Startup Events for Female Entrepreneurs: Conferences, Summits and Awards for Women Founders in 2027
The right event can give a woman founder her first corporate buyer, an investor introduction or a peer group that keeps her going through the hard first years. The wrong one costs a ticket, a flight and three days away from customers. This guide covers recurring startup and business events for female entrepreneurs around the world: supplier-diversity conferences where women-owned firms meet corporate buyers, founder summits in Europe, Africa and online, and awards with real prize money. We checked every event on its organiser's own website in October 2026. Where the next edition's dates are published, you get the date, city, format and price; where they are not, we say so and give the last confirmed edition instead. Events from the 2025 version of this article that we could not confirm are listed in a separate section.
Quick answer: if you sell to large companies, the two events to plan around are the WBENC National Conference (14-17 June 2027, Florida) and the WEConnect International Europe & MENA Summit (18-19 May 2027, London). For a founder community, look at the AWIEF Conference in Cape Town and the online GatherVerse Women's Innovation & Funding Summit (23-25 March 2027). For prize money, apply to the European Prize for Women Innovators by 1 December 2026 (up to €100,000).
Write FREE SEO-optimized Blog Articles! Our Article Writer ensures your blog is loved by both Google and your readers, turning those clicks into customers.
👉 Write your article here
Startup Events for Female Entrepreneurs Compared
Sources: each organiser's official website, checked 29 October 2026. Dates, prices and formats change, so check the event page before you book travel.
Startup Events for Women Founders in North America
1. WBENC National Conference: meet corporate buyers (Florida)
The WBENC National Conference is run by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council, the US organisation that certifies women-owned businesses for corporate supplier programmes. It is the event to attend if your customers are large companies: the programme combines an Expo with hundreds of exhibitors, meet-and-greets with corporate members, education sessions and industry workshops. The 2026 conference took place on 15-18 June 2026 in Salt Lake City under the theme IMPACT. Next date: WBENC has announced the next National Conference for 14-17 June 2027 at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Florida. Ticket prices for 2027 are not published yet.
2. Women's Entrepreneurship Day and the #WEDO Summit (New York)
The Women's Entrepreneurship Day Organization (WEDO) was founded in 2013 by entrepreneur Wendy Diamond and runs Women's Entrepreneurship Day, which is marked on 19 November. Its flagship event is the #WEDO Summit at the United Nations in New York; the 2026 summit takes place on 13 November 2026 in the UN Delegates Dining Room, marking the day's 13th anniversary. WEDO also lists summits held in other countries. It is more of a celebration and networking day than a training event, so go for the contacts. 2027 dates not announced yet (checked October 2026).
3. California Conference for Women
The California Conference for Women belongs to the Conferences for Women network, which also runs events in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Texas and a virtual national conference (its on-demand replay costs $150). The programme is about leadership, careers and wellbeing rather than startups, so it suits a founder who also manages a team or is still moving from a job to her own company. Next date: the California page lists 3 March 2027 under the heading "A New Way of Gathering"; the venue and format are not detailed yet.
4. NAWBO: monthly online events for women business owners
The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) has local chapters across the US and a calendar of national online events that any woman business owner can use as a low-cost starting point: NetWORK It!, a 60-minute virtual networking session every second Tuesday; NAWBO Empower Hour, a free peer conversation every second Thursday; and Virtual Connections every third Tuesday. NAWBO's last national in-person event was its 50th anniversary celebration on 5-8 June 2025 in Washington, DC. Next date: the online sessions run monthly; a 2027 national conference is not announced yet (the national calendar runs to February 2027).
For more events in the US, see our guides to startup events in New York and Miami, and for prize money our list of startup competitions in North America.
Boost Your SEO by listing your startup and get a FREE backlink.
Create a profile in the F/MS Startup Game, add the link to your website and submit.
👉 List your startup now!
Startup Events for Women Founders in Europe
5. WEConnect International Europe & MENA Summit: Seville, then London
WEConnect International certifies women-owned businesses outside the US and says its regional and global events are designed to connect women-owned businesses with buyers. The Europe & MENA Summit 2026 takes place on 9-10 November 2026 in Seville, Spain. Next date: the Europe & MENA Summit 2027 is set for 18-19 May 2027 in London. WEConnect's 2027 calendar also lists International Day in June 2027 in Orlando and a Mexico Summit in May 2027 in Mexico City; its Africa, South Asia, Asia Pacific, North America and Latin America summits for 2027 are listed without dates yet.
6. WTSFest London: for women in tech SEO and marketing
WTSFest is the conference of Women in Tech SEO, a community for women in SEO and digital marketing that is free to join. It is useful for founders who run their own marketing or plan to hire an SEO lead, and for women who build SEO and marketing businesses. WTSFest also runs editions in other cities; WTSFest Philadelphia took place on 1 October 2026. Next date: WTSFest London 2027 takes place on Friday 19 March 2027 at the Barbican Centre, and standard tickets currently cost £599. Note that the old wtsfest.com address no longer works; the event now lives on the Women in Tech SEO website.
7. Gründerinnentag: a founders' day for women in Heidelberg
If you are starting a company in Germany, the Gründerinnentag of the IHK Rhein-Neckar (the regional chamber of commerce) is a practical half day for women who are thinking about founding and for young women entrepreneurs, with input on every step of starting a business. The page is in German. Next date: Friday 25 June 2027, 12:00-17:30, in Heidelberg. Registration is not open yet. For bigger events in the country, see our guide to startup events in Germany.
8. European Prize for Women Innovators: up to €100,000
Not every useful event is a conference. The European Prize for Women Innovators is a written application judged by experts, awarded by the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). For 2027 it has three categories: Women Innovators, for women founders and co-founders from the EU and countries associated to Horizon Europe (€100,000, €70,000 and €50,000); Rising Innovators, for women under 35 (€50,000, €30,000 and €20,000); and EIT Women Leadership, for members of the EIT Community. Next date: the deadline is 1 December 2026 at 17:00 CET, and the award ceremony is planned for the second quarter of 2027. More prizes like this are in our guide to startup competitions in Europe.
Planning a trip around these? Our best startup events in Europe guide lists the big founder conferences, and our London startup events guide helps you fill the rest of the week around WTSFest or the WEConnect summit.
Boost Your SEO with 1,500+ Free Business Directories: increase your DA, get backlinks and traffic.
We've compiled an exclusive list of directories and websites where you can submit your business and start building high-quality backlinks to boost your website traffic and get your SEO snowball rolling.
👉 Submit your startup now!
Events in Africa and Global Awards for Women Entrepreneurs
9. AWIEF Conference & Expo: Cape Town
The Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) runs an annual conference and expo for women entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors and policymakers across Africa. The 2026 edition, themed "Beyond Access: Owning Capital, Markets & Power", takes place on 10-11 November 2026 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), with B2B matchmaking, an exhibition, and the AWIEF Awards gala dinner on 11 November. A Standard pass costs $150, and AWIEF says it expects more than 1,000 delegates from over 50 countries. 2027 dates not announced yet (checked October 2026).
10. Cartier Women's Initiative: awards and fellowship
The Cartier Women's Initiative is an international entrepreneurship programme open to women-run and women-owned businesses from any country and sector. Fellows go through an in-person induction, the INSEAD Women's Impact Entrepreneurship Program and an Awards Week with a ceremony; the 2026 ceremony took place in Bangkok on 10 June 2026, where 30 new fellows were recognised. The homepage does not show the next application window, so check it before you plan. 2027 dates not announced yet (checked October 2026).
For more money aimed at women founders, see our lists of grants for female entrepreneurs, grants for female entrepreneurs in Europe and grants for women entrepreneurs in Asia.
Online Events for Women Entrepreneurs
11. Global Female Entrepreneurs Summit
Female Founder Space runs the Global Female Entrepreneurs Summit, a two-day online summit on a virtual event platform where you move between rooms, sessions and networking lounges. The organiser says it brings together more than 500 female founders. A Standard ticket gives live access only; a more expensive all-access pass adds a year of access to the recordings. The 2026 summit takes place on 4-5 November 2026. 2027 dates not announced yet (checked October 2026).
12. GatherVerse Women's Innovation & Funding Summit
GatherVerse hosts virtual global summits, and its Women's Innovation & Funding Summit is aimed at women founders, entrepreneurs, researchers, innovators and investors, with a focus on the funding gap: access to capital, investor networks, mentorship and growth. You can reserve a seat or apply to speak on the event page. Next date: 23-25 March 2027, starting at 8:00 AM PST each day.
13. Women in Tech Global Conference: a startup day online
The Women in Tech Global Conference by the Women in Tech Network is virtual-first: four online summits plus in-person satellite events. Each day has its own theme, and the last day, 21 May, is the Startup & Innovation Summit, which is the one founders should block in the calendar. Next date: 18-21 May 2027; tickets are sold on the conference page.
Boost Your SEO by Getting Featured in Our Blogs and get a backlink.
We publish content about startups, education, tech, funding, etc. that ranks well not only in Google but also in Perplexity, ChatGPT, Grok and other AI tools.
👉 Get featured now!
Also Worth a Look
- Women in Tech at Web Summit (Lisbon): Web Summit's women in tech programme runs during Web Summit on 9-12 November 2026; its women in tech tickets are sold out. See our Lisbon startup events guide.
- Women's Venture Capital Summit (Half Moon Bay, California): a retreat-style summit on 1-3 February 2027 for senior decision-makers in venture capital. It is an investor event, not a founder pitch day, so it only fits if you are raising a fund or work in VC.
- WEConnect International Day: June 2027 in Orlando, Florida (exact dates not published yet).
For tech-focused events, our women in tech startup events and femtech events guides list more dates, and our female entrepreneurship events calendar has a top 10 with Web Summit Qatar, Perspektywy and Women in AI. All our lists by city, country and topic are in the Startup Events section.
Events From the 2025 List That Ended, Changed or Could Not Be Confirmed
The 2025 version of this article listed 20 events, many of them linked to event listing sites rather than to the organiser. We removed the ones we could not confirm on an official page:
- No official organiser page found: Women in Business Conference (Doncaster), Powerhouse Women (Scottsdale), Female Founder's Day (New York), Women in Business Summit (Brighton), Women Business Expo & Conferences (Miami), The Business of WE, Women Empowering Women (Atlanta), Women's Leadership Summit (virtual), TechWomen Conference (San Francisco) and Women Innovators Summit (Seattle). The old article linked them to listing sites or to nothing.
- WE Gather (Salida, Colorado): the monthly series no longer appears on Startup Colorado's website.
- Global Women 2025 Summit (Paris) and Future of Women: academic-style conferences with calls for papers, not events for founders.
- Shaping the Future of Women in Business: a UK conference for employers on workplace equality; its website still shows the 30 April 2025 edition as the latest.
- NAWBO National Women's Business Conference: after the 50th anniversary event in June 2025, no national conference is announced; NAWBO's monthly online events are listed above.
- Women's Venture Capital Summit: still running, but for senior women in VC rather than founders (see "Also worth a look").
- She Loves Tech: often listed as the largest startup competition for women and technology, but its competition page still shows the 2024 edition (global final in Singapore in November 2024) as the latest; no newer cycle is announced there.
Which Event Should You Go To?
- You sell to large companies: WBENC National Conference in the US and WEConnect International's summits elsewhere. Get certified as a women-owned business first; that is what the buyers there look for.
- You are just starting: the Gründerinnentag in Heidelberg, NAWBO's free Empower Hour and the online Global Female Entrepreneurs Summit are low-cost ways in.
- You are raising money: the GatherVerse Women's Innovation & Funding Summit for conversations about capital, and the European Prize for Women Innovators for non-dilutive prize money. Then use our fundraising startup events list to meet investors.
- You build in Africa: AWIEF in Cape Town, with B2B matchmaking and its awards.
- You run your own marketing: WTSFest London.
- You cannot travel: the Global Female Entrepreneurs Summit, GatherVerse and the Women in Tech Global Conference all run online.
How Women Founders Get the Most Out of a Startup Event
Decide before you buy the ticket what one result would make the trip worth it: three customer conversations, one investor follow-up or a co-founder lead. Book meetings before the event, because the best ones are agreed in advance, and use the sessions as background rather than the main goal. Our guide to founder networking events explains how to work a room, and if you want to pitch on stage, our list of pitch competition events shows where to apply. Know the numbers investors will ask about: our female founder funding statistics summarise the funding gap with data from PitchBook and Crunchbase, and our story on the EIF's €20 million commitment to BackingMinds, a women-founded Swedish VC, shows where some of the new money for overlooked founders comes from. If you want months of support rather than a single event, compare the startup incubators in Europe.
Join F/MS: Startup Facilitator & Incubator and unlock your startup dreams today! Get your first customers, register you company in the Netherlands and get startup visas for the team.
FAQ About Startup Events for Female Entrepreneurs
What are the best startup events for female entrepreneurs in 2027?
For corporate buyers: the WBENC National Conference (14-17 June 2027, Florida) and WEConnect International's Europe & MENA Summit (18-19 May 2027, London). For founder communities: AWIEF in Cape Town and the online GatherVerse Women's Innovation & Funding Summit (23-25 March 2027). For prize money: the European Prize for Women Innovators.
When is the WBENC National Conference 2027?
WBENC has announced 14-17 June 2027 at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Florida. The 2026 conference took place on 15-18 June 2026 in Salt Lake City.
Are there free events for women business owners?
Yes. NAWBO's Empower Hour, a peer conversation for women business owners held online every second Thursday, is free. The Women in Tech SEO community is also free to join, although its WTSFest conference is paid.
Which events for women founders are online?
The Global Female Entrepreneurs Summit, the GatherVerse Women's Innovation & Funding Summit (23-25 March 2027) and the Women in Tech Global Conference (18-21 May 2027, online with in-person satellite events). NAWBO also runs monthly online sessions.
When is Women's Entrepreneurship Day?
Women's Entrepreneurship Day is marked on 19 November. The #WEDO2026 Summit takes place on 13 November 2026 at the United Nations in New York; the 2027 summit date is not announced yet.
Are there startup events for women entrepreneurs in Africa?
Yes. The AWIEF Conference & Expo takes place on 10-11 November 2026 at the CTICC in Cape Town, with a Standard pass at $150. WEConnect International also lists an Africa Summit for 2027 without dates yet.
How much does WTSFest London cost?
Standard tickets for WTSFest London 2027 (Friday 19 March 2027, Barbican Centre) currently cost £599 on the Women in Tech SEO website.
Can women founders win prize money at these events?
Yes. The European Prize for Women Innovators pays €100,000, €70,000 and €50,000 to women founders (apply by 1 December 2026), and the Cartier Women's Initiative supports women-run businesses from any country. For more, see our list of startup competitions in Europe.
Is She Loves Tech still running?
Its official competition page still shows the 2024 edition, with the global final in Singapore in November 2024, as the latest. We found no newer cycle announced there.
How can I get my startup seen by investors and buyers before an event?
Get covered where they look: you can publish a guest post in the Fe/male Switch startup blogs. Get featured and earn a backlink.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
