UBS Female Founder Award 2023

Take Part. Become an Award Winning Founder.

Submit your entry

Do you want to be an award-winning female founder?

For the third year, we seek to recognize female start-ups and their founders, co-founders or a C-Suite level executive in the fintech and enterprise tech space with the UBS Female Founder Award.

We invite early stage fintech founders to submit their application, to benefit from the rewards and to  have the chance to take part in Project Female Founder 2024, our year-long accelerator program providing coaching, mentoring and networking, which will become invaluable on your journey as a founder

How to take part

If you are a Female Founder

Use the button below to submit your application for a chance to win the award, or share this page with someone you think could be a great fit. 

Rewards

The winner will receive a cash prize of USD 10,000, we also recognize a 'rising star of 2023' and shortlisted nominees have a chance to enter Project Female Founder 2024, where they will benefit from coaching around investor readiness, mentoring and networking. Finalists will also receive  access to experienced entrepreneurs, venture capital firms and connect with UBS Next, the firm’s venture and innovation unit.

Could this be you?

Nominees should be the founder, co-founder or a C-suite leader of a start up in the fintech and enterprise tech industry. The jury, comprised of UBS and external experts, will look at the following criteria:

  • Diversity
  • Financial track record
  • Growth potential
  • Leadership 

 

There was such a high calibre of nominees for the award and I didn’t think we’d be in with a chance. I think that’s really inspiring in a way – there is a significant shift happening in terms of fintech founders coming from more diverse backgrounds, and it is really empowering to see so many amazing female entrepreneurs in the front of that change.

Danielle Lawrence, Founder and CEO of Freyda, winner of the 2022 UBS Female Founder Award

Timeline

Why we care

The funding gap

Why is this award important?

In 2021, UBS published a report entitled: “The funding gap: Investors and female entrepreneurs”,  which examined the reasons behind why female entrepreneurs receive less funding than male counterparts.  As a result, female entrepreneurs lack equal opportunities to innovate and build successful companies that can contribute to the global economy. There is an abundance of evidence to suggest that women entrepreneurs, who receive funding, develop businesses that perform as well – or even better – than their male counterparts, which suggests that investors are missing out on attractive investment opportunities.

Find out more about how UBS supports female founders on their entrepreneurial journey, here.