Ayah Bdeir is an entrepreneur, engineer, and social activist. She is the inventor of littleBits, the electronic building block that has transformed STEM education for millions of kids around the world. For over a decade, Bdeir's work has centered around empowering everyone to be an inventor — by modularizing and democratizing electronics, by pioneering new ways of learning through play, and by reimagining the relationship between technology and creativity. Bdeir has been particularly focused on empowering underrepresented communities, especially girls, with the tools to become tomorrow's changemakers. In recognition of her work, Bdeir has received numerous awards, including: BBC 100 Most Influential Women (2019), a TED fellowship and she has appeared on the cover of The New York Times Magazine (2011). Her inventions are included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and she holds over a dozen patents. Bdeir graduated from the MIT Media Lab and the American University of Beirut. She is from Beirut, Lebanon, and lives and works in New York.

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