Empowered in Tech

Empowered in Tech, in collaboration with ]init[, come together to invite you to a new Empowered in Tech Talk Night:

⏰ Agenda
18:00 – Doors Open
18:15 – Welcome and Intro by Empowered in Tech & ]init[
18:30 – Tech Beyond Borders by Angel Gwiza, Yannick Musafiri, Samantha Murera Kayitete
19:15 - The Three Roles Your AI Strategy Needs by Irene Yu
20:00 - Own the Room by Dominique Rose Van-Winther
20:30 - Wrapping up and Networking

🎤 Tech Beyond Borders - Rwanda’s Role in Rethinking Global Tech Collaboration
This talk explores how global tech collaboration is evolving beyond traditional outsourcing models toward more integrated and equitable partnerships. It highlights Rwanda’s growing role as a strategic tech location, where international companies and local teams co-create products with shared ownership and responsibility. Drawing on real-world experiences from Rwandan developers working in international teams, the discussion showcases how these collaborations move beyond execution to include active contribution to product design and decision-making. It features Garage B, which supports startups in building the digital solutions they need while providing hands-on experience and project work opportunities for Rwandan junior developers through these collaborations.

Angel Gwiza is a Rwandan Product Lead working with startups within Garage B to design and implement MVP solutions. She brings experience in design research and product management across multiple sectors including health, education, finance and agriculture.

Yannick Musafiri is a Rwandan Senior Software Developer who primarily works as a Tech Lead across international teams. Frequently collaborating with companies based in Germany, he brings experience across a range of team constellations, often working alongside and supporting a number of Rwandan junior developers.

Samantha Murera Kayitete is a Software Developer and Junior Product Manager. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering and began her coding journey shortly after by joining a training program at The Gym Rwanda. She later moved to Germany to pursue and complete a Master’s degree in Engineering Management. She has recently started working at the Rwandan Embassy in Germany as a Communication and IT Specialist.

🎤 "Less Tools, More Impact: The Three Roles Your AI Strategy Needs" & "From Chaos to Clarity: Implementing AI Roles That Deliver Impact"
AI initiatives fail in most organizations—not because of technology, but because of unclear roles, fragmented teams, and misaligned priorities. In this talk, we introduce three human-centered roles—Curator, Synthesizer, and Translator—that turn scattered AI efforts into measurable impact. Learn how to embed these roles, align teams, and lead AI projects that actually work, all while driving real business outcomes.

Irene Yu
Irene is a serial entrepreneur and leadership coach. She has worked in AI and blockchain and leading product team, successfully exited an edtech. Irene is the founder of Rizing, a coaching platform supporting professions, leaders and founders in tech industry. She is also Co-Creator AI Cubed womxn’s to make AI work inside organisations—not as tools, but as capability.

🎤 Own the Room: How Tech Women Can Take the Reins for the Largest Workforce Transformation in the History of [Wo]mankind
AI is reshaping every industry and tech women are uniquely positioned to lead that change. In this session, Dominique Rose Van-Winther shows you how to step beyond your technical expertise and own the transformation narrative in your organization.

Dominique Rose Van-Winther
Dominique Rose Van-Winther is a globally recognized AI strategist, keynote speaker and transformation leader, and the founder and CEO of Final Upgrade, an AI-powered consultancy launched in 2022. With over 20 years of global leadership and advisory experience across IPG, McCann, WPP, and as Asia-Pacific Lead for The Hoffman Agency, she helps organizations build lasting competitive advantage by blending AI, human development, and organizational transformation. She is also a Non-Executive Director at Synthar AI and an early advocate and investor in blockchain and emerging technologies.

🍴 Food & drinks
We’ll have drinks available. Food won’t be provided, so feel free to bring something to eat.