The Girls in Tech Startup Challenge has helped many female founders access funding, mentorship, and media exposure over the last 8 years. And more importantly, it has given female founders the nudge they needed to properly ideate, map out, and prepare their product for launch to market. The application deadline for this year’s challenge is November 25, 2022.
If you are sitting on a brilliant idea, then the Girls in Tech Startup Challenge is your chance to give it legs. Finalists get cash prizes to help them grow and launch the business, while all submissions benefit from exposure to the VC community and mentoring.
About The Girls in Tech Startup Challenge
During this exciting virtual startup competition, female founders will submit a video pitch for their early-stage startup and fill out a short application form. Pitches will be judged based on the innovativeness, framework, and market viability of the product.
Participants stand a chance to win any of the 3 prizes below:
- 1st Place: $20,000
- 2nd Place: $10,000
- 3rd Place: $5,000
Now’s the time to get your idea in front of an esteemed panel made up of seasoned investors, professionals, and executives.
Eligibility Requirements
Below are the requirements for the challenge
- Individual participants must be at least 18 years old.
- All teams must have at least one female founder.
- All startups must be younger than 24 months.
- The startup must have a software or hardware product.
- The startup cannot have received more than 2M in funding.
Interview date, Process and Venue for Younoodle Start-Up Challenge
Judging Criteria
- Business Description:
- How well was the concept explained?
- Market Analysis:
- Is there a genuine need for the product?
- How well was the target market defined?
- Product Analysis:
- Is the description of the product clear?
- Is the product feasible?
- Competition:
- Has the startup clearly identified its potential competitors and defined their strengths and weaknesses?
- Marketing Strategy:
- How well defined and realistic is the startup’s current marketing plan?
- Presentation:
- Did the individual/team engage the audience?
- Did the individual/team speak with confidence?
- Were the visual aids (i.e PowerPoint slides, etc) clear and straight to the point?
- Was the overall pitch compelling?
Application Procedure
To submit your application, you need to follow the steps below
- Submission form: Submit your project to the Girls in Tech YouNoodle before the deadline and complete the submission form questionnaire. Submission (including both a video pitch and pitch deck) can be edited until the deadline.
- Pitch Deck Video Presentation: Upload a short pitch deck video presentation. This video can be submitted as a YouTube link on your YouNoodle application. The video should be a maximum of 5 minutes long and include the following details:
- Problem: Explain the problem that you are solving and how consumers will benefit from your solution. Use a story to paint the picture so investors can understand your business.
- Vision: Explain your vision and the mission of your company. Keep it short and straight to the point.
- Unique Value Proposition: What makes your solution different from other companies who are addressing the same customer problem?
- About the Team: Highlight key team member expertise and how these will contribute to the startup.
- Milestones: Tell us about any growth or milestones you have achieved so far and how a new funding round might expedite that growth.
- Business Model: Tell us how the business works or will work? How does the business make or will make money? Do you have a marketing strategy?
- Competition: Who are your competitors and what makes you better than them?
For more details about the challenge, click here
Start the discussion at community.africaextended.com