The goal of startup competitions is simple: give smaller startups the attention, opportunity, and maybe even prizes that they would have a hard time finding without a stage to pitch on. They bring together investors, founders, and entrepreneurs to facilitate economic growth and spur innovation in a way that the natural process of business doesn’t allow.
For that reason, startup competitions need to be inclusive. They need to have an eclectic array of startups participating in the events, a wide range of investors that could change the life of a hopeful founder, and above all, a diverse founder group looking to change the world with their startup.
At Tech.Co, our focus on inclusion shines the brightest when it comes to our Startup of the Year competition, which takes place at our annual conference, Innovate! and Celebrate. In addition to providing a supportive environment for startups to get noticed, we’re also committed to bringing startups from around the world from all walks of life together to compete for prizes that could bring their company the success they’re looking for.
“Tech.Co’s Startup of the Year Competition takes it to another level with their nationwide, highly inclusive focus,” said Cheryl Foil, principal at Kiddar Capital, in an interview with Tech.Co.
Our Startup of the Year competition is the best example of practicing what you preach when it comes to inclusion and diversity. As you’ll see in the infographic below, our current applicant pool for the 2017 edition is a model of inclusion, with 47 percent minority founders and 34 percent female founders. We’ve even received applications from 38 different countries. And this, we will assure you, is not an accident.
“Inclusion has always been a priority for Tech.Co’s Startup of the Year competition,” said Jen Consalvo, COO of Tech.Co. “We work hard to invite and attract a sizable amount of female and minority entrepreneurs and offer an incredible opportunity for them to get noticed by top accelerator programs, investors and industry leaders.”
Startup of the Year
If you think you have what it takes to be the Startup of the Year, you need to apply today. Remember, the 100 startups that are chosen will be invited to join us in San Francisco, CA for Innovate! and Celebrate 2017, and will be on their way to startup success in no time!
