Eight startups founded or led by women will pitch this week for the chance to represent Australia on the global stage as part of the She Loves Tech Global Startup Competition.
Now in his third year in Australia, seven year old She loves technology is a global platform committed to closing the funding gap for female entrepreneurs and now operates in 70 countries.
The platform also seeks and accelerates the best entrepreneurs and technology for transformative impact, aiming to unlock more than US$1 billion in capital for women-led businesses by 2030.
There were over 100 entries for She Loves Tech Australia, with 8 startups selected for the final. To be eligible, the company must have raised less than $5 million, have reached MVP stage, with at least one woman founder, a majority of female users or consumers; or have developed technology designed to positively influence women.
The She Loves Tech Australia 2022: final pitch is at the Melbourne Connect in Carlton on Thursday 20 October at 5pm.
The finalists will pitch to a panel made up of leading Australian investors from AirTree, Blackbird, SquarePeg, Startmate and Tractor, who have been mentored over several weeks by experts from One Ventures, Investible, Dovetail and Skalata.
She Loves Tech Australia’s 2022 finalists include fintech, edtech, legaltech, the creative economy and more.
They are:
- Avert AI: a B2B SaaS regtech that empowers employees to send compliant communications with AI.
- Flow of work: a platform for talent opportunities and insights to help organizations grow, retain critical talent and reduce costs.
- health bank: a digital healthcare and telemedicine marketplace that connects patients with healthcare professionals.
- Lockpick games: that allows students to prepare for standardized tests through immersive adventure games.
- Just Zibra: an AI-powered digital wallet that consolidates user accounts and helps with effective payment methods.
- Subundli: a SaaS subscription management and billing platform that accelerates e-commerce by tailoring accessible subscription models for retailers.
- Travis: a social trading platform for creators to monetize travel recommendations.
- Wirl: a mental wellness platform that provides personalized food experience recommendations to promote healthy relationships with food.
She Loves Tech Australia Ambassador Connie Ren said the number of entries continues to surprise her every year.
“This is the third year that Australian women-led or women-led startups have entered this global competition,” she said.
“What surprises me is that tech-oriented startups are getting used to focusing too much on raising capital and scaling up at all costs. But this year, instead of playing to win, I noticed that many of the female founders have clear business models, a strong appreciation for profitability, and a strong ability to expand the runway.
“While there are many voices in the market saying that investment in VC Tech has fallen dramatically in recent quarters, the big one always comes after a downturn. By doing She Loves Tech Australia, we hope we can push more female entrepreneurs onto the global stage to shine.”
The winner advances to the worldwide final with $500,000 in prize money up for grabs.
Register to attend in person or tune in virtually here.