Ten of the top women-led startups working tirelessly to solve some of our country’s biggest issues will pitch prominent investors for a chance to win a $50K grant and $280K in Google Cloud services.
Women Who Tech is a non-profit organization which was launched in 2008 in an effort to bring together women trailblazers disrupting the tech sector, inspiring change to transform and therefore create a better world. Keeping in mind that about 90 percent of investor’s money globally goes straight to men-led start-ups, Women Who Tech launched a Women Start-up Challenge in collaboration with the founder of Craiglistand Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Craig Newmark. The initiative was launched to offer a platform to women-led startups possessing impressive ideas that potentially solved critical issues.
With an aim to not only mobilize a network of women startups, Women Who Tech is a platform with its groundbreaking initiatives, like the Women Start-up Challenge, which actively supports women in getting their ventures funded.
“The Women Startup Challenge,” the organization’s website informs gives, “women a platform to showcase their startups and get the support that they need.” The Challenge showcases some of the very best early-stage, women-led ventures using tech to rapid scale, innovate and disrupt. The platform has collectively raised more than $25 million and is presently holding the eighth Women Startup Challenge where 10 female founders will pitch investors on May 29, 2019 at Google in New York City for a $50,000 cash grant.
“Women Who Tech’s 8th Women Startup Challenge is showcasing and funding the best early stage women-led startups in North America who are building products to solve big problems,” the website further states.
In an email regarding the event, Founder of Women Who Tech, Allyson Kapin and Director, Justyn Hintze said: “We’re so excited for the Women Startup Challenge tonight at Google. Ten of the best women-led startups solving the biggest problems are pitching prominent investors from First Round Capital, BBG Ventures, and more for the chance to win $50,000 and $280,000 in Google Cloud services. Tune in and you will get to vote for your favorite pitch to help decide the Audience Choice Award.”
The ten startups that are making efforts to solving big issues, which the world is struggling to fight from climate change, food insecurity to healthcare are:
- Basepaws, who have built the “23andMe” DNA solution for pets, focused on breed, health, and nutrition. (Pitching: Anna Skaya)
- Ejenta, who are leading a movement of remote health monitoring licensed by NASA AI technology. (Pitching: Rachna Dhamija)
- Elidah, who have developed The Elitone device. Wearable and non-invasive, it works to stimulate the pelvic floor muscles to help address the urinary incontinence experienced by 1 in 3 women. (Pitching: Gloria Kolb)
- Farm Fare, who built a customized platform linking farmers and food hubs to wholesale channels across regions, enabling wider distribution and access to hyper-local food. (Pitching: Cullen Naumoff)
- Good Call NYC, who have established a centralized 24/7 arrest support hotline to provide legal support for those detained in under a minute. (Pitching: Stephanie Yim)
- i-Subz, who developed a platform that links substitute teachers with schools serving low-income students, facilitating immediate hiring and same day pay. (Pitching: Jasmine Edwards)
- Metalmark Innovations, whose breakthrough Catalytic Converter technology turns toxic exhausts into breathable air. (Pitching: Sissi Liu)
- PathSpot, who protects restaurants and their customers from the threat of foodborne illness by scanning employees hands to see if they have any harmful contamination that could make someone sick in less than 2 seconds. (Pitching: Christine Schindler)
- Queen of Raw, who built a marketplace based on blockchain and ML/AI where companies can buy and sell unused textiles, profiting from waste and saving the environment. (Pitching: Stephanie Benedetto)
- The Growcer, which designs and manufactures hydroponic container farms to facilitate the growth of produce in the most extreme conditions – from deserts to tundras – as a solution to food insecurity. (Pitching: Alida Burke)
The ten finalists will pitch and showcase their disruptive venture to investors including:
- Ellie Wheeler (Partner at Greycroft)
- Jen Wolf (Partner and COO of Initialized Capital)
- Jenny Fielding (Managing Director of Techstars and Cofounder of The Fund)
- Nashilu Mouen-Makoua (Investor at First Round Capital)
- Nisha Dua (General Partner at BBG Ventures)
A sold out event, the video can be live-streamed on YouTube at 6:00 PM EST.
Information Credit: Women Who Tech
