Women founders: Applications open for Aurora Tech Award for IT startups

KARACHI: Applications are now open for the Aurora Tech Award, an annual prize for women founders of IT startups. The Aurora Tech Award was established to recognize women IT entrepreneurs who have made a profound and positive impact on world development through their startups. The award was founded by inDriver in 2021.

Recent studies show that investors are hesitant to invest in businesses founded by women. Talented female professionals often hear that a career in IT is not an adequate choice for them. The purpose of the Aurora Tech Award is to discredit this perception and give a boost to women in the IT sector.

Despite the barriers and challenges women face, they are creating unique IT projects such as driverless vehicles, and are making a difference in various fields of study such as medicine and science.

Remaining true to its mission to fight for justice and equity, inDriver has created this award to give women the opportunity to develop and maximize their potential in IT professions. The goals of the award are to recognize women's achievements in IT entrepreneurship, to financially support their projects through cash prizes, and to break down gender stereotypes in IT.

Entries should be submitted between October 3 and December 2, 2022. Finalist announcement will be made on Feb 27, 2023 and final assessments and announcement of winners on Mar 8, 2023.The panel of judges will include prominent female IT entrepreneurs, the winners of last year's Aurora Tech Award, and key industry experts. The first prizes will be$30,000, second prize $20,000 and third prize $10,000.

There will only be one winner per category, and the prize can be awarded to a contestant from any of the participating countries. In addition to the prizes, the entrepreneurs will gain access to the inDriver mentorship program.

InDriver is based in Mountain View, California, and operates regional hubs in the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the countries of the CIS, and employs over 2,000 people. In early 2021, inDriver achieved unicorn status after closing a $140m investment round with Insight Partners, General Catalyst, and Bond Capital, which valued the company at $1.23 billion.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022