Deadline: April 22, 2026
Applications are open for the Women in AV & Tech Startup Prize 2026. The Women’s Entrepreneurship Prize is a global competition supporting early-stage women founders with bold ideas and serious execution potential.
This initiative aims to back builders, not just ideas, and to create real opportunities for women founders in the AV ecosystem. They are looking for founders who know their market, can think rigorously about execution, and are committed to building a real business. They are excited by fresh perspectives on real problems and by strong ideas that move the industry forward, whether they’re new approaches or smart evolutions of what already exists. They care more about substance than polish, and more about progress than promises.
The goal is simple: surface serious founders, reward strong thinking and execution potential, and provide early support to projects that can become real companies in the industry.
Benefits
- The winner will receive a $15,000 cash prize
- The winner may also receive visibility and optional follow-up conversations with the jury or sponsor (not a promise of investment).
Eligibility
The competition is open to projects at idea stage, prototype stage, or early company stage.
Eligible ventures must:
- Be woman led or woman founded.
- Operate in AV or closely related sectors such as media technology, collaboration solutions, live events, immersive technologies, workplace innovation, or adjacent tech fields.
- Be no more than 2 years old at the time of application.
- Be at idea, prototype, pilot, or early revenue stage.
- A registered company is not required at the time of application. Solo founders and early teams are welcome.
Judging Criteria
Submissions will be evaluated on:
- Relevance and importance of the problem
- Credibility and clarity of the solution
- Understanding of the market and customer
- Strength of the founder’s insight and positioning
- Business logic and execution potential
Polish, buzzwords, and hype will not outweigh weak fundamentals.
Application
Applicants must submit the following:
- A short pitch deck (20 slides max),
- A short video of the founders talking about their relevant experience and why they can take this product to market.
The submission must clearly cover:
- The problem you are solving and for whom
- Your solution and why it’s different or better
- The target market and customer
- Why you or your team are well positioned to build this
- The business model (how this can make money)
- Current status (idea, prototype, users, revenue, pilots, etc.)
Clarity matters more than design. Overproduced slides will not score higher than clear thinking.
For more information, visit Women in AV & Tech Startup Prize.
