Tech Ready Women and Academy Xi launch $100,000 scholarship fund to encourage women to launch startups

Tech Ready Women, a Sydney-based incubator looking to help women without a tech background bring their startup ideas to life, has partnered with tech-focused education provider Academy Xi to launch a $100,000 scholarship fund aimed at encouraging more women to develop and launch a startup.

The fund will be distributed over 12 months, giving successful applicants access to courses and workshops offered by Academy Xi and Tech Ready Women, with the organisations to work with applicants to develop a tailored program.

Christie Whitehill, founder and CEO of Tech Ready Women, said more must be done to support women to want to be involved in tech.

“I am on a mission to accelerate the rate of women entering the tech space ensuring that they are equipped with the skills, education, and sense of community they need to empower their journey,” she said.

“Women in technology face an undeniable uphill battle, and I have seen that interactive education and mentoring can make it possible for non-tech women to confidently become founders of tech startups that are on the path of success.”

Ben Wong, cofounder and CEO of Academy Xi, added that the partnership with Tech Ready Women aims to help empower women to “push boundaries” and “break stereotypes”.

“At Academy Xi our immediate mission is to empower everyone with skills in design and technology. We want our alumni to transform companies, build new ventures, and ultimately make positive impact in the world. Tech Ready Women are an amazing partner to support more women in tech.”

The partnership follows Tech Ready Women, originally launched last year as an in-person program, launching an online program priced at $199.

Running for six weeks, the online program offers self-paced learning, as well as virtual accountability sessions, taking participants through different tech platforms, how to brief a designer and interview developers, how to sketch their screens, how to prioritise features for their MVP, and how to conduct market research.

The in-person incubator, now also running in Melbourne, runs for 10 weeks and is a paid program.

Image: Christie Whitehill. Source: Supplied.