Women In Tech, Eyes Here: ‘She Loves Tech’ Competition Is Back
(L-R) Denise Sandquist of Fika, Ella Trịnh of Vulcan Augmetics, and Marina Tran-Vu of EQUO.
She Loves Tech Global Startup Competition 2022, the world's largest startup competition and accelerator program for women-led and women-impact tech startups, returns for its 8th year and has recently opened its doors for applications across 60+ countries.
Started in a little apartment in Beijing, She Loves Tech was founded in 2015 by Virginia Tan, Rhea See, and Leanne Robers to provide a platform for women entrepreneurs building technology companies or any technology companies that were built by men or women, which could benefit women positively.
The She Loves Tech (SLT) Global Startup Competition gives startups a global stage and a one-of-a-kind five-month-long experience rooted in community, mentorship, education, and investment. Aligned with their mission to bridge the funding gap for women, this is the platform for more women-led and women-impact startups globally to be seen and heard.
Virginia, who is also the founding partner of Teja Ventures, said, “This year, every SLT finalist will have an opportunity to receive direct investment from SLT fund and potential co-investments from our affiliate funds. Teja Ventures will continue to support She Loves Tech, which we have done since 2019.”
She Loves Tech winner will take home more than $500,000 in prizes, including a $15,000 cash prize from Teja Ventures, a $10,000 cash prize from ADB Ventures, and up to $100,000 direct investment from She Loves Tech Fund. Moreover, finalists will receive mentorship from top investors and tech influencers, fast-track access to programs and resources and in-house advisory services, and access to a global community of founders and investors and global media coverage.
Dominic Mellor, head of Asian Development Bank Ventures, said that innovative business ideas could play a powerful role in addressing the region’s development challenges. “She Loves Tech is a unique partner who seeks to close the funding gap for women entrepreneurs and accelerate the best technology for transformative impact, a vision that ADB Ventures shares. We're excited to see the innovations that would come out of the competitions this year.”
Applications from Vietnam are open until August 21, 2022. Submit your pitches here.
Vietnam Loves Tech
She Loves Tech is a familiar platform among Vietnamese business leaders, including those who just started in the tech and startup scene.
In October 2020, Trịnh Khánh Hạ, or Ella to many, the co-founder and COO of Vulcan Augmetics, won the She Loves Tech Vietnam round. Ella was already successful in London but returned to Vietnam to create an opportunity and solve a problem — developing affordable and modular prosthetics targeting developing markets.
“All I know is I want to take the lead, to help others become better and happier, and I want to be in a position where I can make my own decisions,” she said in an interview with Vietcetera last year. To Ella, empowering others is pretty simple: clear expectations + trust + recognition = empowerment.”
In the same year, Denise Sandquist, co-founder, and CEO of Fika, came in second. Fika is Asia’s first female-focused AI social and dating app that allows one to make friends, chat, date, and meet new interesting people. Beth Ann Lopez, the co-founder and CEO of Docosan, won third place. Docosan is an online medical appointment management platform connecting patients and doctors across Vietnam.
Here are the other Startups who competed for national recognition along with Ella, Denise, and Beth: Ferosh, Pi Share Joint Stock Company, Children's Angels, AYA CUP, Momby, and ADVO.
In its latest round in September 2021, SLT combined Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia.
Vietnam’s very own Truong-Anh (Olivia) Nguyen, founder and CEO of EasyGop and Marina Tran-Vu, the founder and CEO of EQUO, won the second and third prizes, respectively. EasyGop is a Buy-now Pay-later (BNPL) provider bringing fair and affordable financial inclusion to Vietnamese consumers. EQUO, on the other hand, provides sustainable solutions for single-use plastic. Edwina Ong of reach52 won the first prize.
Thái Vân Linh, the CEO of TVL Group and senior advisor of Openspace Ventures, also serves as keynote speaker and mentor to the young entrepreneurs.
Besides the exposure and cash prizes, SLT allows female founders to know more about the startup ecosystem and earn funding. Leanne Robers, one of the SLT co-founders, said through the competition, conference, SLT fund, and investment in our technology to provide an ecosystem to match founders and investors, SLT hopes to provide greater visibility to startups in our efforts to close the gender gap in funding.