Alex Kemanes and Dino Drimakis have announced the launch of the Women in AV & Tech Startup Prize, a global call designed to identify and back early-stage founders building practical, execution-ready solutions for the AV ecosystem and closely related fields. The competition is built as a long-term platform open to early-stage women founders. Announced during International Women’s month and supported by, AVIXA Women’s Council, a global community committed to supporting and empowering women in the technology and AV industry.
In 2024, female-only founding teams received 2.3% of the $289 billion invested globally in venture capital around $6.7 billion underscoring the scale of the funding gap this initiative aims to address
“This is about taking action, not just having conversations,” said Alex Kemanes, Partner at Midwich Ignite and Regional Managing Director, MESEA at Midwich Group, who is personally supporting and funding the initiative. “If we want to see more women leading and building in our industry, we have to create practical pathways for them. The Women in AV & Tech Startup Prize is one way we are doing that. At the same time, we are backing founders who can execute, people who understand their market, define real problems, and have a credible path to building sustainable businesses.”
Submissions opened 8 March 2026. Founders can apply from anywhere in the world, whether they’re involved directly with AV innovations or part of the AV ecosystem. The criteria to be selected is not based on revenue from the business, or a finished product; it’s rather solving a problem, market viability, and intent to build a lasting solution.
To enter, applicants submit a pitch deck (maximum 20 slides) and a short founder video. What matters is not designing polish, but thinking: the problem and who it affects, what’s being built and why it’s better, who the customer is, how the business makes money, and what stage it’s currently at, idea, prototype, pilots, users, revenue.
“This isn’t a pitch-polish contest,” said Dino Drimakis, Director, Strategic Development, MESEA, Midwich Group who is also personally backing the initiative. “We’re looking for clear thinking, real-world problem selection, and credible pathways to market. Fundamentals beat hype.”
The winner will receive a $15,000 cash prize, awarded and announced on 22 April 2026. Any follow-up engagement is at the discretion of the jury and sponsors.
Submissions will be collected via the official competition platform and undergo an initial eligibility and quality review. Shortlisted applications will then be evaluated by an independent jury panel. Judging will focus on problem relevance, solution credibility, market understanding, founder insight, and execution potential.
To maintain the integrity of the program and its participants, the jury reserves the right to withhold the award if no submission meets the required standard. In such cases, feedback may be provided, or the prize may be carried forward to a future edition.
Apply here: Women in Tech Startup
