Girls in Tech is excited to announce a competition to recognize innovative women in charge of startups – and your opinion matters. The “Catalyst Competition: Awarding Leading Women-Led Startups” is open to tech startups with women leadership. Your vote will help determine winners. The Catalyst Competition is presented with the innovative Vator.tv and winners will demo at the Catalyst Conference on January 26th. To enter the contest or vote, click here.
Here’s why should be excited –and vote for winners!
1. You Need To Do this. No, Really. For Your Business.
Raise your hand if you work in high-tech and your job doesn’t involve knowing about the competition. Or keeping abreast of market developments. Whether you’re a product developer or manager, hard-charging CEO, or biz-dev whizz, you need to know the competitive landscape. Checking out and voting on the Catalyst Competition will keep you informed – and present new business partners and opportunities.
If you’re running a company, entering the contest gives you a chance to gain major visibility to an audience of businesswomen, technologists, media and investors. As a runner-up, your venture will be evaulated by actively-investing early-stage VCs. You could score advice — or funding. Winners will demo onstage at the Catalyst Conference to the 350-women-strong audience at the Catalyst Competition. Each and every entrant gets a discount on tickets to the conference. And letting your followers know they can vote for you allows you to activate your fan base. Beta launch of a new feature, anyone? …User-appreciation day?!
2. It’s the Ultimate New Year’s Eve Pregame
Seriously, what could be more uplifting than watching videos about innovative companies headed up by ambitious chicks? And then picking your favorite? For all the time we spend watching Andy Samberg sing silly songs on SNL clips on Hulu, or indulge our geekiness by reading 16 reviews of the exact same gadget on tech blogs, we can find time for this. It’s an indulgent moment of Web entertainment that won’t leave you feeling like you just wasted 30 minutes. Voting closes Jan. 14, but we encourage you to vote now. It’s the most fun-yet-wholesome thing you’ll do between now and January 1!
3. Good Karma. (I’m Not Kidding.)
“One good turns deserves another.” Everyone can remember a time they asked a mentor to get lunch, a colleague for an introduction, or a family member to proofread a resume or business plan. The women in the Catalyst Competition want their hard and work and talent to be recognized. The Catalyst Conference team created the competition because we want to support our community. Voting is an easy way to make good on a New Year’s resolution to give back to the folks who’ve supported you. So go ahead. Make a nice cup of coffee, prop up your feet, and dig in.
We wish you a happy and innovative New Year!
December 30th, 2009 at 7:38 am
I am absolutely delighted to see this competition. Unfortunately I don’t think either of my own startups qualify – http://www.makelovenotporn.com is at a nascent stage while I seek funding to launch a fully developed version with embedded business model, and http://www.ifwerantheworld.com launches in beta towards end of Jan – but as a female entrepreneur who is only too aware how little celebrated or acknowledged women-led startups are, and how hard they struggle to find funding, support and belief, I absolutely cannot wait to see all of the contenders in this competition highlighted. I have Facebooked and Twittered the competition urging everyone I know to RT/forward it on as widely as possible.