Women 2.0 and Jumpstart Your Startup

I wish Vancouver had something like Women 2.0’s Jumpstart Your Startup courses.  This is a entrepreneurial workshop for women and it is run by Naeem Zafar.  It presents guest speakers, connects other women entrepreneurs, so they can learn from real life experiences AND most importantly helps you figure it out one-on-one!  From making the business plan-to approaching investors, the series provides a supportive and interactive atmosphere.  It helps women figure it out some pressing questions before having to pitch in real-life situations. 

You will work with your team, or on your own, to research potential, perform analysis to identify resources, and write a simple business plan (or at least a good executive summary). By course completion, participants will have evaluated the strength and potential of their business idea and prepared the following tangibles: a market size-up, a deck of slides, and a business plan including financial projections.

The next workshops start June 4th and July 16th.  Early bird registration is available until May 22nd (session one) and July 3 (session two).  Pre-registration for both session $450 Check out the video below:

San Francisco based Women 2.0 is hosting their 3rd annual Women 2.0 Pitch 2009: Startup Competition this Spring and Techvibes readers may be surprised to learn that they have a Canadian connection.

Co-Founder and General Manager Shaherose Charania is a Vancouverite that headed South to fulfill Silicon Valley dreams after graduating from the University of Western Ontario’s Richard Ivey School of Business. Charania leads the Women 2.0 organization which is committed to increasing the number of women entrepreneurs starting high growth ventures by providing the resources, network, and knowledge for the launch and growth of their company.

Women 2.0 Pitch 2009: Startup Competition is open to early-stage ventures around the world, from high growth business ventures in Web 2.0 to mobile and biotech, consumer clean tech to consumer hardware. Applying companies must be in beta-stage and have not received significant funding. To enter teams must include at least one female in the founding team.

Hundreds of submissions will receive valuable feedback from the judging panel of investors and experienced startup executives. Five startups will be chosen to pitch live on May 7, 2009. The winning startup will get a meeting with legendary investor Michael Moritz from Sequoia Capital in addition to a bundle of legal, marketing, and PR support services and free office space at the Plug and Play Tech Center.

Check out the 3-step submission process – one business plan, one paper napkin, and one video pitch – and apply by April 10th.