We’re all in this together. Women in Cloud is taking an active role to identify policies and solutions to prevent economic losses for female tech entrepreneurs. Your contribution will help us to develop a detailed report to share with policy-makers and global companies across the world.

Women In Cloud in partnership with Founders Live, M12, The WIT Network, IAMCP, UN EQUALS, and Microsoft Alumni Network is conducting a survey to collect the initial financial impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, policies that could have prevented losses and associated business changes. 

If you are a women led technology company, please consider filling it out with whatever information you may currently know. 

As countries, states, and cities respond to the COVID-19 virus, WiC wants to understand the effects on our community so that we can best advocate for possible policy changes and also leverage the report for recommending access for emergency funding and programs to sustain your companies.

*If things are uncertain or might change, that’s totally fine! We’d still very much welcome your responses! The survey will take 15 minutes.

Why is it important to act now? This information will help in the following ways:

  1. Development of COVID-19 impact report that policymakers and corporations can use for developing policies that prevent economic losses.
  2. Share evergreen solution recommendations that tech companies can take to prevent economic loss in any future crisis situations.
  3. Ability to aid in policy development and business continuity for this segment to continue to help women entrepreneurs.

Who can participate: Women led businesses that are providing technology solutions or services in any industry sector.

Take Action: Please spare 15-minutes for the survey to help us develop solutions together.

Note: As this is a continually evolving situation, we may resend this survey for updated responses, or follow up with you individually on any additional information we may need, so we are asking you to identify your business on the survey and include contact information. 

Thank you to our partners

We live in a digital world and are connected by a click! So, Women in Cloud is excited to announce the first ever digital kickoff of the Women in Cloud Microsoft New York Accelerator on 26 March, 2020.

Changing times requires us to take necessary actions. We are sorry to inform you that the Women in Cloud Microsoft Cloud Accelerator Launch in New York City (previously scheduled for 19 March, 2020) has been cancelled due to rising concerns and spread of COVID-19. We want to ensure that the members of our community and their families stay safe throughout this time. 

We at Women in Cloud are eager to work our way around this difficult time and keep the spirit up for the mission! 

Women In Cloud Microsoft Cloud Accelerator is an immersive 6-month program to assist women led tech companies to co-build, co-market and co-sell with Microsoft and their distribution channels. This program is a program involving a 7 stage curriculum, designed to help you win enterprise opportunities, get access to Azure credits, an advisor community, and global stage to showcase your business. The program has created $100M in net new opportunities to date. 

We bring another exciting news to you. The Women in Cloud #CloudInnovateHERxNewYork Pitch Challenge which was scheduled along with the inauguration of the accelerator program is now being relaunched as the #CloudInnovateHERxDigital Pitch Challenge. This pitch challenge is now open to every female tech leader on the planet, and will take place digitally on 3 April, 2020. This pitch challenge is an opportunity for  women-owned tech businesses to find commercial success by showcasing their enterprise-ready cloud solutions and win $5000 along with other offers. 

Our commitment to our mission is stronger than ever and will not be stopped. While we may have to work around difficult times, our spirits are high. Please join us for our digital event and experience the power of technology!

As we wind down 2019, we can’t help but think of all the things we have to be thankful for this past year. Although we still have a lot of work to do in order to see gender equality in the tech industry, we’ve also accomplished a lot of things this past year. 

  • We’ve grown our WIC active network to over 1500 members, more than double where we were one year ago and, as a result, we’ve tripled our audience during this time. 
  • We launched the online WIC Network community to give members an exclusive space to communicate, network, share ideas and help each other through mutual generosity. 
  • We build an Advisor Network comprised of industry executives and subject matter experts.
  • Our Accelerator impact generated $50M in pipeline opportunities and $6M in investments.
  • We’ve expanded the Cloud Accelerator into 8 countries: Canada, UK, France, Germany, India, Kenya, the US and Dubai.
  • We now have 60+ major companies directly participating in the community. 
  • And we’ve garnered major media coverage for WIC on Microsoft, GeekWire, TechNative and more. 

And as we move into 2020, we know we can accomplish amazing things. We’re going to continue launching our community in new countries and territories, add new programs like Executive Dinners and Innovation Hacks, continue to evolve our community into a true Generosity Network, and much more.

We kick off the year with our annual summit, and this year’s promises to be extra special. We’ve added a number of amazing new experiences that not only accelerate growth for women-led technology businesses, but also inspire, connect and harness the amazing power of the community to help solve other major problems we’re facing across the globe. 

Here are our top 5 reasons why you can’t miss out on the 2020 summit:

  1. Learn from relevant industry leaders: there are so many amazing speakers at the summit this year including critically acclaimed performer and author Patti Dobrowolski, and corporate vice president for Microsoft’s One Commercial Partner business, Gavriella Schuster, and many others. You’ll wish you could listen to all of them!
  2. Change the world and yourself in the process#AISolutions2030 Innovation Hub: Women In Cloud and IdeaGen have partnered together with industry leaders and policy makers to further the 2030 UN global goals through AI-based solutions by launching the #AISolutions2030 Innovation Hub. Leveraging the UN Knowledge Repository, WIC will be bringing some of the sharpest tech and business minds together in one place for a greater purpose, and promises to produce strategic AI solutions directed at solving the UN’s SDG goals.
  3. See up-and-coming women entrepreneurs and women-led business emerging into the spotlight first hand through the #CloudInnovateHER Pitch Challenge: women-led companies developing an enterprise-ready cloud solution that’s earned less than $10M in the past 12 months qualify to enter the pitch challenge. Four finalists will have an opportunity to deliver their pitch during WIC Summit 2020. The winner will be selected at the pitch competition and will receive a prize.
  4. Join in on scintillating conversation with industry leaders at the #CloudExecConnect Executive Roundtables: an intimate group eating together and inspiring through meaningful dialogue around one topic. Each table conversation is facilitated by an industry executive, and you can pick the topic that interests you most. 
  5. Multiple opportunities to network: in addition to the #CloudExecConnect Executive Roundtables, there’s also Collective Action Lounge, as well as the #CloudCommunityConnect: Community Roundtables that are community lead roundtables similar to the executive roundtables. With over 1500 attendees, there are bound to be a number of influencers you can get connected to. 

There are several more reasons to attend, so be sure to register today!

Also, there are other ways to get involved if you’re interested:

Women in Cloud (WiC), the organization responsible for working with global leaders and policymakers to help women entrepreneurs create economic opportunity, is looking for the next revolutionary innovation in tech-based enterprise solutions. 

We are launching the inaugural #CloudInnovateHER Pitch Challenge on Nov 4, 2019, with the goal of helping women tech entrepreneurs across global market develop, showcase and win enterprise customers. As demands in enterprise tech grow, the need for products and services that address these unique challenges increases. The #CloudInnovateHER Challenge provides that platform. 

Enterprise tech is one of the fastest growing and most influential sectors of the tech industry with enterprise software spending expected to reach $457 billion this year, but the numbers indicate that women are largely being left out of that economic opportunity. [Gartner] Although women founders continue to deliver outsized returns, data demonstrates that they still receive less than 3% of all VC funding, and women-founded companies catering to audiences beyond female consumers receive 54% less funding on average. Plus, there are disproportionately fewer women founding startups that serve enterprise, with only 2% of female entrepreneurs founding B2B companies, compared to 12% of men.

That’s why we at Women in Cloud are generating new ways for women tech entrepreneurs to get better access to funding, education, and a supporting community. 

“We are excited to bring this opportunity to women-owned tech businesses and help them find commercial success by showcasing their enterprise-ready cloud solutions,” says Chaitra Vedullapalli, President of Women in Cloud.  “Here’s a chance for startups and companies to compete on a global scale for a share of $10,000 in cash and access to Cloud Accelerator.” 

This experience is sponsored by industry leaders like Microsoft, Meylah and others, who are also core supporters of expanding enterprise business opportunities to more women entrepreneurs. If indications from the Boston’s Consulting Group’s are correct, then if women entrepreneurs received funding on par with their male colleagues, some estimates indicate that the global economy could experience a $5 trillion boost. Beyond the importance of gender parity, that influx into the global economy would be an incredible lift. 

Be recognized as an up-and-coming leader in the enterprise cloud space, and compete for the top prize of $10,000 to contribute to your business growth.

Qualifying is easy. Women-led companies developing an enterprise-ready cloud solution that’s earned less than $10 million in the past 12 months qualify to enter. Enter your business pitch or encourage others who qualify to enter. 

Solutions will be evaluated for originality, market feasibility, and use of cloud and AI solutions.

Bring us your best pitch. Enter today

Who should apply?

  • Ready: Companies that are developing and/or developed an enterprise-ready cloud solution and looking to expand their customer market
  • Set: US registered companies that already have a business plan and are pitch-ready with a commercially viable enterprise-ready cloud solution
  • Change: Companies offering a cloud tech solution that solves enterprise related challenges

Why apply?

  • Exposure to cloud market leaders and their channel partners
  • Access to go-to-market benefits and cloud accelerator
  • Global industry recognition as an innovative enterprise-ready cloud solution
  • Recognition to maintain your company’s competitive edge

What are the competition timelines?

  • Submission: The competition starts at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time (PT) on Nov 04th, 2019 and ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on Dec 24th, 2019
  • Selection: Finalists will be notified by Jan 6th, 2019, and provided with instructions for next steps
  • Pitch Competition: Four finalists will have an opportunity to deliver their pitch during WIC Summit 2020, Jan 25th, 2020. The winner will be selected at the pitch competition and will receive a prize.

Note: Finalists will be awarded free registration to the Women In Cloud Summit 2020 registration, but will need to arrange and pay for their own travel and expenses related to attending the event. Submissions that aren’t selected will still receive a 15% discount to the event. In addition to having an opportunity to pitch your solution, you’ll have access to top companies and industry leaders from Microsoft, Ingram, SAP, and many more, who will present valuable sessions and invaluable resources throughout the day.

Selection Criteria

  • 50% – Originality of idea which solves real customer need/business problem in the enterprise market
  • 20% – Strong market opportunity & potential revenue stream
  • 30% – Cloud and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is core to the solution

Judges

Judges for the competition include well-known leaders in the enterprise cloud industry with a proven track record of success and provide key influence to the industry at large. Regardless of the outcome, all entrants will benefit from exposure to these influencers. 

Ready to create change for the global good? Apply now

Read the full terms and conditions for more details. 

For more information visit https://www.womenincloud.com/cloudinnovateher/ or contact [email protected]