She Loves Tech Cambodia 2020: Global tech startup competition

She Loves Tech Cambodia 2020 is a global technology startup competition aimed at women, and the Cambodian edition of the global tech competition is taking place for the first time with its Pitch Day on Friday, October 9, 2020. She Loves Tech Cambodia 2020

She Loves Tech

In Cambodia, She Loves Tech Cambodia is co-organised by She Loves Tech and Raintree, in partnership with Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Khmer Enterprise and Global Shapers Phnom Penh Hub. The organiser says "We are looking for early-stage women-led or women-impact technology startups. Get ready to join the world’s largest startup competition for women and technology through She Loves Tech Cambodia." Rhea See, She Loves Tech co-founder said: “The Cambodian tech start-up community has been growing more vibrant each year. We are very excited to finally become part of the community as well as contribute to it by bridging local start-ups with strategic and international resources. We can’t wait to see what impactful technologies will emerge from She Loves Tech Cambodia this year!” The Global Startup Competition has been running since 2015 and says "Alumni startups from previous years have gone on to raise over US$100 million in aggregate funding from some of the world's top investors, including Sequoia Capital, Vertex Ventures, Wavemaker, Microsoft and Amazon." In 2020, She Loves Tech will be held in 30 countries and this year the tech competition will be held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

What can you win at She Loves Tech Cambodia 2020?

The winner of She Loves Tech Cambodia will compete in the international finals "for an equity-free cash prize of US$15,000 from the She Loves Tech affiliate fund - special media coverage and mentorship prizes, fast track access to She Loves Tech's partner funds and accelerator programs, plus in-house advisory services."

How to apply for She Loves Tech Cambodia 2020?

Applications are now from 1st - 31st August 2020, 5 pm Cambodia time. All interested and eligible applicants can register here. Applicants must meet the following criteria to qualify for She Loves Tech Cambodia 2020:

• Entrepreneurs who may be men or women must represent a technology start-up that has a minimum viable product, is currently seeking funding under $5 million.
• Be founded or co-founded by a woman
• Have women as a significant proportion of end-users or consumers
• Have products designed with women users in mind
• Or have products that address a problem disproportionately affecting women.

Cambodia embracing technology

The Kingdom of Cambodia and the Cambodian Government have been taking giant strides over recent years to target STEM and technology to diversify its economic model and educate youths in the potential of these industries. Internet subscribers in Cambodia have grown from 320,000 in 2010 to over 9 million by 2020 and there has been a meteoric rise in new apps in the Cambodian market, with digital payment methods also spurred on by the obstacles presented during the global COVID-19 pandemic. There are an also now wider variety of tech startup companies in Cambodia that are involved in application development, looking to be industry disruptors and tackle Industry 4.0 in Cambodia. This has also lead to more tech conferences being held around Cambodia involving these like-minded business people and angel investor pitches and competitions. In 2020, Digital Cambodia had to be postponed but it is the largest tech conference in the Kingdom focusing on digital technologies. The Cambodian government has also rolled out several online platforms which makes it easier to conduct business in Cambodia such as the Single Portal online business registrations in 2020. In June 2020, the Go Digital ASEAN initiative was announced and will aid 15,000 Cambodians.