"Digital4Her" is a one day conference event, aimed to bring together policy-makers, university students, women entrepreneurs, investors and anyone interested in the benefits of gender equality in the digital sector.
We are looking for 10 women led tech startups, that are currently on a growing phase, to pitch in front of a jury formed by investors and startup programme representatives.
Selection process
The eligibility criteria for the startups are the following:
- owned or co-owned by a woman
- registered in an EU country
- bringing a digital related innovative business such as IoT, fin-tech, HPC, blockchain, AI, cyber-security, e-health
Eligible startups will be scored based on the following selection criteria:
- investments and awards received
- growing phase - market size for their digital product/service and current financial results
- plan for scale - new markets planned for expansion, budget forecast
- geographical balance - only one selected startup per country is envisaged
The top 10 startups will be invited to pitch on 19 June 2018 in Brussels.
Prizes to be awarded
The selected startups will compete for the following prizes:
1 place in the "Mind the Bridge Startup School" in San Francisco to the most later stage project that will be pitched during the conference.
The school is a 4-week program; it breaks down in 3 weeks of hands-on activities in San Francisco plus 1 week in London. The school is operating with worldwide corporate clients interested in the startup technology. The already confirmed startups are coming from Kuwait, Bahrain, US and Europe;
More information: https://mindthebridge.com/startups/startup-school/
1 week of Soft-Landing stay in a chosen destination (Paris/ Berlin/ Netherlands/ Vilnius/ Silicon Valley) that matches the scaling plans of the startup.
Soft-Landing is aimed at connecting startup ecosystems and facilitating growth for European scaleups through the connection of 4 partner hubs (Berlin, Paris, Vilnius and Zoetermeer), as well as 2 sub-partner hubs (US and India). Soft-Landing Stays give startups and scaleups the chance to “land” in Germany, France, Netherlands, Lithuania or the US, receiving 1-week professional soft-landing support and follow-up guidance for 3 weeks (optional). The Soft-Landing Stays will allow the startup to explore its possible future market, get mentorship and business scaling support, and build long-lasting connections.
More info about Soft-Landing stays: http://soft-landing.eu/for-startups/
1 Investment sparring session with Nordic business angels - offered to the startup who is currently fundraising for a seed round and has a global potential/ambition.
Nordic Angel Program prize is an exclusive investment feedback summary by business angels from Finland, Denmark, Norway and Estonia. A private online dealroom will be created for the winner in Startup Includer (https://startupincluder.com), where they will receive feedback about their growth plans, guidance to access the Nordic market and a potential investment from the region.
More information: https://www.nordicangelprogram.com/
2 free PODIM tickets for 2019 conference
PODIM is the biggest and most influential startup conference in the European Adriatic & Balkan regions. It is the only event that annually gathers the most brilliant startup stakeholders from these regions in one place and connects them to the global ecosystem. The conference brings together 800+ brilliant startups, investors, corpos and other stakeholders with global minds and leaders. PODIM also servies as an effective platform for investing in the most promising startups of the region, bridging the global and regional startup ecosystems with a massive impact in the European Adriatic & Western Balkans.
More info about conference: www.podim.org
2 tickets to the Tech Startup Day 2019
The "Tech Startup Day" is Belgium's leading startup conference that brings all the key players in the Belgian startup ecosystem to the heart of Brussels and enables startups, investors and corporations to connect and launch new ventures. During the last 2 editions this conference also welcomed several delegations from other European countries to exchange best practices.
More information on the 2018 conference: https://www.techstartupday.be/
1 Europass ticket
A ticket to one of the top European innovation and tech startup conferences and events, will be offered, with the chance to meet with investors, mentors, potential clients and other startups. The chosen event should be based on the needs of the selected startup.
More information about the project and the forthcoming Europass activities: http://startuplighthouse.eu/
Note: For all the prizes, the winners will be required to cover their own travel & accommodation costs.
Timeline
The application process will be open from 15 May 2018 to 29 May 2018, 11:59 pm CET.
The 10 selected startups will be contacted via e-mail by 31 May 2018. Please note that only the selected startups will be contacted.
Transportation costs and accommodation costs (with a ceiling of 100 Euros per day) linked to the participation in the event will be covered by the organisers.