Introducing the Inaugural Female Founder Pitch Competition to Empower Female Entrepreneurs and Innovators 

Date:

February 12, 2021

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Location:

Virtual

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Prize:

$5,000 cash prize,

$500 audience prize,

and more

Wharton Women in Business is pleased to announce the inaugural Female Founder Pitch Competition at this year’s Wharton Women’s Summit! 

 

With only 2.8% of US venture capital funding going to women-led startups, we are excited to create a unique opportunity to spotlight women entrepreneurs, connect them to investors focused on female founders, and a chance to address the funding gap.

 

The competition is open to startups founded by current Penn students with majority female ownership. Up to 5 short-listed finalists will pitch to a panel of VCs and experienced entrepreneurs for a chance to win cash prizes, an audience prize, and other in-kind prizes. 


For any questions, please reach out to whartonws2021@wharton.upenn.edu

December 4, 2020

Applications Open.

January 8, 2021

Applications Due.

Late January

Application Screening.

January 18, 2021

Top 5 Finalists Announced.

February 12, 2021

Top 5 Deliver Pitches & Winner Chosen

Judging Criteria

Value

Proposition

We are looking for original, innovative, and thoughtful ideas that will have an impact on a big problem.

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We want to see how your business defines the user experience, differentiates itself from competitors, and mitigates risks.

Go-to-Market

Strategy

Who is your target market and what is your corresponding marketing strategy, sales strategy, and plan to scale?

 

We also want to understand your intended revenue model and any ancillary revenue streams.

Progress & 

Traction

How far along are you in product development? How many users do you have to date?

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We want to learn about any key partnerships as well as business metrics such as sales, downloads, website traffic, etc.

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We are also looking for businesses that have future, measurable milestones they are working towards.

Team &

Personnel

We want to know about the expertise and commitment of the founding team and your strategy to attract additional key people.

FAQ

Who is eligible to enter?

In order to be eligible for the Female Founder Pitch Competition, your business must meet the following criteria:

  • At least 50% female ownership
  • At least one founder must be a current Penn student (undergraduate, graduate, and leave of absence are eligible). The Penn student must have played a significant role in conceiving the venture, hold a key management role in the venture, be actively involved in the business venture, and may be required to be the primary presenter for the pitch on the day of the competition.
  • Early stage (businesses that have raised more than $100,000 in institutional funding are not eligible--Institutional funding includes any funding from angel investors, VCs, and/or accelerator/incubator programs.)
We reserve the right to disqualify any participant, team and/or submission for good cause, including the following reasons: violation of the University’s Code of Student Conduct, Code of Academic Integrity or other policy; violation of any local, state or federal law; content that is pornographic in nature; the team or submission has not complied with applicable rules or does not meet the eligibility requirements.



I founded the venture before I started at Penn, can I enter?

Yes, as long as you meet all of the eligibility criteria.



Are judges required to sign NDAs?

No. The judges are friends of Wharton and Penn and have kindly agreed to provide professional and educational support to current students. As entrepreneurs and VC themselves, they are experienced handling confidential information.



Can I participate on more than one team?

Yes! You can participate on more than one team.



I am not in Wharton, can I enter?

Yes! We welcome applicants from any school across the Penn university ecosystem.



I am not a graduate student, can I enter?

Yes! We welcome applicants from any school across the Penn university ecosystem.



I am on a leave of absence, can I enter?

You may enter if at least one founder on the team has enrolled and started studies at Penn (completed at least one semester) prior to Fall 2020 and is currently on a leave of absence.



I am a Penn alumnus/alumna, can I enter?

Penn alumni cannot enter, but you may enter as part of a team as long as at least one founder is a current Penn student (undergraduate, graduate, and leave of absence are eligible).



I am an exchange student/post-doctoral student here for the year, can I enter?

No, but you may enter as part of a team as long as at least one founder is a current Penn student (undergraduate, graduate, and leave of absence are eligible).



Is there a minimum or maximum number of team members?

No, it is fine if you are the only team member or there are multiple, there is no minimum or maximum. However, please ensure the eligibility criteria is met.



Does my venture have to be incorporated?

A venture does not have to be incorporated to be eligible for entry. However, winners who wish to have the award paid to the company must have the company be incorporated and have an EIN. It can take several weeks to several months to incorporate and receive an EIN, so it is recommended that you begin the process well in advance. Failure to do so may result in requiring the award to be paid to an individual, which could have varying tax implications, depending on the team leader’s citizenship status.



Are nonprofit companies eligible to enter?

Yes, for-profit and nonprofit companies are both eligible.



 

Meet The Judges

Alexa von Tobel

Founder &

Managing Partner

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Inspired Capital

Suma Reddy

Chief Executive Officer

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Future Acres

Jarah Euston

Founder &

Chief Executive Officer

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WorkWhile

Coming Soon

Coming Soon

 

Finalists

 
Anima Iris

 

 

Taking its name from Iris Tsamoh, Wilglory’s mother and Sarah Yaa Anima Amoyaw, Wilglory’s closest childhood friend, Anima Iris is a modern brand that pulls inspiration and strength from the matriarchs of its past. Anima Iris is an elevated and modern and sustainable ready to wear company.

 

We are an elevated, modern and sustainable ready to wear high fashion company founded in Africa in 2020. While in Senegal, Wilglory began creating original pieces alongside artisans and Anima Iris was born. Every piece is entirely handcrafted, using genuine leathers and bronze, influenced by the African tradition, in Dakar, Senegal.

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Founder: Wilglory Tanjong (WG'22)

Calypso & Sage

 

 

Calypso & Sage produces gentle, all-natural baby skincare made with only the best ingredients for little ones. It’s our firm belief that the little things are really the big things - from the quality of ingredients to the ease of application. Designed to eliminate the tradeoff between sacrificing performance and texture for natural ingredients, our tear-free products are unscented, food-allergy friendly, and only use EWG-1 rated ingredients. 

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Founders: Nicolle Lee (WG‘23), Marissa Gross, Jaclyn Markowitz

Common Cents

 

Common Cents (CC) is a nonprofit founded in July 2019 empowering students with the knowledge to manage their money and reach financial independence. We inspire people to take control of their personal finances and change their financial behavior through our multitude of innovative resources tailored toward college students across the country. We are currently at 5 universities across the country, have taught over 1.8k students, and have garnered an average event attendance of 103 people per event. With our rapid expansion and strong leadership, CC is ready to bring financial freedom within the reach of every student.

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Founders: John Ta (C’22), Angie Zhou (W’23)

Dormsy

 

 

 

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Dormsy is a marketplace for college subletting. Verified students can securely list, search, and book off-campus housing at www.dormsy.co.

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Founders: Dhruv Iyer (M&T‘21), Amit Lohe (M&T‘21), Liana Patel (M&T‘21),

Catherine Wang (M&T‘21)

Nouri

Nouri is the first adaptive meal plan that fuses Eastern food therapy with Western nutrition to help expecting mothers feel their best from trying to conceive through postpartum.  Our meals are specially crafted to create the food foundation for the baby's health while using science-backed ingredients to target pregnancy & postpartum symptoms. Our meals are OB-GYN recommended, chef curated and delivered fresh weekly. While meal plans are our first product, we plan to expand on our Eastern therapy philosophy to become the holistic health "one-stop-shop" for life's most critical stages. or little ones. It’s our firm belief that the little things are really the big things - from the quality of ingredients to the ease of application. Designed to eliminate the tradeoff between sacrificing performance and texture for natural ingredients, our tear-free products are unscented, food-allergy friendly, and only use EWG-1 rated ingredients. 

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Founders: Irene Liu (WG‘22), Jennifer Jolorte Doro

ABOUT WWS 2021

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We are excited to welcome you to the 22nd Annual, Wharton Women’s Summit on Friday, February 12th virtually. This event is an opportunity to bring together inspiring female leaders with future leaders to honor their experiences and accomplishments. The day connects students, allies, prospective employers, alumni, and thought leaders and provides an opportunity for our mentors and role models to share their incredible stories. We will bring issues to the forefront that are critical to all of us at work and in our broader life. 

BUY TICKETS HERE. EARLY BIRD ENDS JANUARY 31ST

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