She Loves Tech the world’s largest startup competition focused on women and technology is coming to the Philippines. The Philippine leg of the competition will be held on July 31 at the QBO Innovation Hub, co-organized by QBO with the support of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
With regional competitions held in 15 locations around the world, She Loves Tech will culminate in Beijing, China where the winners of each region will compete in the global finals on September 15, 2018.
According to the 2017 Philippine Startup Report, women account for only 18% of Philippine
startup founders. Similarly, in a study conducted by iPrice.ph, women represented only 18.5% of the most successful Philippine startup entrepreneurs studied.
These statistics shed light on an important issue: there aren’t enough women in business and
tech. The current startup ecosystem is male-dominated and women are largely underrepresented even though women are equally capable of innovating and leading disruptive
businesses.
In order to share the capacity of women to be leaders of industry as well as empower more women to get into the startup ecosystem, QBO partnered with She Loves Tech.
With 2018 being women’s year, it’s a particularly timely issue to address, but women empowerment has always been an advocacy of QBO’s since its inception in August 2016. A
public-private sector partnership backed by DOST, the Department of Trade and Industry, JP
Morgan and IdeaSpace Foundation, QBO has hosted several networking events highlighting
women dominating the startup industry and supported female-centric organizations like
Connected Women through co-hosting programs like Empowering Women Through Tech and
She Means Business. So it’s no surprise that QBO, with the full support of DOST, is co-organizing
this year’s She Loves Tech Pitch Competition.
“I’ve met a lot creative and highly competent female founders throughout my career, and I know what impact they’re capable of,” says Katrina Chan, Director of QBO Innovation Hub. “I believe this competition is a fantastic opportunity to continue empowering more women to work in tech and supporting those who already are.”
This is the first time that the Philippines is taking part in a pitching competition that puts its focus on solving the industry gender gap. “The Philippine has been lauded for being a gender-balanced society,” says Russell M. Pili, Chief of Research Information and Technology Transfer Division (RITTD) from DOST. “But as an advocate of innovation, I’ve seen the untapped potential of women inventors. I hope that through She Loves Tech, we can highlight female innovators and entrepreneurs.”
She Loves Tech aims to showcase the convergence in the latest trends in technology, entrepreneurship, innovation and the opportunities it creates for women. The competition is
expected to attract over 500 women-impact and women-led startups from around the world
where they will benefit from an interconnected global network of like-minded innovators,
mentors, investors, and other supporting organizations.
She gets benefits
The winners of the Philippine round will receive a trip to Beijing, China where they will receive a
spot to pitch on the international stage, attend the She Loves Tech 2018 International
Conference, participate in a high-level boot camp and gain numerous networking opportunities
with China’s leading tech ecosystem players.
The overall winner of the global finals will receive the following prizes:
STARTUP BOOSTER PACK
The custom “Startup Booster Pack” consists of exclusive mentorship from leading investors and
industry experts, consulting services, fast-track entry to partner programs, media exposure,
workspaces, and more.
SINGAPORE TECH TRIP
The global final and Chinese round winners will also receive a trip to Singapore to participate in
the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology’s (SWITCH) Women in Tech Conference,
and visit startup incubator Block71, blockchain hubs, leading VCs etc. held on September 18-
21, 2018 (flights not covered). Supported by the Singapore government, SWITCH is
Singapore's first platform, showcasing the country's vibrant entrepreneurial and technology
innovation ecosystem.
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Teja Ventures, a venture capital fund with a gender lens and She Loves Tech's official venture
partner, as well as other affiliate funds, will be actively looking to invest in the top startups
coming out of the global competition.
She must be qualified
The criteria for startups who can participate in this competition are:
1. STAGE: Seeking Angel, Seed or A round funding (under US$5m funding raised) with, at
the minimum, a viable product past its conceptual stage
2. FOCUS:
(a) Any entrepreneur, male or female, who is using technology to impact women positively:
• Are a significant proportion of end-users or consumers female?
• Are products specifically designed with women users in mind?
• Does the product itself address a problem that disproportionately affects women?
OR
(b) At least one female entrepreneur must be part of the founding team who is using
technology to solve a problem
3. TECHNOLOGY: The use of science and innovation to invent useful things to solve
problems. This extends beyond digital, information, or internet-based technology and covers
everything from hardware to the creation of new product and solutions to existing problems.
If you are a woman entrepreneur or your product or business positively impacts women, submit your entry at www.shelovestech.org! There’s no better time than now for female business women to take the stage. Registration for the Philippine round of the She Loves Tech 2018
Global Startup Competition ends on July 19, 2018.
For more information, check the rules and regulations at: https://bit.ly/2K8qNGB or email
philippines@shelovestech.org.
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