Women In The DC Startup Scene: Health Tech Takes Center Stage

The DC region is home to a thriving startup scene, with a growing number of female-founded businesses making waves in the industry. According to a report by Technical. ly, locally female co-founded businesses raised $255 million last year, out of a total of $2 billion in DMV venture capital activity (Technical. ly). The region is also set to host a purpose-driven showcase, The Agora Initiative's second contest of the year, on November 12 at Halcyon House in Georgetown, featuring three pitches from health technology companies (Agora Initiative). The showcase will see three women founders compete for a $10,000 non-dilutive grant, with fifty-eight entrepreneurs applying to present (Technical. ly). Digital health and biotechnology startups dominated the pool of applicants, with Agora cofounder Kelly O'Malley noting that "with such a competitive pool, narrowing it down to just three finalists wasn't easy" (Technical. ly). The committee focused on selecting founders with strong early traction and the potential to be truly venture-backable. Notably, just under half the applications for the latest Agora Initiative competition were from Marylanders, while the other half were split between DC and Virginia (Technical. ly). This event highlights the growing presence of women in the startup scene, particularly in the health ← →