Who's Who on Social Media
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Who is Iliana Montauk?

Iliana Montauk is a bold voice in the tech and social impact space, leveraging her digital presence to spotlight Palestinian engineers and advocate for inclusive innovation. As the co-founder and CEO of Manara, her work lives at the intersection of activism, tech, and opportunity.

June 13, 2025
Sarthak Ahuja
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Sarthak Ahuja

Sarthak Ahuja is a marketing enthusiast currently contributing to digital marketing strategies at Favikon. An alumnus of ESCP Paris with over 2 years of professional experience, he has held multiple marketing roles across industries. Sarthak's work has been published in journals and websites. He loves to read and write about topics concerning sustainability, business, and marketing. You can find him on LinkedIn and Instagram.

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Iliana Montauk: Championing Palestinian Tech Talent Through Bold Digital Advocacy

Iliana Montauk is the Co-Founder and CEO of Manara, an edtech platform that upskills exceptional tech talent from the Middle East and North Africa, with a strong focus on Palestine. She is deeply committed to elevating voices from underrepresented communities in the global tech workforce. Her work bridges the gap between local engineers and international hiring markets. Iliana combines mission-driven leadership with practical systems for impact.

She previously led the Gaza Sky Geeks accelerator, where she developed firsthand experience in navigating innovation under political and economic constraints. This experience shaped her belief in the transformative power of remote work and international exposure. Her leadership style blends empathy with execution, emphasizing resilience and capability in conflict-affected regions. She’s known for creating pathways to opportunity despite barriers.

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Iliana Montauk: Redefining Leadership by Embracing Motherhood in Tech (Source: @Iliana Montauk, LinkedIn, June 2025)

Under her guidance, Manara has placed engineers into leading global tech firms, including Amazon and Google. Iliana’s storytelling on platforms like LinkedIn brings visibility to individuals who often remain unseen in mainstream hiring pipelines. Her posts often mix real-time advocacy with behind-the-scenes insights from her day-to-day in talent development. Each update contributes to shifting narratives about who belongs in tech.

Iliana holds degrees from top institutions and has spoken on international stages about social justice in the tech economy. She is a sought-after partner for organizations aligning with values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. With every post, project, and partnership, she expands access and challenges bias. Her digital presence is not just a brand—it’s a platform for systems change.

An Influencer Active on LinkedIn

Iliana uses LinkedIn to turn advocacy into action—connecting MENA engineers to global opportunities while shaping tech narratives with precision and purpose.

Iliana Montauk's Social Media Strategy Analysis

LinkedIn: Advocacy-Driven and Talent-Centric Storytelling

Iliana Montauk uses LinkedIn as her primary stage for advocacy, blending professional storytelling with real-time updates from her work at Manara. Her posts highlight individual engineers—often from Gaza—and their career breakthroughs, putting a human face to systemic issues like employment inequality. This strategy not only celebrates success but brings visibility to voices often missing from tech conversations. She positions her platform as a bridge between underrepresented talent and hiring managers worldwide.

She posts consistently—around nine times per month—with a balance of text and image-based updates that invite community engagement. Whether spotlighting a standout designer or announcing hiring opportunities, her tone remains grounded, inclusive, and mission-forward. Her average engagement is modest (194), but meaningful, signaling a niche but invested audience. The timing of her posts (twice weekly at 12PM) aligns with global rather than regional rhythms—underscoring her cross-border strategy.

Unlike influencers who center personal branding, Iliana keeps the focus on the people she serves. Posts are often phrased as recommendations, introductions, or celebrations of others—especially women in tech and Gazan professionals. This intentional redirection of spotlight builds trust and positions her as a connector rather than a self-promoter. It’s a subtle but effective method of leadership storytelling that fuels impact over vanity metrics.

Her engagement rate of 1.03%—above average for LinkedIn—shows that her audience isn’t just large, but highly aligned. Growth may be slow (+1.78%) but reflects steady organic traction within purpose-driven and tech hiring circles. Iliana’s feed functions like an open talent pipeline, with soft CTAs (“We’re hiring”) embedded naturally into human-centered narratives. In a space often dominated by founder boasts, Iliana’s social presence stands out for being community-first, unapologetically political, and consistently purpose-led.

  • Username: @ilianamontauk
  • Influence Score: 91.9/100
  • Followers: 18.9K
  • Activity: 9 posts/month
  • Engagement Rate: 1.03%
  • Growth (30 days): +1.78% (+332)
  • Average Engagement (30 days): 194
  • Average Views (30 days): 15.8K
  • Posting Habits: Twice a week at 12 PM EST

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Iliana Montauk's Social Media Influence Summary

Iliana has an impressive Influence Score of 91.9, placing her in the top 1% on LinkedIn in the U.S. and top 1% globally. Within the Startups & Entrepreneurship category, she ranks in the top 11% nationally and top 9% worldwide. This signals that her social presence is both trusted and widely respected in leadership and tech advocacy circles.

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Content Strategy: Spotlighting People, Not Just Problems

Iliana's content strategy is designed around the people she serves. Every post either features a success story (e.g., a Gaza-based UX designer hired), a job opportunity, or a political statement grounded in her team’s lived experiences. She avoids vague calls for awareness in favor of concrete progress.

Reachability and Partnerships

Iliana is highly reachable for aligned partnerships, particularly those tied to talent pipelines, corporate DEI efforts, or tech-for-good hiring initiatives. She’s already collaborating with companies like Google, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft, evidenced by both tagging behavior and placement outcomes.

An overview of Iliana Montauk’s top influential connections across key industries. (Source: Favikon)

However, she is unlikely to engage with generic B2B sponsorships or paid influencer campaigns. Any partnership must clearly align with her political values and offer measurable impact for her engineering community.

Conclusion: Elevating Voices, Engineering Impact

Iliana Montauk isn’t just amplifying underrepresented voices—she’s hiring them. Her digital influence is less about scale and more about strategy, using every post to shift hiring decisions, fundraise for access, or celebrate resilience.

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