Julie Hanna is an Egyptian-American technologist, entrepreneur, and investor known for pioneering innovation that blends profit with purpose. She serves as Executive Chair of Kiva, the world’s leading micro-lending platform, and as Special Advisor at X (formerly Google X), Alphabet’s innovation lab. Born in Sohag, Egypt, and raised across the Middle East and the U.S., Hanna is recognized globally for her leadership in inclusive technology and social entrepreneurship. Appointed by President Barack Obama as Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship, she has mentored founders in emerging markets and championed women in technology. Her work centers on democratizing access to capital and opportunity, positioning her as one of Silicon Valley’s most respected advocates for ethical innovation and impact-driven growth.
Julie Hanna EOTW #8 (18 November 2025)
Julie Hanna’s journey from her Egyptian roots to Silicon Valley leadership is defined by resilience, innovation, and a lifelong belief in the power of technology to advance human potential. She has been instrumental in shaping digital infrastructure that connects underserved communities to finance, education, and entrepreneurship.
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Born in Sohag, Egypt, Hanna emigrated to the United States as a child when her family fled political unrest. Her multicultural upbringing gave her a firsthand understanding of inequality and the transformative potential of access. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where she cultivated the technical expertise that would fuel her career in Silicon Valley.
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Hanna entered Silicon Valley during the internet’s early boom and quickly became part of its foundational generation of innovators. She held leadership roles at several startups that helped define key internet technologies, including Healtheon/WebMD, Scalix, and Portola Communications. Her early work focused on designing user-centered systems that simplified information access and improved digital connectivity. These experiences shaped her approach to mission-driven entrepreneurship, emphasizing scalable solutions to global problems.
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Hanna’s most celebrated contribution came through her role as Executive Chair of the Board at Kiva, the first global peer-to-peer lending platform. Kiva has facilitated billions of dollars in microloans to small entrepreneurs, particularly women, across more than 80 countries. Hanna guided Kiva’s strategic expansion, ensuring that technology and social finance worked in tandem to reduce poverty and foster economic inclusion. Her leadership established Kiva as a blueprint for social innovation in the digital era.
As Special Advisor to X (formerly Google X), Hanna supports moonshot projects designed to tackle humanity’s grand challenges, including climate change, renewable energy, and global connectivity. Her insights help align advanced research with responsible design, ensuring that innovation serves ethical and societal goals.
In 2015, President Barack Obama appointed Hanna as a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE). Through this initiative, she mentored entrepreneurs in developing economies, helping them scale socially impactful ventures. She is also a passionate advocate for women in leadership, consistently emphasizing representation and equity in technology.
Her influence extends across academia, venture capital, and global forums such as the World Economic Forum and the United Nations, where she speaks on ethical AI, inclusive capitalism, and sustainable innovation.
Julie Hanna embodies the convergence of innovation and conscience. Her guiding principle—that technology should be a force multiplier for human dignity—has shaped decades of digital transformation. Featured by Forbes, Fast Company, and The Financial Times, she continues to inspire a generation of entrepreneurs redefining success through purpose and impact. Through her leadership and mentorship, Hanna proves that Egyptian ingenuity can shape the future of global technology and social progress.