Montreal’s Startupfest has announced a new investment prize of $100,000 available to female-led startups.
The prize, in the form of a convertible note, is open to any female-led startup attending the event and comes in addition to Startupfest’s $100,000 investment prize.
“We’ve always wanted our stage and our audience to reflect the amazing diversity we see in society.”
“For nearly a decade, Startupfest has charted the course of the startup world. And we’ve always wanted our stage and our audience to reflect the amazing diversity we see in society, and increasingly in the startup ecosystem,” Startupfest stated.
The prizes are awarded by a panel of judges based on pitches and discussions onsite at Startupfest. With the introduction of this second investment prize, one female founder could potentially walk away with $200,000 in investment, or two separate $100,000 prizes could be awarded to two separate founders.
Startupfest is also bringing back its Women in Tech Boot Camp, which launched in 2018. With last year’s event sold out, Startupfest decided to run the boot camp again this year, set to take place on July 10. The half-day boot camp is run by BDC’s Women in Technology Fund and looks to connect women founders and leaders with resources to grow their business.
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The event is also continuing with another program launched last year, the Inclusion Initiative. The program looks to connect entrepreneurs from underserved and underrepresented communities to new opportunities to help benefit their businesses. For 2019, Startupfest’s Inclusion Initiative is focusing on women in technology and passes are being offered to Canadian women working in the technology sector at a discount of 90 percent.
The new investment and return of the Women in Tech Boot Camp come in addition to the previously announced new workshops for 2019 focused on founding and funding. This year’s Startupfest, which is in its ninth year, takes place from July 9 to 12, and interested parties can apply for a pass here.