Top 20 Startup Competitions for Female Entrepreneurs in North America in 2025
As the landscape for female entrepreneurs continues to evolve, 2025 presents numerous opportunities for women looking to launch or scale their businesses. Entrepreneurial competitions not only provide access to funding but also mentorship, networking, and invaluable experience. Here’s a comprehensive list of the Top 20 Startup Competitions for Female Entrepreneurs in North America in 2025.
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
1. WomanUp & Pitch Competition
When: Annually (specific date for 2025 TBD)
Where: Michigan, USA
Organizer: Michigan Women Forward
Categories: Idea Phase/Startup and Established/Growth Business
Prizes: Access to coaches and mentors, professional services.
Additional Details: Five regional competitions leading to a statewide event, including a food competition. Finalists receive coaching and mentorship.
2. SCORE Women's Pitch Contest
When: Date for 2025 TBD
Where: Greater Seattle Area, USA
Organizer: SCORE Greater Seattle
Prizes: $35,000 in cash prizes.
Process: Involves written pitch submissions followed by live presentations for finalists.
Benefits: Mentorship and a chance to refine business plans through judge feedback.
3. Women Founders Network Fast Pitch Competition
When: Date for 2025 TBD
Where: USA
Organizer: Women Founders Network
Tracks: Tech/Tech-enabled and Consumer/CPG/Other Non-tech.
Prizes: $25,000 cash grant for each first-place winner, along with additional funding opportunities.
Eligibility: Open to majority-women-owned startups with no more than $750,000 raised.
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!
4. DMZ's Women Innovation Summit Pitch Competition
When: Date for 2025 TBD
Where: Canada
Organizer: DMZ in partnership with The Firehood
Prizes: Up to $100,000 in cash investment available.
Process: Required to submit a pitch video and deck for consideration.
Eligibility: Women founders with a functional MVP and viable business plan.
5. New Venture Challenge - Women Founders Competition
When: Registration opens February 8, 2025
Where: University of Colorado, Boulder, USA
Organizer: CU Boulder's Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative
Prizes: A share of $15,000 in prize money.
Process: Multi-round competition with workshops and mentor matching.
Eligibility: Teams must include at least one core woman member.
6. Female Founder Challenge
When: Date for 2025 TBD
Where: Likely global, specifics for North America vary
Organizer: fundsforNGOs News
Focus: Aimed at startups with disruptive technologies.
Benefits: Provides mentorship, networking, and access to potential funding.
Additional Details: Designed to inspire women entrepreneurs.
7. STEP USA Pitch Night - Female Founders
When: June 25, 2025
Where: New York, USA
Organizer: German American Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
Process: Part of a boot camp, featuring live pitches.
Additional Details: Designed for German female entrepreneurs in the US.
8. Cartier Women's Initiative Awards
When: Date for 2025 TBD
Where: Global, open to North American applicants
Organizer: Cartier
Prizes: Grants of $100,000, $60,000, and $30,000.
Eligibility: Women-led for-profit businesses with social impact.
Additional Details: Applicants should check official site for deadlines and specifics.
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!
9. KPMG Female Founders in Africa Competition
When: Date for 2025 TBD
Where: Africa but highlights relevant competition structure
Organizer: KPMG
Prizes: Mentorship, investor matching, and community engagement.
Categories: Early-stage to mature ventures led by women.
10. WMF Startup Competition
When: Applications due by March 5, 2025
Where: Likely global
Organizer: WMF
Process: Applications submitted online for various categories.
Additional Details: Addresses multiple industry focuses, including tech.
11. Georgia Tech Women's Startup Pitch Competition
When: Date for 2025 TBD
Where: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Organizer: Georgia Institute of Technology
Prizes: Up to $20,000 available for winners.
Process: Multi-stage application allows comprehensive feedback for finalists.
Eligibility: Women-led startups seeking seed funding.
12. Startup Women Pitch Competition
When: Specific date for 2025 TBD
Where: Canada
Organizer: Startup Canada
Prizes: Up to $50,000 in cash and in-kind support.
Benefits: Networking opportunities with investors and mentors.
Eligibility: Open to women entrepreneurs across Canada.
13. RBC's Women in Tech Pitch Competition
When: Date for 2025 TBD
Where: Various locations across Canada
Organizer: RBC
Prizes: Cash and resources valued up to $100,000.
Benefits: Access to mentors in tech and finance.
Eligibility: Must be a female-led tech startup.
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!
14. Techstars Startup Weekend for Women
When: Date for 2025 TBD
Where: Various locations in North America
Organizer: Techstars
Duration: 54-hour entrepreneurial experience.
Process: Attendees pitch ideas, form teams, and create actionable plans leading to a competition.
Additional Details: Designed to foster female leadership in startups.
15. FEMTech Pitch Competition
When: Date for 2025 TBD
Where: USA
Organizer: Various regional partners
Focus: Health and technology startups led by women.
Prizes: Cash awards and feedback from industry experts.
Eligibility: Open to female-led health tech startups.
16. Women Who Tech Startup Challenge
When: Date for 2025 TBD
Where: USA
Organizer: Women Who Tech
Prizes: $50,000 in cash for winners and additional resources.
Benefits: Access to investor networks and mentorship.
Eligibility: Women-led tech startups.
17. Chasing Dreams Pitch Competition for Women Entrepreneurs
When: Date for 2025 TBD
Where: US - Specific states vary
Organizer: Support local entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Prizes: Cash prizes along with coaching opportunities.
Benefits: Connections with local investors and potential partners.
18. InnovateHER Business Competition
When: Date for 2025 TBD
Where: USA
Organizer: Various community organizations
Prizes: Cash and support services valued at $50,000.
Focus: Women-led businesses that positively impact the community.
Eligibility: Open nationwide to female entrepreneurs.
19. The Women’s Business Enterprise Council Pitch Competition
When: Date for 2025 TBD
Where: Nationwide in the US
Organizer: WBENC
Prizes: Various cash awards and scholarships.
Focus: Supporting women-owned businesses through capital access.
Eligibility: Must have certification as a women's business enterprise.
20. The BizWomen Mentoring Monday Challenge
When: Date for 2025 TBD
Where: Various locations across the USA
Organizer: BizWomen/SBH
Prizes: Access to mentorship and networking opportunities.
Focus: Encouraging women to pursue their entrepreneurial visions.
Eligibility: Open to female entrepreneurs of all stages.
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
Q: What are the major benefits of participating in the WomanUp & Pitch Competition?
A: Participants receive access to coaches, mentors, and professional services, along with the chance to pitch in various competitions across Michigan. Learn more about the WomanUp & Pitch Competition.
Q: How much funding can I potentially receive from the SCORE Women's Pitch Contest?
A: The SCORE Women's Pitch Contest offers a total of $35,000 in cash prizes to winners. Discover more about the SCORE Women's Pitch Contest.
Q: What eligibility criteria must be met to enter the Women Founders Network Fast Pitch Competition?
A: To enter, your business must be majority-owned by women, have raised no more than $750,000, and be based in the US. Find out more about the Women Founders Network Fast Pitch Competition.
Q: What kind of businesses are targeted by the DMZ's Women Innovation Summit Pitch Competition?
A: This competition specifically targets high-impact women tech founders in Canada looking to secure investments. Learn more about DMZ's Women Innovation Summit Pitch Competition.
Q: What is the prize pool for the New Venture Challenge - Women Founders Competition?
A: The competition offers a share of $15,000 in prize money for participants. Discover more about the New Venture Challenge.
Q: Does the Female Founder Challenge have a geographic limitation?
A: The challenge is likely global in focus but specifics may not be well defined, allowing for broad participation. Explore the Female Founder Challenge.
Q: Who can participate in the STEP USA Pitch Night - Female Founders?
A: The pitch night is specifically for German female entrepreneurs in the US, held as part of a broader strategy development boot camp. Learn more about STEP USA Pitch Night.
Q: What is the focus of the Cartier Women's Initiative Awards?
A: The initiative aims to support women-led businesses with a social or environmental impact, offering significant grants to the winners. Find out more about Cartier Women's Initiative Awards.
Q: Is the KPMG Female Founders in Africa Competition relevant for North American entrepreneurs?
A: While the competition targets female founders in Africa, it serves as an inspiring example of female entrepreneurship support. Explore the KPMG Female Founders in Africa Competition.
Q: How can participants apply for the WMF Startup Competition?
A: Interested entrepreneurs can apply through a provided application form before the deadline. Learn more about WMF Startup Competition.
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.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.
