On November 15th, Bitget, a leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company, hosted “Pitch n' Slay” in Bangkok under its Blockchain4Her initiative. The competition aimed to spotlight and support female entrepreneurs in the blockchain space, offering grants to the top three winners and a chance to pitch to Foresight Ventures for potential seed funding.

Empowering Women-Led Startups

“Pitch n' Slay” is part of Bitget’s $10 million Blockchain4Her program, which provides targeted support to promising women-led startups. Participants had the opportunity to secure up to $100,000 in funding from Foresight Ventures alongside mentorship from seasoned blockchain professionals.

The event featured eight shortlisted startups, selected from over 50 applications. The winners included:

• 1st Place: Julija Bainiaksina, Founder of MiniMe, an AI agent-as-a-service project.
• 2nd Place: Doris Hernandez, Co-Founder of Functor Network, an automatic layer for AI agents.
• 3rd Place: Anne Beh, Founder of Art3mis, an Oracle AI Tarot card fortune-telling platform.

Industry Experts as Judges and Mentors

The event brought together a distinguished lineup of Web3 leaders who served as speakers and judges. Key participants included:

• Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget
• Cecilia Hsueh, Co-founder and CEO of Morph
• Taya A, CEO of World of Women
• Tess Hau, Founder of Tess Ventures
• Min Xue, Partner at Foresight Ventures
• Agne Linge, Head of Growth at WeFi

These experts offered valuable feedback to participants competing for $10,000 in grant funding. Winners also gained direct entry into the final round of Killer Whales Season 3 and the Blockchain4Her Accelerator Program.

Championing Inclusivity in Blockchain

Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget, emphasized the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs. “Being a female entrepreneur is not everyone’s cup of tea. We’re first put against a patriarchal society and then into a male-dominated work culture. It takes everything to break out of conventional thinking. Making your mark is difficult but not impossible,” she said. “With Blockchain4Her, we aim to provide exposure and support to female founders building the next-gen blockchain evolution. As we move into a new year, we are eager to expand our reach and engage with a broader Web3 audience.”

The event also hosted the Blockchain4Her Award Ceremony, celebrating four notable female leaders from Southeast Asia. Honorees included:

• Jenny Nguyen
• Bea Llana
• Theresa Tjandrawinata
• Cheryl Law

Tascha Punyaneramitdee received the "Innovative Web3 Female Entrepreneur Award – SEA Edition" for her contributions to the blockchain sector.

Collaborative Efforts for Greater Impact

“Pitch n' Slay” highlighted the power of partnerships in fostering inclusivity. Key partners included Bitget Wallet, World of Women, Foresight Ventures, BeinCrypto, BlockchainReporter, Bitcoin.com News, Cointribune, Hello Labs, BlockBooster, SheFi, Input Communication, Women in Web3 CH, and Crypto Girls Club.

This landmark event shows Bitget’s commitment to empowering women in blockchain and fostering innovation in the Web3 space.