Startup Women of the Year Competition 2023. The ultimate anti-pitch event.

The Ultimate Anti-Pitch.
Too often, traditional pitch events favour a specific performative mould. However, we recognise that innovation isn't limited to those with a flair for extroversion or stage presence. Many brilliant minds excel in problem-solving, tech, and customer experience, yet are overshadowed by the conventional pitch format. Our competition is the game-changer. It's the ultimate anti-pitch, designed to focus on what truly matters: the essence of startups, which is to address and solve significant global challenges. This competition redefines what is conventional and is dedicated to celebrating and uplifting women-led businesses in Australia. With a keen focus on the tech, e-comm, and startup sectors, our mission is to shine a spotlight on the incredible achievements of Australia's emerging women entrepreneurs and accelerate their journey towards success.

Nationwide Reach:
We're on the hunt for the brightest and best across the entire nation. No matter where you are in Australia, if you're a woman leading a startup, we want to hear from you!

Prizes to Boost Your Business:
The stakes are high, and the rewards are even higher. Enter for a chance to win a phenomenal prize pack valued at over $50,000! This includes a whopping $10,000 in cash to propel your business forward.

• $10K cash to the winner thanks to F5 Collective
• 3x mentoring sessions led by Tracey Warren at F5 Collective for the winner 
  
• One Roof memberships to the Top 10 finalists with one year of extensive business support (valued at $500) 
• A free marketing Audit with Stella Startups (worth $1200), including 10% off their Tell package and 15% off their Audit Package for the Top 30 shortlisted finalists
• The winner can choose either x1 free Premium ad spot (usually worth $350) with Overnight Success or a heavily discounted Startup Deep Dive article (usually worth $1,200 and only pay $500. 
• 2x scholarship spots for the Press Play, Startup Program for women held in Victoria 
• A scholarship to Scale's FoundEd online education program and a 1:1 call with the investment team
• One year free Lift Angel membership to the finalists and winner.
• 2x LUNA consultation sessions for the winner (1 hour legal and 1 hour accounting/tax), redeemable within 6 months from winning
• 1x Rose Gold (Silver with 18K Rose Gold Plated) Breathing Necklace by Breathe Into Peace. Breathing necklace helps relieve stress and anxiety and comes with mini-courses to help manage anxiety. 
• 50% discount on a financial model build by Standard Ledger, used to determine your startup's valuation (worth $1500)

The Grand Final:
Mark your calendars for November 23! The competition will culminate in a live event in Sydney, where we'll hear from our top 4 finalists alongside a panel of guest judges who are ready to lend their expertise to the next generation of women entrepreneurs. And remember this is the ultimate anti-pitch so it will be nothing like any other pitch event you have ever attended. 

Key Dates:

• Application Deadline: Applications are open now and close at 11:59pm AEDT on Sunday 12 Nov 2023.
• Meetups: As we build up to the grand final, join us at our nationwide meetups. Connect, network, and learn with fellow entrepreneurs and industry experts. Here are some dates to pencil in:
  • Melbourne: Nov 10

The Judges

• Doone Roisin, Female Startup Club
  Doone Roisin, Founder and Host (and Hype Girl) of the internationally-acclaimed Female Startup Club podcast – ranking in the top 0.5% of all podcasts globally – has inspired tens of thousands of small business owners and entrepreneurs from around the world through her 600+ relatable girlfriend-to-girlfriend-style chats with inspirational founders, who happen to be women. 
  In 2022, Doone released her debut book, Your Hype Girl, becoming an instant best-seller in Women & Business, Ecommerce and Small Business Books. Recently awarded the Young Australian Young of the Year, Doone’s mission is to continue to change the Two Percent statistics and empower young women to create wealth through business. 
• Preethi Mohan, Press Play Ventures 
  As a former product founder across MarTech, MediaTech, and HealthTech sectors, Preethi has refined her aptitude for devising innovative solutions tailored to market demands. Not only is she an avid angel investor and a fund LP, but her commitment to fostering positive growth in the startup world is evident in her roles as a community and social enterprise founder. Among her achievements is co-founding F2F, a thriving community of over 800 women designed to empower and support female entrepreneurs. Additionally, she is the visionary behind NiceTo, a platform championing the representation of underrepresented people in startups and tech and the co-founder of Press Play, aimed to help create a pathway for women from employment backgrounds to starting their own businesses. 
• Tracey Warren, F5 Collective 
  Tracey is the CEO and Founding & Partner of F5 Collective. She is an experienced professional with a background in financial markets, advisory, and strategy. With a deep passion for supporting female founders, she is determined to highlight the investment opportunity that exists in backing exceptional women-led ventures. Recognising the power of intersectionality, Tracey strongly believes in the potential of impact and returns working hand in hand. Her goal is to activate a regenerative ecosystem that provides the necessary support, funding, and tools for women to thrive in the business world.
• Ananya Sinha
  Ananya is currently a Venture Capital Investor, specifically supporting Artesian's Female Leaders Fund and Climate Fund. They invest in high-growth, women-led startups overlooked by other VCs and underrepresented in the startup landscape. The Female Leaders Fund is a $100m fund, actively investing across APAC with a gender lens at Series A and B. She has previously founded a sustainable tech startup, and spent time as a Management Consultant where she specialised in the intersection of strategy and customer experience.

The Finalists

• Verity Tuck Founder of Goldee, the first AI assistant designed specifically to automate manual, time-consuming family operations.
• Vivian Shen, Cofounder of Toastie, a digital health app that serves as a one-stop shop for all your medical needs.
• Suzie Betts, Founder of Boob Armour, redefining women's safety and empowerment, particularly in sports and high-risk professions.
• Jeannie-Marie Noyce, Founder of Brenna, an innovative communication app designed specifically for residential aged care
• Nikki Tugano, MAPPCP Founder of SeenCulture, a decision intelligence platform in the Future of Work sector set out to show how diversity, equity, and inclusion is a strategic competitive advantage.

Your MCs

• Caitlin Judd is the co-founder of lady-brains, a platform dedicated to helping early-stage founders and their businesses grow, so they can live more fulfilling, meaningful and sustainable lives. She is also the co-host of the lady-brains podcast, one of the Australia’s most top-rated entrepreneurial poddies.
• Sheree Rubinstein, is a former corporate lawyer turned entrepreneur who founded of One Roof, a community driven all-in-one platform for women leaders and entrepreneurs. What was once the leading co-working space for women-led businesses in Australia One Roof has, since pivoting to digital due to the pandemic, onboarded over 1500 digital members across Australia and globally, with members across 9 countries.
• Frances Goh is the Head of Community & Growth at One Roof. Her career spans the private and not-for-profit sectors in finance, business operations, marketing research, project management and business model development. She is passionate about empowering organisations to achieve innovation excellence, whether it’s in delivering outstanding customer experiences or cultural transformation.

With over 10+ years experience in the leadership, community, wellbeing and positive psychology space, she has helped to build multimillion-dollar businesses across Australia, US, Canada, Singapore and Europe.

Your Organisers
This event is brought to you by One Roof, along with a host of startup ecosystem and women-led business supporters.

About One Roof

One Roof is a community driven all-in-one platform helping entrepreneurial women to start, grow & stay in business. As a purpose built community, this is where women go to find daily motivation, accountability and the right network to take their business to the next level. Our platform is carefully curated to suit every stage of the business journey. One Roof has onboarded over 1500 members and has an online community of over 35,000 women. 

Special thanks to our sponsors & partners: