On December 5th the first VWS Pathfinder Female Founder Summit and Pitch Competition will be held, dedicated to female-identifying founders building the future of plant-based innovation. The virtual event hosted by global media and events organization Vegan Women Summit™ has two major goals: counter gender inequality that female entrepreneurs face in fundraising and bring together the leaders in venture capital with the best emerging ideas in plant-based innovation.
“Almost half of female founders and CEOs in the food tech industry have encountered bias, particularly gender bias, from investors, while nearly half of all female founders of color have experienced racial bias,” said Jennifer Stojkovic, founder of Vegan Women Summit™.
The event announcement follows the release of a survey of 160 female-identifying founders and female business leaders engaged in plant-based and cell-based food startups around the world. The survey revealed that 48% of respondents felt they faced bias during the fundraising process, with 75% of them saying they faced gender bias specifically.
Organizers of the global event seek to transform the food tech industry by giving support to women entrepreneurs by elevating their contributions. They foresee more support will emerge to inspire, educate and empower female-identifying leaders who together in turn will build a kinder, more sustainable world. They also tout that female founders of color will comprise two thirds of all founders at the December Summit.
The pitch competition’s top prize is valued at over $50,000, with a $10,000 cash prize sponsored by Purple Orange Ventures and branding services of $35,000 provided by Evolution Bureau. The winner will also receive global membership to WeWork office space, among other benefits. Applications to pitch will be accepted through Friday, October 23, 2020, 23:59PT.
On December 1st five finalists will be announced based on the selection committee, while a final jury panel will determine the winner based on a range of factors that includes market impact, team experience, and growth potential, among others.
Drawing from the plant-based food industry, the agenda includes CEO panels, founder chats, and session programming that will place a spotlight on innovation. Miyoko Schinner (Miyoko’s Creamery) and Daniella Monet (Co-founder of Kinder Beauty Box) are just two of the very accomplished female founder speakers who are driving female participation in the industry forward and helping to strengthen its community. On the funding side, venture capitalists involved include Matilda Ho (Bits x Bites), Lisa Feria (Stray Dog Capital), Regina Hecker (Blue Horizon Ventures), and Miray Zaki (Dismatrix), while more than a half dozen vc firms are sponsors.
Learn about the movement to have greater diversity on corporate boards
