Female founders to pitch for Silicon Valley accelerator

Contxto – Save the date female founders of Latam! On June 18, Women’s Startup Lab (WSLab), an accelerator from Silicon Valley, will be holding its “Women’s International Showcase of Entrepreneurs” (WiSE24) event. 

Throughout a 24-hour livestream, 50 early-stage female founders from São Paulo and other parts of the globe will pitch their startup projects to a panel of judges. It will also provide digital networking opportunities.

Pandemic or not, these online events are a great opportunity to learn something new and propel female entrepreneurs to scale.

“WiSE24 2020 is an incredible event that allows founders to have access to a powerful network of global contacts, and this networking is usually decisive for the success of a business,” noted Juliane Martins, an Investment Analyst at São Paulo-based IndicatorCapital.

If you want to sign up, check out this page.

Snapshot of female founders in Brazil

It’s often striking to see pitch day pictures of other accelerator programs and note a predominantly male presence. These happy commemorative photos illustrate an underlying problem: women are still underrepresented among startups.

In Brazil, there’s been progress though there’s still more to be done.

First, let’s look at the upside.

According to sources at StartSe, in 2013, only 12 percent of startups enrolled in InovAtiva’s large-scale accelerator program had women at the helm. Though, by 2019, it had risen to 49 percent.

Likewise, there are a few important startups from Brazil with women in charge. For example, unicorn Nubank was co-founded by Cristina Junqueira. HR startup Gupy, who recently raised US$6.8 million was co-founded by Mariana Ramos and she’s also its current CEO.

• Related article: 6 female-led DTC Mexican startups

There are also Brazilian women in key organizations. Silicon Valley’s 500 Startups has Bedy Yang as a Managing Partner.

Nonetheless, according to the Brazilian Startup Association (ABStartups), only 16 percent of startups in the country are led by women.

Conscious efforts are still needed to help these entrepreneurs scale. Ways of doing so include the launch of exclusive funds and programs for female founders. Likewise, a larger presence of women in VC is critical.

Related articles: Tech and startups from Brazil!

-ML