Applications for the eighth season of She Loves Tech, a female-focused business competition and accelerator, are now open.
Startups can apply this year to compete for a prize pool of US $500,000 from 60 different nations. The benefits include a cash award of US $25,000 from Teja Ventures and Asian Development Bank Ventures, a direct investment of up to US $100,000 from the She Loves Tech Fund, mentorship opportunities, and networking events.
Tech firms having at least one female founder or a predominately female user base are the focus of the five-month competition. The Asia round’s deadline for submissions is August 14 while the rest of the world’s deadline is September 12.
She Loves Tech, a company founded in 2015 by Virginia Tan, Rhea See, and Leanne Robers seeks to provide over US $1 billion in funding to female-owned firms by the year 2030. Since its inception, the yearly competition has drawn companies from more than 70 different nations.
Just 2.3% of all VC investment went to female-led businesses globally in 2020. Women co-created or launched businesses worth US $4.4 billion in Southeast Asia last year, which represents 17.2% of all startup investments, up from 16.5 percent in 2020.
