mentorship), Girls in AI (youth pipeline), and InnoHUB (innovation support). Inspiration programs comprise WAI Hackathons, WAI Awards (including APAC Awards 2026 and WAI Awards NA), and WaiTALKS speaker series. Research and policy outputs include the WAI Legal Insights Blog, Global Expert Series, the Global AI Ethics & Culture Office, and participation in three EU-funded projects — AI4EU (Horizon 2020), AEQUITAS (Fairness Cluster), and DIVERSIFAIR (Erasmus+ GA 101107969) — for which WAI manages dissemination and impact maximization work packages and has produced the Fair AI Scrum Handbook and AEQUITAS Educational Video Series.

WAI generates no commercial product revenue. Its economic base comprises voluntary donations (crowdfunding with a 1 Euro minimum), EU research project funding as a consortium partner, and in-kind support from corporate sponsors listed as partners, including IBM, Microsoft, AWS, Deutsche Telekom, Capgemini, Orange, Oracle for Startups, and DataCamp. There is no commercial pricing model, no patents, no proprietary AI technology, and no disclosed investors or funding rounds. As a volunteer-led, donations-funded nonprofit, its customer base is its community members rather than paying enterprise customers.

Name

Women in AI

Legal name

Women in AI

Website

https://womeninai.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Women in AI is a Paris-headquartered global nonprofit, founded in 2016 and run by 170 volunteers, that educates, mentors, and advocates for an 8,000+ member community of women in artificial intelligence through regional chapters spanning four continents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Community Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

AI & Emerging Technology Literacy (EDAAAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bias, Fairness & Non-Discrimination Testing (HDAAAMAC), Responsible AI, AI Governance & Compliance Services (BPAEAHAJ)

Keywords

• AI community platform
• AI education programs
• Diversity in AI
• Women mentorship network
• AI ethics research

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Crowdfunding: WAI launched its first crowdfunding campaign to fund organizational operations, accepting donations with a minimum of 1 Euro per contribution.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Women in AI delivers education, mentorship, research, and community programs for women pursuing careers and education in artificial intelligence. Offerings include educational courses (WaiLEARN, Wai2GO, Girls in AI), research collaboration (WAILabs), mentorship (WAIMentorship), competitive events (WaiDATATHON, WAI Hackathons, WAI Awards), and editorial content (WAI Legal Insights Blog, Global Expert Series). Programs are delivered globally through regional chapters and supported by EU-funded research projects on AI fairness.

Product overview

Women in AI (#WAI) is a global nonprofit organization that operates as a platform-plus-programs model rather than a single unified product. The core portfolio includes educational initiatives (WaiLEARN, Wai2GO, Girls in AI), research programs (WAILabs, WaiResearch), mentorship and acceleration offerings (WAIMentorship, WaiACCELERATE), competitive events (WaiDATATHON, WAI Hackathons, WAI Awards), and editorial platforms (WAI Legal Insights Blog, Global Expert Series). These programs are supported by EU-funded research projects AEQUITAS and DIVERSIFAIR, which develop fairness and bias-mitigation tools. Regional chapters across EMEA, USA, Canada, UAE, France, Colombia, Taiwan, and other locations deliver localized versions of these programs. The organization functions primarily as a community and educational network rather than a technology product company, serving women in AI through education, research, networking, and advocacy rather than software-as-a-service offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WaiLEARN Educational platform providing AI learning resources, courses, and skill development programs for women in AI, offering access to learning content, practice, and community support.
• Wai2GO Mobile-accessible AI education initiative providing accessible learning content for the Women in AI community globally.
• WaiDATATHON Data hackathon competition program challenging participants to solve real-world AI problems, available in the APAC region.
• WAILabs Research program connecting Women in AI members with AI researchers and supporting research projects, enabling community participation in AI research initiatives.
• WAIMentorship Mentorship program connecting experienced AI professionals with women seeking career guidance in AI, with regional variants in USA and Canada.
• WAI Hackathons Competition events featuring hackathon challenges for AI innovation, with regional variants such as WaiHackathon USA providing platforms for women to develop and showcase AI solutions.
• WAI Awards Awards program recognizing achievements of women in AI, including regional awards such as APAC Awards 2026 and WAI Awards NA celebrating excellence and leadership in AI.
• Girls in AI Youth-focused educational program introducing young girls to artificial intelligence concepts, designed to inspire the next generation of women in AI.
• WaiACCELERATE USA Accelerator program supporting female founders and early-stage startups, promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in AI across the United States.
• AEQUITAS EU-funded project (Fairness Cluster Human 01 24) committed to making AI fair, accountable, and trustworthy, using interdisciplinary methods combining technology, law, and social sciences to address algorithmic bias through participatory design and real-world testing.
• DIVERSIFAIR Erasmus+ funded project (GA 101107969) addressing intersectional bias in AI systems, developing educational resources, research, and policy guidance on bias mitigation. Women in AI manages the Dissemination and Impact Maximisation work package.
• InnoHUB Innovation hub providing resources and support for AI innovation and entrepreneurship, supporting women-led AI ventures and technological advancement.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AEQUITAScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016AEQUITAS is an EU-funded project (Fairness Cluster Human 01 24) supported by the European Union, associated with the AI4D Platform managed by AI4Europe. Women in AI is a partner contributing to the project's mission of making AI fair, accountable, and trustworthy. WAI participates in educational content creation, including the AEQUITAS Educational Video Series on AI accessibility.
• DIVERSIFAIRcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016DIVERSIFAIR is an Erasmus+ project (GA 101107969) funded by the European Commission. Women in AI manages the 'Dissemination and Impact Maximisation' Work Package for DIVERSIFAIR, which aims to address intersectional bias in AI systems. WAI contributes to educational resources, research, policy guidance, and consortium events including the final conference in Brussels.
• AI4EUcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016AI4EU is supported by the European Commission as part of Horizon 2020. Women in AI is a proud member of AI4EU, contributing to the European AI ecosystem and community.
• IBMminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIBM is listed as a WAI partner and supporter. Nature of partnership is likely marketing/sponsorship of WAI events and programs.
• MicrosoftminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMicrosoft is listed as a WAI partner and supporter, including a specific WAI New York partnership with Microsoft highlighted on the Mexico chapter page.
• AWS (Amazon Web Services)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAWS is listed as a WAI partner and supporter. Nature of partnership is likely marketing/sponsorship of WAI events and programs.
• Deutsche TelekomminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDeutsche Telekom is listed as a WAI partner and supporter.
• CapgeminiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCapgemini is listed as a WAI partner and supporter.
• OrangeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOrange is listed as a WAI partner and supporter.
• Oracle for StartupsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOracle for Startups is listed as a WAI partner and supporter.
• DataCampminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDataCamp is listed as a partner on the WAI USA page, specifically in the Education category.
• StartupAmsterdamminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStartupAmsterdam is listed as a WAI EMEA partner.
• WAM MoroccominorGTM or Marketing PartnerWAM Morocco is listed as a WAI partner on the main page.
• AI Film FestminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAI Film Fest is listed as a WAI partner.
• GITEX KenyaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWomen in AI partnered with GITEX Kenya to offer an exclusive discount for GITEX Kenya 2026, as noted in the WAI community news section.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Black Girls CODE: Black Girls CODE is a nonprofit introducing girls of color to technology and computer science through workshops, hackathons, and after-school programs. It overlaps with WAI's Girls in AI initiative on youth education and underrepresented-girls-in-tech mission, competing for similar grant and corporate funding pools.
• TechWomen: TechWomen is a U.S. State Department initiative that empowers women in STEM from Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East through mentorship and exchange. It shares WAI's mentorship-driven, cross-border model for elevating women in technical fields, though its AI focus is narrower than WAI's full portfolio.
• AI4ALL: AI4ALL is a nonprofit focused on increasing diversity and inclusion in AI through education and mentorship for underrepresented groups. It directly mirrors WAI's mission of educating and elevating underrepresented populations in AI, competing for similar corporate sponsorships and mentee pipelines.
• Women in Machine Learning (WiML): WiML is a long-running organization supporting women in machine learning through workshops, mentoring, and networking at major ML conferences. It targets the same women-in-AI/ML audience as WAI and runs analogous mentorship and community programs, making it one of the closest direct peers.
• WomenWhoCode: WomenWhoCode is a global nonprofit community focused on women in technology, with local chapters, mentorship, and skill-building programs. While broader than AI specifically, it overlaps with WAI on community-led education, mentorship, and corporate partnership models.

Broad incumbents

• AnitaB.org: AnitaB.org is a larger, established nonprofit advancing women in technology through programs like Top Companies for Women Technologists and the Grace Hopper Celebration. It is a broader incumbent in the women-in-tech space and competes with WAI for corporate diversity sponsorships and visibility, though its scope extends well beyond AI.
• Partnership on AI: Partnership on AI is a multi-stakeholder nonprofit researching and developing best practices for AI, with a focus on ethics, fairness, and inclusion. It is a broader incumbent in the AI ethics space where WAI's DIVERSIFAIR and AEQUITAS outputs compete for policy influence and corporate attention.
• Mozilla Foundation: Mozilla Foundation runs large-scale programs on trustworthy AI, internet health, and digital rights, including grants and fellowships. It is a much larger incumbent operating adjacent to WAI's AI ethics and policy work, with overlapping funder and audience pools.

Regional players

• Women in Tech (Global): Women in Tech is a global nonprofit with strong European presence running awards, mentorship, and education programs for women in technology. While broader than AI, its regional chapter structure, awards program (WITs Awards), and corporate partnerships closely mirror WAI's operating model in EMEA markets.

Others

• AI4EU: AI4EU is the European Commission's Horizon 2020-funded AI ecosystem platform of which WAI is a member. It is an enabling partner rather than a competitor, sharing the European AI ecosystem, funding networks, and policy audiences that WAI's DIVERSIFAIR and AEQUITAS work targets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/women_in_ai
• Facebookfacebook.com/womeninai
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/womeninai

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Women in AI