Stanford graduate students Brooks, Kessler, and Chen have fond childhood memories of playing with traditionally male toys -- from Legos to a chessboard to a saw (yes, a saw) -- which excited them about math and science. The women's undergrad majors covered engineering, neuroscience, and math -- and they hope to get the next generation of girls interested in STEM subjects. Their solution? Roominate, a kit that lets children create design, build, wire, and decorate their own interactive rooms. "We are encouraging young girls to become makers; to experiment with what is around them and learn the joy of discovery," says Brooks.
Up next? Their company's name, Maykah, is a play on the work "make", and Roominate is its first product. The trio have over 1,000 backers on Kickstarter, where they've raised $85,000, exceeding their goal by $60,000. They're currently using the this money to produce the pre-orders from their website and have also started taking pre-orders for the 2012 holiday season.
This year's Most Powerful Women are shaping the future of technology, defense, and media.
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