Kauffman Labs to Illuminate Breakthrough Ideas from Female Scientists and Engineers

Posted by: Mark Marich on December 06, 2010 Source: Policy Dialogue on Entrepreneurship

Kauffman Labs for Enterprise Creation is looking for women scientists and engineers in the United States who have ideas that could change the world. To tap a growing pool of these highly educated women who have the potential to start scalable science- and engineering-related ventures, Kauffman Labs today launched its first Women in Science and Engineering Business Idea Competition, inviting them to share their visionary ideas for the chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to TED 2011. TED is an annual conference that brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers for conversation, learning and inspiration.

“We know that more women than ever are leading U.S. businesses and hold a nearly three-to-one majority in undergraduate and graduate education, but too few pursue the path of high-growth entrepreneurship,” said Lesa Mitchell, vice president, Kauffman Foundation. “The Women in Science and Engineering Business Idea Competition is designed to illuminate world-changing concepts that have significant commercialization potential, and to escalate their visibility so that more female scientists and engineers are encouraged to pursue their entrepreneurial ideas.”

The competition, hosted by Kauffman Labs and sponsored by Kauffman FastTrac and Astia, seeks entries from U.S.-based female scientists and engineers. A distinguished panel will judge the submitted ideas, which can range from very early  stage to more-developed, based on their potential to transform an industry and significantly impact lives.

Competition entrants each must complete an application, which includes submitting a video, at http://kauffmanbusinessideapitch2011.istart.org/. Entries are due by Jan. 15, 2011, and winners will be announced in early February.

Category:  Technology Transfer  Workforce