Bangalore, November 15, 2018: The AnitaB.org India, a nonprofit organization focused on the advancement of women in announced the Top 10 winners of the 8th edition of the Women Entrepreneur Quest (WEQ) 2018. WEQ is a unique contest for technology startups founded by women. All the Top 10 winners received an all-expenses-paid experiential learning visit to the Silicon Valley, US.
The WEQ 2018 finale was held during AnitaB.org’s flagship conference in Bangalore, the Grace Hopper Celebration India 2018 (GHCI 18), the largest conference for women technologists in Asia ( Nov 14-16, 2018 at BIEC Bangalore). More than 5000 women from across the world attended the conference .
The Top 10 winners were selected from 266 applications received from across India. The applicants were evaluated on their product/solutions and business model.
| # | Name | Designation | Startup | City |
| 1 | Anushka Shetty | Founder | Plop chat | Bangalore |
| 2 | Kalyani Khona | Founder & CEO | Inclov | Delhi |
| 3 | Neha Satak | Founder & CEO | Astrome | Bangalore |
| 4 | Pallavi Gupta | Founder | Espresso Labs | Delhi |
| 5 | Radhika Patil | Founder & CEO | Cradlewise | Bangalore |
| 6 | Shampa Choudhury | Founder & CEO | Citility | Bangalore |
| 7 | Shruthi Reddy | Founder & CEO | Anthyesti | Kolkata |
| 8 | Surabhi Das | Founder & Chief Legal Officer | Ziroh Labs | Bangalore |
| 9 | Suruchi Rao | Founder | Ossus Biorenewables | Bangalore |
| 10 | Tarusha Mittal | Founder & COO | Ethx.co | Delhi |
WEQ 2018 is sponsored by the AnitaB.org India and the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. The Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) also plays an integral role in supporting and organizing WEQ 2018. The joint partnership has existed since 2014 and is strongly committed to supporting the Government of India’s policies and programs, promoting entrepreneurship among women in India.
“WEQ has always had the ambitious objective to identify and reward strong women founders with technology startups. Over the years we have seen tremendous growth in the quality and number of women entrepreneurs, with the potential to build successful businesses. Among the past WEQ winners 75% of the startups have witnessed significant growth in their operations and customer base. Each WEQ 2018 winner is highly talented and we are sure the experience and exposure in Silicon Valley will significantly add to the growth of their startup,” said Geetha Kannan, Managing Director, AnitaB.org India.
Dr. Anita Gupta, Scientist G/Adviser and Associate Head-Innovation and Entrepreneurship, DST, Government of India said, “Government, Industry and Academia partnership is key to catapulting economic development. The Government of India has instituted policy measures to foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, especially among women. The government aims to bring women to the forefront of India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by providing access to finance, networks, markets and learning. Our association with AnitaB.org is part of that continued exercise.”
Dr. Rajiv Tayal , Executive Director, Indo-U.S Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) said, “Startups need the knowledge and capability in every aspect that is vital to the business. The WEQ initiative is one such platform which goes beyond borders in helping women entrepreneurs get a holistic learning that will help them grow their business. IUSSTF is rightly positioned to leverage its vast network in India and United States to support the top winners of WEQ Contest to go that extra mile by providing unique exposure to the globally recognized Silicon Valley Ecosystem.”
For more information please visit https://ghcindia.anitab.org/
About the Grace Hopper Celebration India (GHCI)
GHCI is Asia’s largest technical conference for women in technology. The conference is co-presented by the AnitaB.org India and Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) India. AnitaB.org India has been successfully organizing this annual conference since 2010. GHCI focuses on the career, research and entrepreneur interests of women computing and technology. Presenters at the conference are leaders in their respective fields from industry, academia and government. The conference results in collaborative proposals, networking and mentoring for attendees. The conference also offers professional development through a variety of activities. For more information visit: ghcindia.anitab.org.
About AnitaB.org: www.anitab.org
AnitaB.org connects, inspires and guides women in technology and organizations that view technology innovation as a strategic imperative. Founded in 1997 by computer scientist Anita Borg, our reach extends to more than 87 countries. We believe technology innovation powers the global economy and that women are crucial to building technology the world needs. AnitaB.org is a non-profit organization registered as a section-8 Company under the Companies Act, 2013 in India.
About Department of Science & Technology (DST): http://www.dst.gov.in/
Department of Science & Technology (DST) of the Government of India is in the forefront of promoting new areas of Science and Technology and plays the role of a nodal department for organizing, coordinating and promoting S&T activities in the country. DST has been a pioneer in promoting the startup initiative through Science and Technology Parks in early 80s and more now with a network of over 120 Technology Business Incubators across the country. To realize Hon’ble PM’s vision on Startup India as an important tool to transform India, it has recently rolled out a new program NIDHI as a National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI).
About The Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF):http://www.iusstf.org
The Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF), established under an agreement between the Governments of India and the United States of America in March 2000, is an autonomous, not for profit society that promotes and catalyzes Indo-US bilateral collaborations in science, technology, engineering, biomedical research and innovation through substantive interaction among government, academia and industry. As a grant making organization, the principle objective of IUSSTF is to provide opportunities, to exchange ideas, information, skills and technologies, and to collaborate on scientific and technological endeavors of mutual interest that can translate the power of science for the benefit of mankind at large. IUSSTF through its bilateral United States-India Science and Technology Endowment Fund (USISTEF) http://www.usistef.org; also promotes joint activities that would lead to innovation and technopreneurship through application of Science and Technology.
