{"id":3111,"date":"2026-05-08T18:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T16:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stocks-future.com\/?guid=c8dc707c7b26ec060b4bc8f7dab24606"},"modified":"2026-05-08T18:45:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T16:45:00","slug":"standard-chartered-2026-women-in-tech-incubator-competition-awards-top-honors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/?p=3111","title":{"rendered":"Standard Chartered 2026 Women in Tech Incubator Competition Awards Top Honors"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nNow in its 12th<\/sup> year, the program provides early-stage founders with strategic mentorship and activation capital to scale their ventures<\/i><\/p><\/a><\/a>

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Standard Chartered Americas (the \u201cBank\u201d) and the Zahn Innovation Center (\u201cZahn Center\u201d) at the City College of New York (\u201cCCNY\u201d) today announced the winners of the 2026 Women in Tech (\u201cWiT\u201d) Incubator Competition. The program, now in its 12th<\/sup> year, serves as a practical resource for early-stage founders looking to refine their business models and build professional networks.<\/p>

\nThis year\u2019s participants were led by Popped Up!, an app providing live updates and analytics for pop-up events in one integrated platform. The team was selected for their disciplined approach to improving operational visibility and data insights for event organizers, as well as the progress made throughout the incubator\u2019s curriculum.<\/p>

\nAs part of the program, participants spent several months refining their go-to-market strategies, working with Standard Chartered employee mentors to successfully bridge the gap between the classroom and the marketplace.<\/p>

\n\u201cThrough our longstanding partnership with the Zahn Innovation Center at The City College of New York, we are proud to support and recognize New York\u2019s next generation of young entrepreneurs powered by leadership, vision, initiative, and hard work -- the same values that guide us every day at Standard Chartered,\" said Mandy DeFilippo, CEO, US & Americas, and EMEA at Standard Chartered. \u201cThe 2026 cohort has demonstrated incredible ingenuity, and we are delighted to honor this year\u2019s winners as they move from the incubator stage to real-world impact.\u201d<\/p>

\nAs the grand prize winner, Popped Up! will receive USD15,000 in seed funding to further develop and scale their solution. The second-place prize of USD5,000 was awarded to PlantPulse, a simple plant care kit that tells indoor plant owners exactly when to water their plants.<\/p>

\n\"We are honored to be named the winner of this year's Women in Tech Incubator Competition,\" said My Anh Phan, CEO of Popped Up!. \"This experience has provided us with invaluable mentorship and resources to refine our vision. With this support, we are excited to accelerate our growth and bring our solution to a broader audience.\"<\/p>

\n\"The caliber of innovation we\u2019ve seen this year is truly inspiring,\" said Kesia Hudson, Managing Director of the Zahn Innovation Center at CCNY. \"These entrepreneurs are not just building businesses; they are building the future. Our collaboration with Standard Chartered ensures that talented women have the platform they deserve to lead, disrupt, and succeed.\u201d<\/p>

\nNew this year, Standard Chartered also introduced the Standard Chartered Youth Impact Competition, recognizing student-led ventures that drive positive impact across education, workforce development and health. Finalists participated in a live pitch competition to receive seed funding.<\/p>

\nThe WiT Incubator and Standard Chartered Youth Impact Competition are part of Standard Chartered Foundation<\/a> programs in the Americas. Other initiatives include partnerships with Bossgirls, Village Capital, Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America, and Youth Business International, all of which aim to empower the next generation by promoting greater economic inclusion.<\/p>

\nAbout the Women in Tech Incubator at the Zahn Innovation Center<\/b><\/p>

\nFormed in October 2014, the Standard Chartered Women in Tech Incubator program is an initiative that aims to support greater diversity in gender representation within the technology sector. The incubator program is a partnership with the Zahn Innovation Center at the City College of New York that provides support, guidance, and resources that early-stage women-led startups need to grow into successful businesses. This partnership has various levels of engagement and supports entrepreneurship among women across campus through:<\/p>