- For women entrepreneurs, the ITU-Women Entrepreneurship Accelerator (WEA) Digital Innovation Challenge is being held.
Deadline for applications: January 20, 2023
The 2022 WEA Digital Innovation Challenge, with the theme of “Building enabling ecosystems for women entrepreneurs,” has been established by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Women Entrepreneurship Accelerator (WEA), and Mary Kay Global.
The 2023 Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) Priority theme of “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls” is aligned with this challenge, which supports WEA’s goal of empowering 5 million women entrepreneurs by the year 2030.
The International Trade Center (ITC), UN Development Program (UNDP), UN Global Compact (UNGC), UN Women, and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) are part of the WEA, a multi-partnership effort promoting women’s entrepreneurship.
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Title: |
The ITU-Women Entrepreneurship Accelerator (WEA) Digital Innovation Challenge |
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Nationality: |
Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Togo, and Tunisia. |
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Award/Grant: |
mentorship program |
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Deadline: |
January 20, 2023 |
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Duration: |
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WhatsApp Link: |
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Telegram Link: |
SCOPE OF THE PUZZLE
· The Challenge will aid in the discovery of scalable, cutting-edge digital solutions that allow nations, societies, communities, institutions, and people to create a more gender-inclusive digital entrepreneurship ecosystem, fostering an environment that supports the establishment and expansion of women-owned and women-led businesses.
· The challenge’s goal is to create vibrant, inclusive digital innovation ecosystems that support and enable women entrepreneurs. To this end, existing digital solutions created by women-owned businesses, startups with at least one female founder, microentrepreneurial women, or creative change agents working to advance the Sustainable Development Goals will be supported (SDGs).
Conditions for Eligibility
· Governments, international organizations, NGOs, start-ups in the corporate sector, research institutes, academic institutions, and civil society organizations (CSOs) are all eligible to participate in the challenge (collectively, “the Participants” and individually, “the Participants”).
· The Challenge is only open to legal organizations that are duly registered in an ITU Member State and include at least one female leader on their team (such as the founder, chief executive, or a comparable position).
· There can be only one submission per Participant. Multiple entries from the same participant will result in their disqualification.
The project or minimal viable product (MVP) that participants must have already been working on must:
· Fosters and supports female entrepreneurship within digital innovation ecosystems and a.has already been applied or tested
· C. Presents a fresh, inventive project or prototype and discusses its prospects for expansion.
· Is a digital remedy.
· Participants must be available from february 7 through february 10, 2023, for a four-day, two (2)-hour virtual boot camp, and through the end of april 2023, to meet with their mentor and the program team.
· The representatives of participants represent and warrant that they are authorized to participate in the challenge on behalf of their particular institution/organization and that all information given is true, accurate, and up-to-date. Itu retains the right to examine submitted data to ensure its accuracy and eligibility for the challenge.
Benefits
The Challenge will grant access to the Digital Innovation Challenge Acceleration Programme (“the Programme”) in order to develop the potential and skills of the chosen projects and teams, offering:
· A specialized mentorship program, access to a network of change-makers, publication of the case in a Best Practice Report, and the opportunity to attend the sixty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67), which will be held in New York, USA.
Capacity-building training, attending a virtual boot camp to further refine their plans and milestones (e.g. Market entry, deployment, impact traction), a specialized mentorship program, and access to a network of change
· The 2022 WEA Digital Innovation Challenge will draw resources and knowledge from a range of sectors and industries to enable mentoring and skill building for the innovators who are chosen.
For Additional Information and to apply:
Visit the ITU WEA Digital Innovation Challenge’s official website.
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