She Loves Tech, Digital Penang lead Malaysia’s Entry into the tech competition for women founders

• Aims to foster Malaysia as a hub for startups 
• Competition promotes importance of gender inclusivity

Digital Penang, a Penang State GLC, has announced its partnership with She Loves Tech, recognised as the world’s largest acceleration platform for women in technology.  She Loves Tech said it is the largest platform committed to closing the funding gap for women entrepreneurs.

As the official appointed Malaysia-level Key Selection Partner for the 2024 She Loves Tech Startup global competition in its tenth anniversary, Digital Penang invites women founders from all technology verticals to participate in this competition.

This partnership and competition align with Malaysia's objective to foster the nation as a hub for startups, as recently lauded by the Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation. The event also promotes the importance of gender inclusivity, particularly featuring women tech founders in Malaysia. Digital Penang and She Loves Tech invite all state and national government agencies and private entities involved in promoting women in tech to join in these collective efforts to showcase and encourage women-led Malaysian startups to join this global competition.

The competition will not only highlight Malaysia’s vibrant tech landscape but also stimulate economic activity and foster the development of innovative solutions with the potential to impact both local and global markets.

“The collaboration between She Loves Tech and Digital Penang as the official Key Selection Partner of Malaysia for the global competition is a testament to the Penang state government’s commitment to pushing for greater awareness and inclusion of women in the technology space. This effort should not only be limited to Penang but broaden to the nation to provide opportunities for all women in the country to bring forth their innovation and solutions that are making an impact on the national economy,” said Zairil Khir Johari, the Penang State EXCO for Infrastructure, Transport, and Digital.

To participate in She Loves Tech, entrants must be women-led tech startups with a gender lens, having received funding under US$5 million (RM24 million) and possessing a minimum viable product beyond the conceptual stage.

Additionally, they must meet at least one of the following gender lens criteria:

• Founded by a woman
• Majority female users
• Majority female consumers
• Technology positively impacting women

Selected regional level participants will gain extensive exposure to a global audience and opportunities to connect with an international network of mentors, partners, and investors. All eligible women tech and gender lens startups with substantial solutions that impact women in Malaysia are invited to seize this opportunity.

For more details on the application process and to register for the competition, please visit https://www.shelovestech.org/competition. The application is now open from 22 April to 30 May 2024.