SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Shining a spotlight on women-led startups from around the world, the 5th Annual WCS Talks, organized by the leading Bay Area non-profit Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, will feature the first ever pitch competition in the United States to focus on female entrepreneurs from the cleantech and sustainability industry. CEOs from SINAI Technologies, Simusolar, Deep Isolation, TotalCtrl, NuLeaf Tech and Artveoli will pitch their businesses and field questions from esteemed judges from Centrica Innovations, G2VP, Energy Impact Partners, the Urban Innovation Fund. The winner of the competition will enjoy a large prize pool to continue growing their business, including a guaranteed spot to pitch at SVForum’s 2019 Women in Tech Festival and preferential consideration to serve on a Cleantech Forum San Francisco panel, among other prizes.

“A growing body of research indicates companies with women in leadership roles produce slightly higher returns on assets and capital, as well as higher average growth rates,” Lidiya Dervisheva, investor at G2VP, a spin off from Kleiner Perkins’ Green Growth Fund. “Yet, the VC database PitchBook reveals women-led startups only garnered 2.2 percent of the $85 billion in funding distributed to the startup community in 2017. In the 21st Century, we get a chance to change this gender disparity together and that’s why I’m looking forward to serving as a judge in the competition.”

WCS Talks showcases women’s unique views on leadership, business, policy and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) topics. It aims to highlight the substantial and positive impact that women are making in these fields as they relate to environmental topics, while providing a platform to address challenges women still face in their professions. The annual event is hosted by Google for the fourth consecutive year.

The WCS Talks pitch competition will take place between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. PST on November 3, 2018, as a part of the larger TED-style conference. Winners will be selected by votes tallied from the judges and the WCS Talks audience.

“The women leading these startups are tackling some of the big challenges the green economy faces in the coming years, and ones we see commonly ignored by other companies,” says Lisa Ann Pinkerton, founder and chairwoman at Women in Cleantech and Sustainability. “While people of both genders are focused on mitigating the most devastating effects of climate change, we still see women entrepreneurs woefully underrepresented in this space. Our aim with the competition is to highlight the great work these women are doing and encourage others to found startups themselves.”

Also featured at WCS Talks will be “Sierra” the Tiny Home of the travel bloggers, educators and activists Lindsay and Eric Wood. The couple’s Travel in a Tiny Home mission includes giving people the opportunity to experience tiny home living by traveling with them and staying in Sierra. The Wood’s tiny home includes 13 foot ceilings, solar power and energy storage, a steam shower tub combination, composting toilet, and enough room to sleep six. Those who sign up to be members at WCS Talks at the event will be entered to win a night stay in Sierra.

Learn more about the pitch competition here. To purchase tickets to WCS Talks 2018 click here.

About Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Founded in 2011, Women in Cleantech and Sustainability (WCS) fosters an influential network of professionals to further the roles of women in growing the green economy and making a positive impact on the environment. The nonprofit leads a community of over 2,500 professional women and men working to drive sustainable change. Members range from the students and entry level professionals, to founders, C-suite executives and investors. The organization hosts monthly events focused on trends in the green industry, professional and personal development, and networking. The 501(c)6 organization is supported primarily by volunteers, member donations and sponsorship support. For more information please visit WomenCleantechSustainability.org.