Their kind of startup gets the least funding, so this event gathered the best for a chance to win.
The best and the brightest women-led startups in the Northeast competed in Times Square for their chance at winning $25,000.
Starting a business is hard. And finding tons of people willing to invest their money in it is harder.
Sometimes the search for the right financial backer(s) can be a lot like putting up a romantic personal ad:
WANTED: Entrepreneurial woman with brilliant idea seeks funding to make it come to life. — W4WMAnyone (location: everywhere)
— Startup CEO seeks generous funders to help share innovative and groundbreaking technology with the world. Must like game-changers, bright ideas, and long nights of inventing.
— Turn ons: do-gooders and rich people.
— Turn offs: the uninspired and sexists.
You. Must. Fund. Me! PLEASE!
Fortunately, some people are working to make it easier for female entrepreneurs to connect with investors.
Like Women Who Tech, a group that supports and promotes women-led startups, and Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist.
They recruited some of the most impressive startups led by women in the Northeast to compete for $25,000 for their business — no strings attached.
GIF via "Shark Tank."
In a "Shark Tank"-esque set up, 10 startup finalists came to Microsoft's Times Square office to convince seriously successful people they deserve first prize.
While there was only one winner (#1 below), clearly many startups were included that were just as deserving of the money. Here are a few of them:
1. Seamless wearable technology that collects info on your body
Screenshot via Tech Times T-Lounge/YouTube.
This event's winner was SoftSpot by Moonlab for its wearable technology. But this isn't your momma's Apple Watch that everyone can see. This tech can be put anywhere — underwear, bathing suit, whatever — making it virtually invisible as it collects data on you and the environment around you.
2. An eco-friendly pregnancy test you can flush down the toilet
Screenshot via DreamItVentures/YouTube.
Pregnancy tests have been around for decades, and not much has changed about them. But this new test by Lia Diagnostics is pretty darn awesome. It's super small and discreet, so you don't have to worry about sneaking around with a long box. Then you can simply flush it after use, which keeps your business your own — while being better for the environment.
3. A medical device that detects bedsores — before the naked eye can see them.
Screenshot via Brandon Ellis/YouTube.
Gaspard's Rubitection, Inc. created a device that can help health care providers catch bedsores before they cause a huge problem for patients. How? Through a device that uses light on the skin to detect ulcers. Simple, easy, effective!
4. An app that makes pairing parents with carpool buddies a breeze.
Little Sonia has a birthday party to go to but wants to get a carpool together? Try GoKid; it makes scheduling and keeping track of responsibilities a breeze. Something that makes it easier to parent and help the environment? Yes, please!
5. An award-winning app made to help small business owners easily find out what might be affecting them.
Screenshot via Vizalytics/YouTube.
Imagine you're a business owner who has a big event planned, but nobody seems to be coming through the door. You're probably thinking: Is it me? Vizalytics can help you answer that question with info about traffic and transit delays that might have a big impact on attendance.
You may be thinking, "OK, sure, this stuff is cool, but why have a female-only startup event?"
Well, you see how these inventions could make our lives a whole heck of a lot better — from assisting small businesses to families to hospital patients. So why aren't they big companies already?
Well, according to an MIT study, women founders get only 7% of venture capital dollars. They obviously are not getting their fair share, which is why this event is so awesome. It helps showcase what funders are missing out on when they overlook amazing female trailblazers in the tech sector.
Fingers crossed that this will help more women-led startups get the funds they need — and deserve.
Cheers! GIF via "Shark Tank."
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."