I Wish (Inspiring Women in Stem) have launched a new competition, encouraging young female entrepreneurs to come forward and pitch their business ideas.
“Build IT” is a competition for all those who have registered to attend the I Wish Event in Cork or Dublin in January 2018.
The winning team with the most innovative business idea gets the chance to qualify for a special I Wish internship with a leading STEM multinational.
The ’Build IT’ competitors will pitch their ideas to entrepreneurs in the Enterprise Zone (EZ) at the I Wish 2018 events in Cork and Dublin. The EZ and ’Build IT’ competition are supported by Cork and Dublin Local Enterprise Offices and Enterprise Ireland.
Funded by Science Foundation Ireland, I Wish is an initiative to encourage more girls in Ireland to consider science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) courses and careers, and the Build IT competition is a key element of the events.
Speaking about the competition, I Wish co-founder Ruth Buckley said:
“It represents another opportunity for girls to really think about potential STEM business ideas and pitch them in a real-life environment to a panel of successful entrepreneurs.
“This year, we are asking students to create a video pitch initially and upload it to http://builditbygirls.iwish.ie/ along with other details before 17 January 2018.
“In addition to great prizes, the winning team will also win an incredible internship with a leading STEM company.”
The showcase I Wish events are taking place at Cork City Hall on Thursday 25th and Friday 26th of January and in the RDS Dublin on Monday 29th and Tuesday 30th of January 2018.
The I Wish showcase, sponsored by Dell EMC VMware with conference sponsors Arup, are free to attend and promise to benefit young women with hands-on practical information, talks and demonstrations by women in STEM roles.
A full line-up of speakers and exhibitors is available online, as well as online registration at www.iwish.ie.
Emmy award winning CNN journalist Gina London offers the following pitching tips in preparation for the competition:
