SheFunded
SDG Impact
Future enhancements
Deployed on ICP Mainnet
APP- HOME
APP-verification

SheFunded: A Decentralized, Bias-Free VC Platform for Women Entrepreneurs

Backend Canister deployed on Mainnet - backend: https://a4gq6-oaaaa-aaaab-qaa4q-cai.raw.icp0.io/?id=k4chk-tiaaa-aaaal-qskjq-cai

🌟 Inspiration

Women receive less than 2% of VC funding, despite having groundbreaking ideas and entrepreneurial potential. Personally, we came across countless articles, research reports, and real-world stories highlighting this bias. It was clear that funding decisions are often influenced by network, identity, and unconscious bias rather than the strength of the idea itself. We wanted to change that by removing identity from the equation and ensuring that only the best ideas get funded—fairly and transparently.

🚀 What It Does

SheFunded is a decentralized funding platform where women entrepreneurs can pitch their ideas anonymously. Our DAO-driven decision-making ensures that VC investors evaluate ideas solely on merit, eliminating gender bias. We use ZK-Proofs to verify user identity without revealing personal details, and ICP’s Reverse GAS Model allows seamless onboarding for Web2 users without requiring a wallet.

🛠 How We Built It

Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) for identity verification while maintaining privacy.
ICP (Internet Computer Protocol) with Reverse GAS Model, allowing even non-Web3 users to join the platform without wallet friction.
Twitter verification (for now) to onboard users, with a future plan to integrate Google-based gender verification using ZKPs.
DAO Governance where VCs review pitches and fund projects without knowing the entrepreneur’s identity, ensuring fairness.
Fully interactive UI/UX with animated components to make the platform engaging and accessible.

⚡ Challenges We Ran Into

ICP was new to us, and implementing its Reverse GAS Model was challenging. However, with mentoring sessions from Anjali, we were able to overcome technical hurdles and refine our blockchain integration.
Defining and refining our idea—Our sessions with Darlyze helped us scope our vision and continuously pivot toward what is most impactful at the moment.
Deploying on the ICP Mainnet was another challenge, but after troubleshooting and iterations, we figured out a working solution.

🏆 Accomplishments That We're Proud Of

Successfully implementing ICP for the first time in a project with huge real-world impact.
Backend Canister deployed on Mainnet - backend: https://a4gq6-oaaaa-aaaab-qaa4q-cai.raw.icp0.io/?id=k4chk-tiaaa-aaaal-qskjq-cai
Creating an interactive, animated UI/UX to make onboarding smooth and engaging.
Aligning our platform with SDG goals, contributing to gender equality, economic empowerment, and decentralized innovation.

📖 What We Learned

We learned a lot—from new blockchain integrations like ICP and ZKPs to the importance of iterating ideas based on real-world feasibility. Most importantly, we learned that a strong idea backed by the right tech and mentorship can turn into something truly powerful.

🔮 What's Next for SheFunded?

Future Enhancements: ZK-Proofs for Women-Only Access

To ensure SheFunded remains exclusive to women, we aim to integrate ZK-Proofs for gender verification using Google account data.
Currently, Google only provides gender info for test accounts—for real-world implementation, we need official permissions.
This will be a key focus in our future roadmap, ensuring privacy, security, and inclusivity while making decentralized funding truly bias-free.

SheFunded isn’t just an idea—it’s a movement toward fair, inclusive, and transparent funding for women entrepreneurs. 🚀