Ayah Bdeir (born 1982 in Montreal, Quebec)[1] is a Lebanese-Canadian entrepreneur, inventor, and innovator.[2] She is the inventor of littleBits, a company that produces modular electronics kits for education and prototyping, and that was acquired by Sphero in 2019.[3] She is also the co-founder of Daleel Thawra, a directory of protests, initiatives, donations for the Lebanese Revolution.[4]
Bdeir is also known for her contributions to the Maker Movement, advocacy for open-source hardware, and her promotion of gender-neutrality in STEAM education. She co-founded the Open Hardware Summit and has been recognized as a TED Senior Fellow.
Bdeir was named one of BBC's 100 Most Influential Women, 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.[5]