Inaugural Female Founder Pitch Competition Highlights UT Women-Owned, Women-Led Startups
Community
1st place
Hera Biotech, the first nonsurgical, tissue-based test for women who suffer from endometriosis, founded by Somer Baburek
2nd place
Euphoria.LGBT Inc., mobile apps and technology that supports the transgender community, founded by Robbi Katherine Anthony
The KS WELI and the Texas Innovation Center will continue to work with the top 10 finalists during the next few months as they prepare to take the stage during the Women’s Summit in March.
“We look forward to empowering these women to bring their ideas to our main stage to help encourage other women to pitch their ideas at future events,” said Lesley Robinson, director of the Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute.
In addition to the 10 winning teams, ClioVis, a data visualization tool, was named the Crowd’s Choice winner — determined by audience voting during the event — and will receive a custom technology package for their startup from Dell Technologies, the founding technology partner of the Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute.
“Dell Technologies was started in a dorm room at The University of Texas at Austin 37 years ago, and entrepreneurialism has been embedded in our DNA ever since,” said Liz Matthews, Dell Technologies senior vice president of global brand and creative. “Getting more women into technology and leadership is a business imperative, which is why we’re proud to empower the next generation of women leaders at the Kendra Scott Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute and the Texas Innovation Center by providing technology, funding, networks and mentorship to enable them to leave the Forty Acres and change the world.”
The KS WELI was established in 2019. The institute aims to strengthen the next generation of courageous, creative female leaders who will change the world and seeks to redefine leadership and entrepreneurship by growing the number of women-owned and women-led businesses through an environment of community, diversity, inclusivity and empowerment.