$100k Women in Tech Investment Prize

The $100k Women in Tech (WiT) Investment Prize is back! The Firehood is bringing together an incredible team of angel investors who will award one female-led startup with a $100k investment. That means one female founder attending Startupfest will walk away with an important investment, and access to an amazing network of investors.

Eligibility Criteria

The $100k WiT Investment Prize is open to any female-led startup in attendance. For the purposes of this prize, we define a female-led startup as a startup with the most senior member of the executive team identifying as female.

There’s no application process, no form to fill out, and no video to prepare. You just need to register, get onsite, and be ready to wow our Women in Tech investor judges with a superb pitch that makes the cut.

The Process

Pitching

Your goal is to get at least one Investor Judge to shortlist your startup during the first two days of the event.

Pitch your startup to the Investor Judges at the $100k Women in Tech Investment prize space in The Startupfest Village.
If you connect with a judge elsewhere onsite, you can ask to pitch to them on the spot! Connect with as many judges as possible; it only takes one to make the shortlist.
Judges will be wearing an Investor Judge badge and a green lanyard to pitch onsite. Avoid pitching in bathrooms, but anywhere else is fair game!
Your pitch needs to be no more than 1 minute but be prepared for questions from the Investor Judges.

The Shortlist Process

Each Investor Judge will submit their chosen startup to the shortlist by Thursday afternoon, July 11th. Shortlisted startups will be contacted by a Startupfest team member.

The Finalist Process

On Friday, July 12th, finalists will have 1 minute to pitch their companies on the main stage to the audience. This is followed by a 25-minute Q&A with the Investor Judges.
The winner of the $100k Women in Tech Investment Prize will be announced at the closing ceremonies on Friday afternoon.

Prize Details

The WiT prize is an investment from up to 10 angel investors. Our default terms are based on an industry-SAFE agreement (for reference, please see this SAFE agreement). The winning startup will sign the SAFE agreement with each of the investors individually. The investors are willing to create a voting trust, if and when the SAFE agreement converts to equity.

Think these terms shouldn’t apply to you? Need a tweak? We can discuss that. While we adopt industry standard agreements for the sake of simplicity, the judges are willing to discuss alternate terms proposed by shortlisted Startups during their meeting on Friday, July 14.

Meet our judges!

Danielle Graham

Danielle Graham is the Co-Founder of The Firehood and Managing Partner of Phoenix Fire, a women-focused angel fund. She also founded Communitech’s Fierce Founders, the first women-focused tech accelerator in Canada.

She was Manager of Ontario Centres of Innovation’s Market Readiness fund, Principal at Sandpiper Ventures and currently Executive-in-Residence for Capital at RVZ Brampton.

Claudette McGowan

Claudette McGowan is a global information technology leader with more than 20 years of success leading digital transformations, optimizing infrastructure and designing new approaches that improve service and cybersecurity experiences.

Claudette is an active member of the Canadian innovation ecosystem. She is the chair of the Coalition of Innovation Leaders Against Racism (CILAR), a group of senior business leaders committed to fighting systemic racism within the innovation economy. McGowan recently co-led the launch of Phoenix Fire & The Firehood, a multi-million dollar women-focused angel fund and network for women in technology.

Pavla Bobosikova

Pavla is a recently exited founder (WFHomie acquired by GoCo.io in 2023) and a mentor at the Neo accelerator. She began her startup career as a Product designer, moving on to lead Product at Nudge.ai (acq'd by Affinity). She’s an active investor, advisor and triathlete who loves supporting ambitious people, abstract art, and debate.

Cindy Diogo

Cindy brings nearly two decades of experience in HR and Talent to the table. Throughout her career, she has honed her skills in talent management, specializing in areas such as onboarding, diversity, recruiting, employer branding, and operations. Her approach is grounded in practicality and results. She has navigated diverse industries with ease, leveraging her expertise to drive impactful Talent initiatives.

While she excels in the corporate realm, she also harbours an entrepreneurial spirit. This duality allows her to adapt to dynamic environments and pursue innovative solutions. Tech is another area of deep interest to Cindy. She stays informed about the latest digital trends and utilizes technology to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in HR and Talent processes.

Beyond her professional endeavours, she is deeply passionate about making a difference. She spearheaded Consoul, a project aimed at supporting family caregivers and providing much-needed respite services to prevent burnout. She is the loving mother of a toddler and a big goofy dog named Jack.

ZJ Hadley

ZJ Hadley (she/her) is a startup advisor, speaker, and executive coach known for her quick wit and direct communication style. In between supporting startups, ZJ travels the world looking for inspiration and adventure with her beloved dog, Pepper. Find out more about ZJ at zjhadley.com

Liza Akhvledziani

Liza is the founder and CEO of Chexy, which enables thousands of Canadians to earn rewards and build credit on rent. Pre Chexy, Liza led finance and strategy at Square Canada and was part of Deloitte's M&A practice. Liza holds a Bachelor of International Economics from UBC and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Rebecca Allan

Dr. Rebecca Allan supports BoxOne’s Life Sciences portfolio as an Investment Manager. Her passion for entrepreneurship combined with her expertise in medicinal chemistry allow for the support and evaluation of companies in deep tech, bioengineering, computational biology, therapeutic platforms, and drug discovery.

Rebecca’s experience in venture creation studios and student-led VC funds has provided her with a robust foundation in identifying and enhancing visionary companies. During her thesis work and working as an independent consultant, Rebecca cultivated vital operational expertise, particularly in navigating the intricacies of spin-out companies.

Rebecca holds a Master’s in Chemistry from Cardiff University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Toronto, with a specialization in small molecules and rare diseases.
Rebecca is an ardent appreciator of life’s simple pleasures, finding solace and inspiration in the countryside and nature at large. In her leisure moments, summer finds her sailing and running, while winter sees her navigating snowy slopes. Throughout the seasons, Rebecca frequents locally-owned coffee shops, indulging in the charm and warmth they offer year-round.