The Cork based STEM initiative I Wish has launched a new competition called Build IT by Girls, asking young women to pitch STEM business ideas to a panel of judges.
The I Wish partnership has been going since 2014, when it was founded by Cork business people Gillian Keating, Ruth Buckley and Caroline O’Driscoll to encourage more girls into careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
Now the partnership has announced a new competition specifically aimed to help young girls to get their entrepreneurial ideas ahead of their possible future careers.
The Built by IT Girls competition requires teams of students to submit a summary of their idea, along with details of their expected business trajectory, in advance of the I Wish events taking place in City Hall, Cork on 9 and 10 February, and in the RDS, Dublin on 13 and 14 February.
Each team will then have an opportunity to pitch their business idea to entrepreneurs from the world of STEM, with the winning teams winning some wearable devices and a chance to get an internship at Dell’s facility in Cork, or a visit to Google’s European headquarters in Dublin.
Could be a future global business
“We are very excited to launch the Build IT by Girls competition today (23 January),” said co-founder O’Driscoll, who is also a partner at KPMG.
“This is a real opportunity for students to really think about potential STEM business ideas and pitch them in a real-life environment to a panel of successful entrepreneurs.
“We would invite any entrepreneurial-minded students to pitch their STEM business idea – you never know, it could be the next big global business.”
At the I Wish events in the coming months, famous Inspirefest speakers will appear, including legendary game designer Brenda Romero, young entrepreneur Ciara Judge and Nuritas founder Dr Nora Khaldi, whose company recently made Siliconrepublic.com’s list of 10 marvellous medtech start-ups you need to know.
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