WeXchange Women STEMpreneurs Competition 2023 for Latin America & Caribbean

The WeXchange Women STEMpreneurs Challenge 2023 is now accepting applications. The competition aims to find the most creative and energetic women business owners in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) & the Caribbean and link them with prospective funding opportunities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The contest is a component of WeXchange, a platform created by IDB Lab to encourage the development of female entrepreneurs in the ICT sector in the area. In addition to the assistance of WeFi (Women Entrepreneurs Financing Initiative) and the venture capital firm AVP Ventures, this call for submissions is sponsored by Google.

If you are a woman, co-Founder, or part of the leadership team (C-suite) of a startup that is actively raising
capital from pre-Seed to Series B, apply and become one of the 15 selected startups that will pitch in
Bogota to investors and key innovation ecosystem players from Latin America and the Caribbean on June
13th and 14th, during the 2023 WeXchange Forum. This event will take place at IDB Lab Forum, the
premier innovation event of the IDB Group’s.

Prizes:

• 15 women-led startups will be selected to travel to Bogota to pitch their business to
  investors and key innovation ecosystem players from Latin America and the Caribbean, on
  June 13 and 14, during the WeXchange Forum 2023. This event will take place at IDB Lab
  Forum, the premier innovation event of the IDB Group.
• In addition to participating in the WeXchange Forum, the selected woman entrepreneurs
  and their teams, will participate in one of Google for Startups’ flagship programmes -the
  Startup Academy- a micro-acceleration programme with workshops, keynotes and one-onone mentoring sessions; that will connect them with experts in technology, digital
  marketing, leadership and fundraising.
• The first part of this bootcamp (80%) will be held virtually, and the remaining 20% will be
  held in person in Bogota, in the days leading up to the WeXchange Forum. The bootcamp is
  divided into blocks by topic, and all relevant members of the company are invited to
  participate in each block.
• The prize of this call includes travel and lodging expenses for the female founder/co-founder or director
  (C-suite) of the company, who will be pitching.

Eligibility:

• Startups with at least one woman in the founding or leadership team (C-suite).
• Startups that are actively raising capital from seed rounds to series A/B or planning an
  investment round within the next 3 months.
• Startups with a high technological component or where Science, Technology, Engineering,
  and Mathematics (STEM) are key pieces, to includes sectors such as fintech, edtech, agtech,
  healthtech, biotech, e-commerce, transportation/mobility, logistics, digital security,
  cleantech, tourism, SaaS for SMEs, among others.
• Legally incorporated startups with headquarters and operations in at least one country in                            Latin America or the Caribbean. Startups with highly scalable business models at a
  regional/global level and high potential for social and/or environmental impact.

Selection Criteria:

• Profile of the founding team, previous experience, and ability to execute.
• Differentiating/disruptive element of the proposed solution.
• Growth potential & market size.
• Viability of the business model.
• Scalability potential.
• Potential for social and/or environmental impact.
• Performance and traction to date.

  Click here to apply