Bangalore, 24 August, 2017: The Anita Borg Institute India, a non-profit organization focused on the advancement of women in computing and technology today announced the 7th edition of the Women Entrepreneur Quest (WEQ) 2017. WEQ 2017 is a unique contest for technology startups founded by women in India. WEQ is organized at the annual Grace Hopper Celebration India (GHCI) conference. 10 award recipients can win an all-expenses-paid experiential learning visit to Silicon Valley, US.
WEQ 2017 is sponsored by the Anita Borg Institute India (ABI 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 2017. 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. The WEQ 2017 Contest and Silicon Valley Learning Program is also focused on making women entrepreneurs aware of their own potential and providing them with that support and confidence to build successful businesses.
Women entrepreneurs who have founded technology startups in India are encouraged to take this opportunity and apply for WEQ 2017. For all details visit: https://ghcindia.anitaborg.org/women-entrepreneur-quest-2017/. The applications for Stage 1 of the contest close on 3 September, 2017.
During the Silicon Valley Learning Program to be organized in 2018, the WEQ Top 10 will get the opportunity to network among experienced leaders, professionals and peers. They will receive guidance and inspiration from some of the best minds in the Valley. The visit is also a great platform for each of the WEQ Top 10 to showcase their business in the Silicon Valley ecosystem. The winners will get to visit leading technology companies, startups, accelerators, incubators and universities in Silicon Valley.
“India ranks 70 out of 77 nations on the Female Entrepreneurship Index. Many studies and from what we see around us indicate that we need more Indian women to be entrepreneurs. ABI India along with the Government is trying to create avenues such as the WEQ contest that will encourage women entrepreneurs in technology. In the years to come we really hope to see many more successful women-founded businesses, among the new-generation technology organizations,” said Geetha Kannan, Managing Director, ABI India.
Dr Anita Gupta, Director/Scientist-F & Associate Head at the NSTEDB of the DST, Government of India said, “A number of initiatives to accelerate women entrepreneurship in India have been launched. These are being designed to equip them with knowledge, skills and networks required to navigate and scale up their startups. Our aim is to create a strong pipeline of women entrepreneurs every year. DST is focused on this aspect and is partnering with leading organizations such as ABI India in bringing about this transformational change in the workforce of India”, added Dr. Gupta.
Dr. Rajiv Tayal, Executive Director, Indo-U.S Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) said, “IUSSTF is happy to be associated with the women entrepreneurship program in partnership with DST and Anita Borg Institute”. This program is in sync with IUSSTF mandate to promote activities that would lead to Innovation and technopreneurship. The Silicon Valley ecosystem learning program for the winners of the WEQ Contest has provided a great platform for the Indian women entrepreneurs to link with the leading technology companies, startups, accelerators, incubators and universities in Silicon Valley.
About The Grace Hopper Celebration India
The Grace Hopper Celebration India (GHCI) is the largest technical conference for women in India. ABI India has been successfully organizing this annual conference since 2010. In 2016, GHCI had 2,909 attendees from 305 corporate and academic organizations. GHCI focuses on the career, research and entrepreneur interests of women in technology. Presenters at the conference are leaders in their respective fields from industry, academia and government. The key highlights of the conference are various tracks covering technical and career development topics. Event participants can also look forward to the Hands on Lab, Career Fair, Poster Session and the Women Entrepreneur Quest. For more information, visit: ghcindia.anitaborg.org. Follow ABI India and GHCI at
https://www.facebook.com/AnitaBorgIndia and https://twitter.com/AnitaBorg_India.
About the Anita Borg Institute (ABI)
The Anita Borg Institute (ABI) connects, inspires and guides women in computing 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. ABI is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 charitable organization in the US and a non-profit organization registered as a section-8 Company under the Companies Act, 2013 in India. For more information, visit www.anitaborg.org.
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 pioneer in promoting the Startup initiative through Science and Technology Parks in early 80s and more now with a network of over 100 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 endeavours 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.
