Apple Launches Application Development Program for Women Entrepreneurs – TechCrunch

Apple seeks to better support women's foundresses through its new Entrepreneur Camp, a technology lab focused on developing applications.

The two-week free camp, which will begin in January, will give women founders the opportunity to receive individual coding assistance from Apple engineers, as well as attend sessions on design, technology and technology. and the App Store marketing. The idea is to help teams reduce their development time.

To be able to participate, the company must be a woman-based, a woman co-founded or headed by a woman, and at least one woman in the development team. The program is inclusive for all those who identify as women.

The Entrepreneur Camp program can be an opportunity for companies that currently only master the Android to learn more about Apple's ecosystem and get direct support from the creators of the technology. For Apple, this is an opportunity to increase the quantity and quality of applications in his store.

"We wanted to focus on women who already have an application-driven business, and we do not require them to have an iOS app," said Esther Hare, Apple's Global Director of Global Marketing for Developers, at TechCrunch. "It's not an incubator where you come with a good idea and we help you think about it. It's already a good idea. Perhaps they will want to integrate machine learning or augmented reality, or use some of Apple's other technologies. "

In addition, Hare envisions that this program will serve a little credo on the street, which could help women get more funding. According to PitchBook, this year, the founders have only accounted for 2.2% of all venture capital investments in the United States.

More broadly, she said, "we think we can play a role in getting women to play more leadership roles" and help keep women in the labor market.

This is why the program allows the main participant to bring up to three members of his team to the laboratory.

"Even if they are not the most advanced, they can come to the workshop for help, networking and development of their skills," Hare said.

Apple has already run workshops, conferences, and similar accelerators, but this is the first project focused on women-owned businesses. And while this is specific to women, Hare said, "We designed this program thinking of all underrepresented minorities, especially women of color."