Women Founders Represent: Collaborating with the Amazon Alexa Fund to provide female and non-binary founders better access to venture funding
During the pandemic, the tech sector is continuing to grow despite the worst global economic downturn in history. Yet the power and wealth generated by the sector is concentrated among a small group. Women do not (yet) have access to the same opportunities as their male counterparts, especially women of color. At All Raise we aim to remove the systemic barriers for women and create a more level playing field in tech. The best way to build a more prosperous, equitable future is to provide access, guidance, and support to women founders and funders.
That’s why we are thrilled to announce that All Raise and the Amazon Alexa Fund are teaming up to host Women Founders Represent on Thursday, November 19th. Female and non-binary founders building innovative companies will pitch their ideas and are eligible for up to $1 million in equity investment from the Alexa Fund.
All Raise and the Alexa Fund will jointly review applications and select up to ten finalists. We’ve committed to actively engaging underrepresented female and non-binary founders and have set an explicit goal for at least 30% of finalists to be founders of color. In sharing this commitment, we are answering the critically important call to “make the hire and send the wire” to underrepresented entrepreneurs and encourage other organizations to ensure their programs are both inclusive and intersectional.
Finalists will pitch their company to a diverse panel of top-tier venture capital investors and technology executives, including Dayna Grayson, Co-Founder and General Partner of Construct Capital; Charles Hudson; Founder and General Partner of Precursor Ventures; Renata Quintini, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Renegade Partners; Laurie Yoler, General Partner of Playground Global; and Miriam Daniel, VP of Amazon Alexa and Echo Devices.
Each finalist will receive Amazon Web Services (AWS) credits, access to All Raise’s 2021 founder bootcamps, and an invitation to an All Raise Founder Fellowship Cohort. Up to three companies will be selected for equity investments from Amazon’s Alexa Fund, and one will be named ‘most innovative.’
We’ve committed to actively engaging underrepresented female and non-binary founders and have set an explicit goal for at least 30% of finalists to be founders of color.
While the event is recommended for startups who have already secured at least $250K in funding (venture capital, friends and family, angel investors, grants, etc.), companies of all stages are welcome and encouraged to apply.
The deadline to submit pitch applications is 5:00 PM PST on October 6, 2020. See here for more details about how to apply to pitch and attend. Everyone is welcome to attend the virtual event.
All Raise is working to build a more inclusive tech ecosystem that will enable a new generation of people, products, and power. We envision a world that rewards talent, hard work, and conviction — where everyone has equal opportunity to build and fund new companies and products, regardless of their gender, race, or background. Initiatives like this one are the right steps towards accomplishing that.
About the Amazon Alexa Fund
The Alexa Fund is Amazon’s venture capital fund investing in artificial intelligence, voice technology, frontier tech, digital health, robotics, and IoT. Since 2015, the Alexa Fund has invested in approximately 90+ early- and growth-stage companies globally across consumer and enterprise. It invests in early-stage startups and growth-stage companies across the globe. Companies backed by the Alexa Fund include CTRL-labs (acquired by Facebook), Ring (acquired by Amazon), Greenlight, ecobee, SevenRooms, Syntiant, tado°, Owlet Baby Care, June, Comet.ml, Kitt.ai (acquired by Baidu), Tonal, and Zwift.
