Stories

Announcing the WVEF Tech Challenge finalists

28 August 2015
ITC News
Web developers from Brazil, Costa Rica, Kenya and Thailand selected as finalists for the joint ITC, Google and CI&T WVEF Tech Challenge

The International Trade Centre (ITC), Google and CI&T have announced the shortlist of finalists for the WVEF Tech Challenge 2015. The shortlisted entries were chosen from more than 300 bids from across the world following a challenge to come up with a digital platform that will capture women entrepreneurs and help connect them to value chains.

The finalists – most of which are made up of teams of developers from more than one company or individual – will now prepare for live presentations to juries and participants who will decide on the overall winner. The presentations will be made during the Women Vendors’ Exhibition and Forum (WVEF), which is being held at Hotel Maksoud Plaza Hotel, São Paulo, Brazil on 2-3 September. The winning entry will be announced during the WVEF closing ceremony.

The shortlisted WVEF Tech Challenge finalists are:

WVEF Mobile App | Kenya
A mobile application that aims to connect women entrepreneurs developed by the IT Company Greenbell Communications Ltd.

Women on Business | Costa Rica
A website that allows entrepreneurs to offer their products and services to small businesses as well as large corporations. The Women on Business entry was submitted by a team of developers who did not know each other before. They met to discuss the idea and worked on the project for three days straight to make it happen.

WomenSupply App | Brazil
An app for women entrepreneurs to register their businesses. Using filters, users will be able to find a company offering the exact services they are looking for. Two of the IT professionals involved in creating the WomenSupply App also work on other projects aimed to reduce inequality in technology.

Market Matcher | Thailand
A website where business women can sell their products, especially art and crafts. The page will feature a text analysis technology that will recommend products for buyers and to other vendors registered with the site. To develop the Market Matcher, the developers interviewed dozens of women on the subjects of leadership and entrepreneurship to learn more about this field.

EmpowerIt | Brazil
A digital platform that will facilitate the buying and selling of products and services provided by businesswomen. The application, which allows for chat, video upload and a personalized profile will also feature a technology allowing entrepreneurs in remote areas to go digital. The plan is, to make EmpowerIt work on a range of devices with a view to reaching women entrepreneurs who don’t have access to smartphones.

The Women Vendors’ Exhibition and Forum is an annual flagship event of the International Trade Centre, and more than 500 participants from over 50 countries will attend this year’s event in São Paulo, which is being co-hosted with Apex-Brasil.

The event will offer interactive exhibits mentoring sessions and workshops for trade support institutions, but will also be a place to do business. During thousands of B2B meetings, women entrepreneurs will be looking to discuss business and partnership opportunities with large companies and multinationals.

Journalists interested in attending the event and for further information about the WVEF Tech challenge, are requested to contact:

Google | Mônica Wanderley | monica.wanderley [at] imagemcorporativa.com.br (monica[dot]wanderley[at]imagemcorporativa[dot]com[dot]br)

ITC | Jarle Hetland, Media Officer hetland [at] intracen.org (hetland[at]intracen[dot]org), T: +41 22 730 0145, Mobile: +41 79 582 9180

Apex-Brasil | Renata Moreira, Communications Manager, renata.moreira [at] apexbrasil.com.br (renata[dot]moreira[at]apexbrasil[dot]com[dot]br), T: +55 (61) 3426 0793