Application phase for the Digital Female Leader Award is now open

Female founders, experts and other creative women can apply for the prize online until 26 July. A top-class jury will select the 18 winners.

Women are underrepresented in the digital economy, as studies have repeatedly shown, including Startbase's "Female Founders Report". Only 11.9 percent of startup founders were female in 2020. Especially in booming industries like finance and insurance or ICT, the percentages are even lower. One reason for this: Few women hold prominent positions, whether as founders, CEOs or otherwise present faces.

"Men are visible, women are busy," is how Tijen Onaran sums up the disparity she believes exists. That's why Onaran, who has been one of the most prominent champions for greater diversity and equality in the startup world for years, launched the Digital Female Leader Award in 2018. In 18 categories, from Digital Leadership to Fintech to Sustainability, this award aims to honor women who are role models. "This is not exclusively about women who are in leadership positions," said Onaran, whose company Global Digital Women is organizing the award.

The application period for this year's edition of the award is open until July 26. Potential female candidates can apply themselves, but can also be nominated by others. The award is not limited to Germany. "In 2020, we received more than 850 applications and nominations - from 19 countries," says Onaran.

The selection of the winners is made by a top-class jury, including the actress Thelma Buabeng, the former Federal Minister of Justice and Economics Brigitte Zypries and the TU Munich professor and multi-supervisor Ann-Kristin Achleitner.

The winners will then be announced and prominently featured as part of the "Journey to Diversity" over several days. "We're putting female founders and creators on the stage they deserve with the DFLA! Visible to all!" affirms Tijen Onaran.

The categories and previous year's winners at a glance:

Career (Pamela Mkhize, Head of Africa Digital Solutions, Enel Green Power).

Digital Leadership (not awarded in 2020)

Digital Transformation (Phantian Zuesongdham, Head of Digital and Business Transformation and Head of smartPort Program Management, Hamburg Port Authority)

Diversity (Wiebke Ankersen, Managing Director, Allbright Foundation)

Entrepreneurship (Janina Mütze, Founder & Managing Director, Civey)

FinTech/Money (Christine Kiefer, CEO and Founder, RIDE Capital)

Global Hero (Mali M. Baum, CEO & Founder, WLounge & Magda Group)

Health (Raman Saggu, Co-Founder and CEO, Burnie)

Innovation (Sibongile Mongadi, Founder, Uku'hamba)

IT-Tech (Anke Odrig, Managing Director, Little Bird)

Legal (Leah Molatseli, co-founder and CEO, Lenoma Legal)

Lifestyle (Stella-Oriana Strüfing, CEO & Co-Founder, Laori Drinks)

Mobility (Carolin Holland, Mobility Intrapreneur, SSB Swiss Federal Railways)

New Work (Helia Burgunder, Chief Customer Officer, UPC Switzerland)

Purpose Communications (2020 not awarded)

Social Hero (Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, Managing Director, HateAid)

Sustainability (Hannah Helmke, Co-Founder and Managing Director, right. based on science)

Audience Award (Laura Lewandowski, Journalist and Storyteller)

Startbase is a media partner of the Digital Female Leader Awards 2021.