Popped Up! Wins Standard Chartered's 2026 Women in Tech Incubator

NEW YORK, NY – May 08, 2026 – A venture providing real-time analytics for the burgeoning pop-up event scene has claimed the top prize in the 2026 Women in Tech Incubator competition. Standard Chartered Americas and the Zahn Innovation Center at the City College of New York (CCNY) today announced that Popped Up!, an integrated app platform, is the grand prize winner of the 12th annual program, which is designed to nurture and scale women-led technology startups.

The announcement marks the culmination of a months-long intensive program where early-stage founders receive critical resources, mentorship, and support to transform their innovative ideas into market-ready businesses. Popped Up! will receive $15,000 in seed funding, while second-place winner PlantPulse, a simple plant care kit that tells users exactly when to water their indoor plants, was awarded $5,000.

From Idea to Impact: Cultivating Women-Led Ventures

For over a decade, the partnership between the global banking group and the university's innovation hub has served as a vital launchpad for female entrepreneurs. The WiT Incubator is not just a competition; it is a practical ecosystem designed to bridge the often-daunting gap between academic concepts and commercial viability. Participants spend months working closely with mentors from Standard Chartered's employee base, refining their business models, honing their go-to-market strategies, and building invaluable professional networks.

This year's cohort was recognized for its ingenuity and dedication. The program's success is built on a foundation of hands-on guidance, providing a structured curriculum that addresses the unique challenges faced by startups. The collaboration aims to foster a new generation of leaders by instilling the values of vision, initiative, and hard work.

“Through our longstanding partnership with the Zahn Innovation Center at The City College of New York, we are proud to support and recognize New York’s 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. “The 2026 cohort has demonstrated incredible ingenuity, and we are delighted to honor this year’s winners as they move from the incubator stage to real-world impact.”

Spotlight on Innovation: Niche Tech Finds its Market

The winning ventures, Popped Up! and PlantPulse, exemplify a growing trend of specialized tech solutions successfully targeting specific, often overlooked, market needs. They demonstrate how focused innovation can create significant value.

Popped Up! was selected for its disciplined approach to solving a clear problem for event organizers. The app provides live updates and crucial analytics for temporary retail and event spaces, a dynamic sector that has traditionally lacked sophisticated operational tools. The platform aims to enhance visibility and data insights, empowering organizers to make better decisions in real-time. This solution enters a thriving global event management software market, which was valued at over $12 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow significantly, driven by a demand for data-driven insights.

"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."

Second-place winner PlantPulse addresses a different, yet equally relatable, consumer challenge. Its simple plant care kit provides a clear, data-backed signal for when to water plants, demystifying plant care for novices and enthusiasts alike. This product taps into the massive consumer Internet of Things (IoT) market, which was estimated at over $264 billion in 2024 and is fueled by the widespread adoption of smart home technology and a consumer desire for convenience and automation.

"The caliber of innovation we’ve 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.”

A Strategic Bet on Diversity and Social Mobility

The WiT Incubator is a cornerstone of Standard Chartered's broader corporate social responsibility strategy, executed through the Standard Chartered Foundation. Established in 2019, the foundation is committed to tackling inequality by empowering underserved young people, particularly women, through programs that promote employability and entrepreneurship. This initiative aligns with the bank's global "Futuremakers" program, which aims to promote greater economic inclusion.

The choice of the Zahn Innovation Center at The City College of New York as a partner is particularly significant. CCNY is nationally recognized for its role in driving social change, ranked #1 by Harvard-based Opportunity Insights for its overall mobility index. This measure reflects the high likelihood that a CCNY student can dramatically improve their economic standing. By anchoring the program at an institution renowned for its diversity and impact on social mobility, Standard Chartered amplifies its investment, ensuring that opportunities are created in communities where they can have the most profound effect. The partnership is a powerful fusion of corporate resources and public education's mission to foster accessible opportunity.

Expanding the Ecosystem: The New Youth Impact Competition

Demonstrating a deepening commitment to fostering socially conscious innovation, Standard Chartered introduced a new initiative this year: the Standard Chartered Youth Impact Competition. This competition specifically recognizes student-led ventures from across the City University of New York (CUNY) system that are driving positive change in education, workforce development, and health.

Finalists participated in a live pitch event to secure seed funding, with prizes ranging from $1,500 to $4,000. The competition required applicants to demonstrate how their ventures target and create a tangible impact for youth aged 15-24. This expansion of the partnership's portfolio underscores a strategic focus on not only fostering tech entrepreneurship but also on directing that innovative energy toward solving pressing societal challenges. By creating another dedicated pipeline for funding and recognition, the partners are building a more comprehensive ecosystem to support the next generation of impact-driven leaders.