BIO
Ayah Bdeir is a technology leader and entrepreneur. She leads Mozilla’s AI strategy and works across Mozilla (Mozilla Foundation, Mozilla Corporation, Mozilla Ventures, and Mozilla AI) to drive industry-defining collaborations toward open and trustworthy AI.
For over a decade, Bdeir’s work has centered around using technology to empower people to become changemakers, with a particular focus on underrepresented communities. Prior to Mozilla, Bdeir founded and was CEO of littleBits, the electronic building block that transformed STEAM education for millions of kids around the world. Under her leadership, littleBits generated over $150 million in lifetime revenue, won over 100 awards including Toy of the Year, was used in 20,000 schools, and partnered with Disney, NASA and KORG. littleBits was acquired by Sphero in 2019.
Bdeir was named one of BBC’s 100 Most Influential Women, was featured on 60 Minutes, and has appeared on the covers of The New York Times Magazine, WIRED and the Wall Street Journal. 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 was a TED Fellow and serves on the board of the Fund for Public Schools supporting NYC’s 1,800 public schools.
At home in New York City, her 3 year old son makes her regret spending a decade advocating for kids to be mischievous.
SELECT AWARDS
- NYTimes Groundbreaker
- Fast Company – Most Creative People in Business
- Junior Achievement – Global Business Hall of Fame
- Crains New York 40 Under 40
- BBC Top 100 Most Influential Women
- Inc. Magazine Female Founders 100
- Forbes Women @ Forbes Under 30
- NYSCI Creative Entrepreneurship Award – The New York Hall of Science
- Marie Claire America’s 50 Most Influential Women
- MIT Technology Review – 35 Innovators Under 35
- The Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards – Disruptor Awards Honoree
- Inc. Magazine 35 Under 35
- Popular Mechanics – 25 Makers Who Are Reinventing the American Dream
- CNBC Next List
- 2014 Entrepreneur Magazine – 10 Up and Coming Leaders to Watch