Women Entrepreneur Quest to be held at the GHC- India Conference 2013

Anita Borg Institute, a non-profit organization focused on the advancement of women in computer science and engineering,   announced the third edition of Women Entrepreneur Quest (WEQ) 2013 which will be held during the 4th Annual Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing India (GHC-India) conference.

WEQ is a unique contest that focuses primarily on providing a platform for women entrepreneurs to showcase their technology start-ups and interact with top VCs, angel investors, successful entrepreneurs and mentors. The winner of the contest will be awarded a whopping Rs 5 lakhs

The GHC-India conference will take place from November 13-15, 2013 at the Lalit Ashok Hotel, Bangalore, India.  Women who are in the founding or leadership teams of private independent technology venture can participate in WEQ.

 “We are very excited to initiate the 3rd edition of WEQ.  We believe, an energetic Indian economy can keep the momentum on, only through entrepreneurship. Indian women have the potential to change course, take risks and achieve greater heights. We strongly believe in them and would like to contribute to their growth path in whatever possible way”, said Geetha Kannan, India Head, Anita Borg Institute.

This year WEQ contest will run through a two-tier selection process. The selection committee will evaluate all the business plans received & select the best six startups based on several criteria including customer need being addressed, competitive business models and effective & innovative use of technology.

The six finalists will be mentored closely by Manish Singhal, a hands-on mentor, business coach and an active angel investor, to shape their pitches for the final Showcase & Award Presentation event. The final pitches will be made personally at the Grace Hopper Conference -India conference in Bangalore on November 15 2013 in front of a distinguished judge panel comprising of a mix of VCs, entrepreneurs and mentors.