She Pitches, She Wins: Spotlight on Two Trailblazing Women Entrepreneurs
While 14 million businesses in the U.S. are led by women, only 25% of new tech startups are founded by women. And of those, fewer than 5% receive venture funding.To change this narrative, TiE Silicon Valley, in partnership with Mayfield AI Garage, launched She Pitches, She Wins—a pitch competition designed to support women-led startups with equity-free capital, acceleration resources, and access to a global entrepreneurial network.
Recently, President of TiE Silicon Valley & Vice Chair of TiE Global Board of Trustees, Anita Manwani sat down with two of this year’s standout winners: Jayashree Dutta, Co-founder, atronous.ai, and Diana Virgovicova, Founder & CEO, Xatoms.
Meet the Founders
Jayashree Dutta – AI-Powered Retail Innovation
Jayashree’s startup atronous.ai is tackling a massive challenge in the retail space: product cataloging. With prior experience at Walmart, Netflix, and Dell, she noticed how difficult it was for retailers—especially small to mid-size businesses—to efficiently aggregate and publish their product data online.
“70% of products globally aren’t online because it’s still too difficult to digitize catalogs,” she explained.
atronous.ai is solving this through a schema-agnostic, AI-native framework that helps merchandising teams create, validate, and optimize product catalogs at scale.
The name atronous.ai, derived from Latin, means “crazy cool”—a reflection of their ambition to be leaders in applied AI.
Jayashree was awarded a $50,000 equity-free grant from Mayfield Fund, a spot in the TiE Silicon Valley GTM Accelerator, and complimentary office space at TiE Silicon Valley.
Diana Virgovicova – Quantum Chemistry for Clean Water
At just 14 years old, Diana’s journey began when she witnessed polluted rivers and poor sanitation during a backpacking trip across Asia. That moment led her to dedicate her career to solving the global water crisis.
Diana co-founded Xatoms, a deep-tech startup using quantum chemistry and AI to develop photocatalysts—light-activated materials that eliminate contaminants from industrial water sources.
“We are 4x more effective and 2x cheaper than traditional purification solutions,” she shared.
The technology is already making waves in industries such as mining and wastewater treatment, with promising partnerships forming across North America.
Diana received a $30,000 equity-free prize, access to TiE Silicon Valley’s GTM Accelerator, and complimentary workspace at the TiE Silicon Valley office.
From Near-Death Moments to Breakthroughs
Both founders spoke candidly about their toughest moments—when rejection, financial strain, and uncertainty tested their resolve.
Jayashree faced a phase when customers weren’t responding. After refining the product’s positioning and messaging, atronous.ai rebounded and has since seen 46% month-over-month growth.
Diana spent two years developing in silence before gaining traction. A breakthrough came with a $100,000 climate fellowship from Alexis Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six, which helped validate her mission and attract further investment.
How TiE Silicon Valley Made a Difference
Both founders credited TiE Silicon Valley—and its extended network—for opening doors at pivotal moments.
- Jayashree first participated in TiE Women’s programs, advanced to global competitions, and later secured investment and mentorship through the TiE Silicon Valley network.
- Diana’s journey began with TiE Toronto, whose encouragement helped her compete and ultimately win in Silicon Valley.
“We’re grateful for the mentoring, the resources, and most of all, the belief in us,” said Jayashree.
“TiE gave us a platform when we needed it most,” added Diana.
Looking Ahead
With 60 chapters across 14 countries, TiE continues to foster entrepreneurship across borders, industries, and stages of growth.
As our President, Anita Manwani noted:
“You are on a unicorn trajectory. Keep coming back. Bring your friends. We’ll be right here to support you.”
Congratulations again to Jayashree and Diana. Your wins are just the beginning.
About She Pitches, She Wins
“She Pitches, She Wins” is an equity-free pitch competition hosted by TiE Silicon Valley at TiEcon 2025 and supported by Mayfield AI Garage. Winners receive financial grants, GTM acceleration, workspace, and access to a global entrepreneurial network.