Eight women-owned businesses founded in November 2018 or later have been selected to compete in the 2021 Women|Future Conference Business Pitch Competition for a chance to win funding! 💸 For the second year in a row, the Women|Future Conference is hosting this 'Shark Tank' style pitch competition for female business owners and entrepreneurs.

The 2021 Women|Future Conference Business Pitch Competition will be hosted live on Thursday, November 4 at 4:30 pm EST during the virtual conference. A total of 94 women-owned businesses entered the competition, and eight finalists were selected by the Women|Future Conference leadership team to present their pitches, face questioning, and get their businesses evaluated by a panel of judges.

The pitch competition finalists are:

1. a|dash
2. Aroma Textiles Lab
3. FetchaDate
4. INSP!RED Product Development Group
5. KUL MOCKS
6. LAMIK Beauty
7. Project Passport
8. Tranquility by Design

Pitch Competition Format and Judging Criteria

The format of the pitch competition will be similar to ABC's critically-acclaimed entrepreneurial-themed TV show, Shark Tank. Each finalist will present a live, four-minute virtual pitch about their product/service, business model, and target market. A panel of four judges will evaluate each pitch using a five-point scoring rubric provided by the Women|Future Conference. The judging rubric takes into account criteria such as leadership capabilities, innovativeness, competitive advantage, maturity of the technology or product, business model, prospects, growth, response to the live questions, and preparedness for the competition.

The judges of the 2021 Women|Future Conference Pitch Competition are:

1. Apoorva Chintala, CEO, Co-Founder, Clocr*
2. Heather Cox, President, Certify My Company
3. Helen Greiner, CEO, Tertill
4. Shannon Spotswood, President, RFG Advisory
  
  *2020 Women|Future Conference Business Pitch Competition winner

The 2nd annual Women|Future Conference Pitch Competition will be hosted by Quinn Conyers, a Speaking Strategist for Entrepreneurs, Emcee, and Pitch Competition Host. Quinn has over 16 years of virtual and in-person speaking, event hosting, and training experience. Quinn is the author of two books, and made it to the second round of Shark Tank auditions four times! She's been featured on the Entrepreneurs Elevator Pitch TV show as well Essence, Black Enterprise, Vision and Purpose, and Empowering Women to Speak Out Magazines.

Funding for the Pitch Competition Winners

At the close of the competition, there will be three winners, each of which will receive funding (amounts listed below) to grow their business. The first-place winner will also receive a bonus prize of a free certification ($4200 value) from Certify My Company. The Pitch Competition is funded through the generosity of our sponsor, RFG Advisory.

First place Prize: $5,000
Second place Prize: $2,500
Third place Prize: $1,000

If you are interested in joining us as a sponsor, judge, or participant in the 2022 Pitch Competition, sign up for event updates to get notified when entries open for next year.

What Else to Expect at the 2021 Women|Future Conference

Hundreds of ambitious women in business will gather virtually at the fourth annual Women|Future Conference November 1-5, 2021. The Women|Future Conference is a professional and personal development, learning, networking, and mentorship conference hosted by The Stevie® Awards for women around the globe.

With over 40 sessions, interactive workshops, and a motivational keynote by Sandy Carter, Vice President of Public Sector Partners and Programs at Amazon Web Services (AWS), this is an event for career-driven women looking to be inspired, build resilience, and prepare for changes ahead. The five-day agenda features female CEOs, Founders, Executives, Entrepreneurs, and Small Business Owners around the world.

The Conference Agenda

Session topics range from mental health to financial wellness, landing speaking engagements as a business growth strategy, lead generation, imposter syndrome, entrepreneurship, technology, and workplace diversity. The 140+ Speakers at this year's conference are a diverse mix of women from global organizations such as Facebook, HCL, IBM, Infosys Limited, John Hancock, Pinterest, Quartz, Ralph Lauren, Salesforce, SAP North America, Talkspace, and others. Below is a partial list of 2021 Women|Future Conference panels, sessions, and workshops:

Entrepreneurship – Success Stories Fireside Chat
Financial Planning -The Smart Women's Guide to Financial Success
How to Embrace Women Super Powers in the World of Tech
Leadership Tips from 2021 Stevie Awards for Women in Business Winners
Networking Tips & Tricks: Learn How to Become Memorable and Build Authentic Relationships
Personal Development Training: Abundance 360 - Creating Your Best Life Ever
Protecting Your Business and Intellectual Assets
The Future of Work - Preparing for the Changing Business Landscape
The Truth Bombs on Work-Life Balance to Avoid Burnout for Busy Women
Top Five Lead Generation Strategies for 2022
Why Diverse Teams Drive Better Outcomes
Women-Owned Business Pitch Competition Finalists Presentations

Asia-Pacific Segment of the Women|Future Conference

This is the first year the conference is hosting sessions exclusively by female leaders in the Asia-Pacific region, bringing together the APAC women’s community with the Stevie Awards international audience. These sessions focus on the advancements of female executives from the Asia-Pacific region who are championing the power of leadership and management in traditionally male-dominated industries such as financial technology, banking, insurance, and e-commerce. The Asia-Pacific conference agenda aims to further broaden and develop the fintech industry in Asia with the help of these female leaders.

APAC Digital Infrastructure Sessions Include:

- Building the New Digital Infrastructure
- The Future is Female: Building the New Generation of Financially Literate Women
- Leadership Tips from Stevie Awards for Women in Business Winners
- Women in E-commerce and Mobility: Creating the Asian E-commerce and Mobility Highway
- Women Leading Legacy Industries: Edutech, Proptech, and Insurtech
- Women in Fintech: Reshaping the Industry and Bridging the Gap

Registration for the Women|Future Conference is open. Attendees save 10% when groups of three or more individuals register together. Students may register for the Women|Future Conference at a discounted rate of $49 (with proof of a valid current student ID).

Sessions are recorded and available for replay through 2022 for your convenience.