Amazon Web Services, an Amazon company, today launched its first-ever AWS Women’s Demo Week, a global event focused on helping women-led startups connect with investors.
AWS Women's Demo Week will host pitching events for women-led startups in 18 cities across the globe from November 6 to 10. Women founders will pitch their startups in front of a live audience of potential investors, partners, and customers, as well as other key stakeholders.
“With a tighter capital market, women-led startups have faced a significant decline in venture funding. We want to ignite a movement to showcase the grit and ingenuity of these founders and help them get in front of investors during AWS Women’s Demo Week,” said Kathryn Van Nuys, global head of specialized startup segments at AWS, in a statement. “With the help of our network, we want to leverage our investor connections and resources to demonstrate that women-led startups are good businesses and should be taken seriously by all funders, not only those focused on supporting underrepresented groups".
In 2020, only 2.3 percent of global VC funding went to women-only founded startups, with Black and Latino women receiving less than 1 percent each, according to Amazon. Recently, the funding gap has worsened, with latest data from Pitchbook showing that in the U.S. alone, VC funding for all-women founding teams in 2022 represented just 2.1 percent. AWS Women’s Demo Week aims to increase the visibility of women-led startups, facilitate valuable business connections, and create a more inclusive, equitable, and innovative environment.
"While women-led startups in general have less and less venture funding, Black women founders have been disproportionally affected by the economic downturn," said Brittani Hunter in a statement. Hunter is CEO and founder of Mogul Millennial, a content and connections platform on a mission to empower Black women to excel as entrepreneurs. Mogul Millennial is one of the organizations helping support AWS’ effort.
"That is why we are honored to support AWS Women's Demo Week and make it a watershed moment to help talented women founders get the visibility they deserve. By showcasing the excellence and innovation Black women bring to the table, we can help shatter biases and forge a more equitable path forward."
AWS and select partners will invite women-led startups to pitch their ideas to investors and connect with potential customers and partners at in-person networking events in 18 cities across five continents. In the U.S. they will hold events in New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, Austin, and Los Angeles.
In addition to gaining venture introductions, participant startups will receive $10,000 in AWS Activate credits, be connected to AWS technical experts, and have access to the startup community.
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