WEA Digital Innovation Challenge: Building Enabling Ecosystems for Women Entrepreneurs

March 2

– March 31

Online

ITU

Last submission: 21 February 2023, 17h00 Central Eastern Time

Developing a more gender-inclusive digital innovation ecosystem can elevate the economy and society by creating more jobs and accelerating innovation which is critical for countries to thrive and recover from the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in collaboration with the Women Entrepreneurship Accelerator (WEA) and Mary Kay Global, has launched the WEA Digital Innovation Challenge with the theme of Building enabling ecosystems for women entrepreneurs. This challenge supports the commitment of WEA to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs by 2030 and is aligned with the 2023 Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) Priority theme of “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.”. WEA is a multi-partnership initiative on women’s entrepreneurship convening the 6 United Nations agencies (ITU, International Labour Organization (ILO), International Trade Centre (ITC), UN Development Programme (UNDP) , UN Global Compact (UNGC) and UN Women).

More than ever, it is crucial to maximize women’s entrepreneurship impact in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by creating an enabling digital innovation ecosystem for women entrepreneurs worldwide.

AWARD

To increase the potential/ capabilities of the selected proposals/teams, the Challenge will open access to the Digital Innovation Challenge Acceleration Programme (“the Programme”), providing:

capacity-building training, attending a virtual boot camp to refine further their plans and milestones (e.g. market entry, deployment, impact traction),
a specialised mentorship scheme,
access to a network of change-makers,
a publication of the case in a Best Practice Report

The WEA Digital Innovation Challenge will bring resources and expertise from various industries and sectors to support mentoring and capacity development for the selected innovators.

KEY DATES AND MILESTONES

Key Dates	Activities
7 December 2022	2022 WEA Digital Innovation Challenge Launch
21 February 2023	End of WEA Digital Innovation Challenge Submissions
2 March 2023	Shortlisted Candidates Announcement
6 -17 March 2023 (exact dates to be disclosed closer to the time)	Pitch Competition Session and WEA Digital Innovation Challenge winners announcement
28 to 31 March 2023	Capacity Building Training Virtual Bootcamp
31 March 2023	Mentorship Programme starts
22 June 2023	Mentorship Programme ends
To be confirmed	Certification Ceremony