Sophie Deen

Sophie Deen is the founder of Bright Little Labs, a media startup with a mission: to create cartoons, books and games that promote critical thinking, computer science, and equality for all kids. Initially trained as a lawyer (her immigrant’s family dream!) Sophie later moved to tech, collaborating with Code Club, Google, and the Department for Education to introduce the computing curriculum in English primary schools. She is the author of the Agent Asha book series, published by Walker Books, which was Shortlisted for Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize and the Little Rebels Award, named the Best Coding+STEM Toy by Tech Advisor, and was recognised as the ‘Best STEM Book’ by The Sun in 2019. The books are mapped against key National Curriculum Computing concepts for KS1 and KS2, such as algorithms, conditionals, and debugging. Starting on Kickstarter, Sophie since went on to raise a Series A investment from Warner Media, which is particularly remarkable given that women-led startups receive less than 2% of all venture capital. Sophie's contributions to the tech and creative industries have been recognized with awards including the Barclays Creative Industries Entrepreneur of the Year and the Campaign Female Frontier Honouree 2020. She has also been listed among Computer Weekly’s ‘Most Influential Women in UK IT’ for four years in a row. A fervent cold-water swimmer, when Sophie’s not penning adventures or braving the chilly depths of Parliament Hill Lido, she can be found hosting workshops in schools or connecting with her readers through the Children's Spy Agency (yes, it is a real agency, and no, she cannot say a single word about it).