Deadline Date: April 06, 2026
The Women in AV & Tech Startup Prize is a global initiative designed to support and empower women founders building early-stage ventures in the audiovisual and technology ecosystem.
The initiative focuses on backing women-led or woman-founded projects, supporting both solo founders and teams, and encouraging ventures in AV and closely related sectors such as media technology, collaboration solutions, live events, immersive technologies, workplace innovation, and adjacent tech fields, particularly those at the idea, prototype, pilot, or early revenue stage and no more than two years old.
This startup prize stands out by prioritizing substance over presentation, emphasizing strong execution potential, clear business thinking, and real-world problem-solving rather than polished pitches or buzzwords. It aims to identify founders who deeply understand their market, demonstrate rigorous thinking, and show commitment to building sustainable businesses within the AV and technology landscape.
The initiative seeks to create meaningful opportunities for women entrepreneurs by providing early-stage support and visibility, recognizing that access and encouragement at the beginning stages can significantly influence a company’s long-term success. It is intentionally structured to reward clarity, credibility, and commercial viability, ensuring that promising ideas have the foundation to grow into impactful ventures.
Eligible applicants include women-led startups or projects from across the globe, whether operating as registered companies or informal teams, as long as they meet the criteria of being in the early stages of development and within the specified sectors. The program welcomes diverse perspectives and innovative approaches that contribute to advancing the industry.
Submissions are evaluated based on the relevance of the problem addressed, the strength and clarity of the proposed solution, understanding of the target market, the founder’s insight and positioning, and the overall business logic and execution potential. The selection process involves an initial screening, followed by shortlisting finalists who may be invited to present their ideas before a jury, with one winner ultimately selected.
The selected winner will receive a cash prize of $15,000, offering crucial financial support to help accelerate the development of their venture.
For more information, visit Women in AV & Tech.
