3,600 Projects from 130 Countries and Regions Unite! Japan Achieves Historic Success with 3 Teams Honored at 'Technovation Girls 2026' Global Finals

Waffle (Minato City, Tokyo; CEO: Sayaka Tanaka, hereinafter 'Waffle'), a nonprofit organization, is pleased to announce that a record number of three Japanese teams have been selected for the global finals of 'Technovation Girls 2026,' the world's largest app development competition for middle and high school girls, hosted by the U.S.-based STEM education nonprofit Technovation. This year, the team 'infiniti girls' was selected as a finalist, while two teams—FKA and Little Care—received Regional Honoree awards, bringing the total to three honored Japanese teams.

Selection Results

### Beginner Division Finalist

・Team Name: infiniti girls

・App Name: 'VegePatch' ・Mentor: Mentor Team from CoderDojo Japan

'VegePatch' is an app that allows children and families to enjoy growing, recording, and cooking vegetables, while connecting with their communities through donations to children's cafeterias and farm experiences. The experience of delivering homegrown vegetables to others fosters interest in food and agriculture, along with the joy of social contribution.

### Regional Honoree (Asia)

Team Name: FKA

App Name: 'Bird Counter & Bird Quest'

Mentor: Mentor Team from CoderDojo Japan

Two interconnected apps combining an AI-powered birdwatching automation tool for wetland conservation and a gamified collection app targeting youth. At the official Japanese pitch event, the team won the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award and the Lenovo Award (sponsored by Lenovo Japan LLC).

Team Name: Little Care

App Name: 'Star Connect'

Mentors: Michiko Komiya (Docomo Support Co., Ltd.), Miki Miyamoto (NTT Data Corporation), and Priyanshi Gupta (Honda Motors Co. Ltd.)

An app designed to help children undergoing long-term medical treatment maintain connections with school, friends, and emotions, while connecting with peers in similar situations and recovered individuals, reducing loneliness and fostering hope and confidence. At the official Japanese pitch event, the team received the Salesforce Award (sponsored by Salesforce Japan Inc.).

The finalist team 'infiniti girls' will participate in the 'World Summit' to be held in Bengaluru, India, this October.

The global competition consists of two stages: Semifinals and the 'World Summit' (Finals). Regional Honoree awards are given to teams that receive the second-highest evaluation in their region after finalists. Only finalist teams advance to the 'World Summit,' the final stage of the competition.

This marks the third time a Japanese team has been selected as a finalist, following 'Spes Dojo' in 2024 (Technology Award winner) and 'Infiniti ∞ Girls' in 2025. It is the first time Japan has achieved consecutive finalist selections. Including the two Regional Honoree teams, this is also the highest number of Japanese teams recognized at the global stage since Waffle began supporting Japanese participants ten years ago.

Comment from Sayaka Tanaka, CEO of Waffle

'I am deeply proud that three Japanese teams have been recognized on the global stage. I believe our efforts to create an environment where participants can fully express their inherent abilities and continue challenging themselves have led to this achievement. We extend our respect to all participating teams and will continue our mission to empower more girls and non-binary youth in Japan to take on global challenges.'

About Technovation Girls

Technovation Girls is a global technology education program for youth aged 8–18, organized by the U.S.-based STEM education nonprofit 'Technovation,' with the goal of nurturing the next generation of female tech entrepreneurs.

In Japan, the Japan Chapter launched in 2017, with Waffle serving as the official regional ambassador. Waffle collaborates with other educational NPOs to support participants. Marking its 10th anniversary in 2026, this season saw 408 participants from all 47 prefectures forming 78 teams.

A key feature of Technovation Girls is that it is an entrepreneurial education program that evaluates teams across four areas: idea, pitch, technical skill, and entrepreneurial mindset. Through the process of identifying social issues and collaboratively developing apps and business plans, high school students cultivate a sense of agency—the belief that they can use technology to change society. Waffle supports widespread participation by offering free app development and business workshops, lending PCs and Wi-Fi devices, and partially subsidizing travel expenses.

About Waffle (Non-Profit Organization)

Waffle is an NPO dedicated to creating a society where everyone can thrive in the world of technology, focusing on empowering women and transforming social structures. The organization runs diverse educational programs, including support for Japanese teams in the international app development competition 'Technovation Girls,' the AI education program 'Waffle AI Changemaker' for middle and high school girls, and 'Waffle Club,' a monthly program where beginners can learn about careers and product development. Waffle also actively advocates for policy changes to address structural inequalities. In 2020, it received the 'SDGs Partnership Award' at the 4th Japan SDGs Awards.