Overview<\/p>\n
The BRICS Women\u2019s Startups Contest 2026<\/a>, organized by the BRICS Women\u2019s Business Alliance (BRICS WBA), is a premier initiative aimed at empowering women-led startups across BRICS nations. This year, India leads the initiative, highlighting its commitment to fostering women\u2019s entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership on a global stage.<\/p>\n Building on the success of previous editions, the 2026 contest provides a platform for women entrepreneurs to showcase innovative, high-impact solutions, gain visibility, and access cross-border business opportunities. The contest also promotes collaboration, knowledge exchange, and economic integration among BRICS countries, supporting the scaling of women-led ventures with potential global impact.<\/p>\n Objectives of the Contest<\/p>\n The contest is designed to advance multiple strategic goals:<\/p>\n Foster Sustainable Development: Encourage ventures that contribute to environmental and social sustainability.<\/p>\n Promote Economic Inclusion: Support women entrepreneurs in accessing funding, markets, and networks.<\/p>\n Strengthen BRICS Integration: Build collaboration and shared economic growth among BRICS nations.<\/p>\n Support Innovation in Key Sectors: Incentivize technological and business model innovation.<\/p>\n Enhance Entrepreneurial Resilience: Equip women-led startups to withstand market challenges.<\/p>\n Highlight Women-Led Solutions: Focus on enterprises addressing global challenges.<\/p>\n Raise Awareness of Sustainable Practices: Promote environmentally and socially responsible entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n Encourage Technological Adoption: Advance digital transformation in startups.<\/p>\n Strengthen Local Economies: Connect local businesses to regional and global markets.<\/p>\n Eligibility Requirements<\/p>\n Applicants must meet the following criteria:<\/p>\n Residency & Market Presence<\/p>\n Be a citizen or permanent resident of a BRICS country (Brazil, China, India, Russia, South Africa) or participating extended nations (Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE).<\/p>\n Operate in one or more BRICS markets.<\/p>\n Actively exporting or supplying products\/services in these markets.<\/p>\n Female Leadership Role<\/p>\n Must hold a key leadership position (Founder, Co-Founder, or equivalent).<\/p>\n Be actively involved in strategy and daily operations.<\/p>\n Teams with multidisciplinary expertise are encouraged.<\/p>\n Impact & Sustainability<\/p>\n Demonstrate long-term social, economic, or environmental impact.<\/p>\n Commercial Viability & Traction<\/p>\n Show evidence of a viable business model, market demand, and growth indicators.<\/p>\n Innovation & Solution<\/p>\n Clearly define the problem addressed and innovative features of the solution.<\/p>\n Demonstrate scalability and replication potential.<\/p>\n BRICS Alignment & Scalability<\/p>\n Show how the venture aligns with BRICS priorities and can create cross-border impact.<\/p>\n Business Stage Categories<\/p>\n The contest is open to startups across three stages of development:<\/p>\n Early Stage: MVP or prototype phase; validating concepts and market fit.<\/p>\n Growth Stage: Established product\/service with initial customer engagement; focusing on scaling operations.<\/p>\n Scale-Up Stage: Mature startups with significant growth and expansion into new markets.<\/p>\n Sector Categories<\/p>\n Startups can apply in the following sectors:<\/p>\n Healthcare and Wellbeing<\/p>\n Agriculture & Food Security<\/p>\n Education and Skill Development<\/p>\n Energy, Infrastructure, and Mobility<\/p>\n Commerce, Service, and Digital Transformation<\/p>\n Sustainable Development and Climate Solutions<\/p>\n Evaluation Criteria<\/p>\n Applications are evaluated based on six weighted criteria:<\/p>\n Impact & Sustainability: 25%<\/p>\n Solution & Innovation: 25%<\/p>\n Commercial Viability & Traction: 20%<\/p>\n BRICS Alignment & Scalability: 10%<\/p>\n Technology Readiness & Capability: 10%<\/p>\n Partnerships & Networks: 10%<\/p>\n Awards & Recognition<\/p>\n Winners are selected in each development stage and sector category, producing a total of 18 finalists.<\/p>\n Selected startups gain exposure to investors, industry leaders, and policymakers, along with opportunities for networking and scaling across BRICS nations.<\/p>\n Timeline<\/p>\n 19 March 2026: Contest launch & submissions open<\/p>\n 15 May 2026: Submission deadline<\/p>\n July 2026: Winners announced<\/p>\n September 2026: Winners travel to India for awards ceremony<\/p>\n September 2026: Finalists return to their respective countries<\/p>\n Application Process<\/p>\n The contest follows a three-step evaluation process:<\/p>\n Qualification: Verify eligibility, leadership, and stage of development.<\/p>\n Technical Analysis: Sector-specific experts evaluate the startup, considering regional and sector-specific challenges.<\/p>\n Final Review: Shortlisted applications are assessed for alignment with BRICS priorities and regional impact potential.<\/p>\n Applicants can download guidelines, handbooks, and terms & conditions from the official website to support their application journey.<\/p>\n Contest History<\/p>\n Launched in 2024 under Russia\u2019s BRICS chairship, the Women\u2019s Startups Contest has recognized 26 winners from 14 countries, including Russia, Brazil, India, China, South Africa, UAE, and others. Past winners include startups leveraging AI in healthcare, education, agriculture, and aviation, as well as solutions addressing cancer, infertility, and infrastructure automation.<\/p>\n For more opportunities such as these please follow us on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>,\u00a0WhatsApp<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0WPChannel<\/a><\/p>\n