Her Campus Labs and P&G Ventures Present the Next in STEM Challenge to Find the Future Generation of Women Innovators

BOSTON--Her Campus Media, the #1 media portfolio for college students and Gen Z, has created Her Campus Labs, an innovation hub, to support and empower the future generation of women in STEM. Today the company announced that Her Campus Labs will host the Next in STEM Challenge in conjunction with P&G Ventures, Procter & Gamble’s in-house studio creating new brands and businesses in partnership with entrepreneurs, inventors, and startups.

“As we search for entrepreneurs who might have the next great consumer product, we are confident that this program with Her Campus Media will help us to put a special focus on female innovators–a group that’s underrepresented in the broader ecosystem.”

Now the search begins for early-stage products and ideas from female innovators, entrepreneurs and scientists, particularly, those who are focusing on Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) in the following categories: Non-toxic Home and Garden, Active Aging for Women, Active Aging for Men, Healthy Skin, Food Preservation and Waste Reduction.

In its ongoing outreach to the entrepreneurial community, P&G Ventures has seen first-hand the challenges women face in launching a new product or technology. Among the underlying factors are the low percentage of women pursuing STEM educations. Despite the fact that women make up 60% of current undergrads in the US, only 15% of engineering majors are women (PEW Research Center). Funding is also an issue: in 2021 female founded businesses secured less than two percent of all venture capital funding (Pitchbook).

Betsy Bluestone, Senior Director of Scouting and Partnerships for P&G Ventures, said, “As we search for entrepreneurs who might have the next great consumer product, we are confident that this program with Her Campus Media will help us to put a special focus on female innovators–a group that’s underrepresented in the broader ecosystem.”

Windsor Western, co-founder of Her Campus Media, said, “We’ve made great strides in so many ways for women, but women are still highly underrepresented in STEM. We are so excited to partner with an organization as groundbreaking as P&G Ventures to utilize our reach on college campuses and shine a light on new women innovators.”

Until Tuesday, May 31, an open call nomination form will be available for submissions including college students, graduate students, alumni and faculty, and is designed to find women innovators (thinkers, scientists, digital marketers, and entrepreneurs) who are breaking new ground and building the next big consumer product by solving unmet consumer needs. More details on the nomination process here.

Her Campus Labs is also creating further opportunities on college campuses, by employing campus scouts to search for and nominate innovators at their school. Nominators will have the opportunity to earn $500 to go towards their education if their nominee is selected to connect with P&G Ventures.

Selected nominees will have the opportunity to pitch their product, or innovation, directly to P&G Ventures executives and receive valuable feedback to help workshop and prepare their ideas for the Fast Moving Consumer Goods market.

About Her Campus Labs

Her Campus Labs is an innovation hub within Her Campus Media that is dedicated to identifying, supporting, and empowering the next generation of women scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders. Together with our partners, we’re launching strategic programs that provide career advancement and mentorship opportunities for women in STEM and related fields.

About P&G Ventures

P&G Ventures is an entrepreneurial arm of Procter & Gamble that creates new brands and businesses by partnering with entrepreneurs, inventors, visionaries, founders and startups.

Contacts
Caitlin Kelly
caitlin@caitlinkelly-nyc.com