Verónica Orvalho, a researcher from IT in Porto, and the founder of MyDidimo, is one of the 10 finalists participating today in the Woman Startup Challenge VR and AI, held at Google in New York.

This will be the 4h edition of the Woman Startup Challenge, an initiative organized by Women Who Tech that aims to showcase the most disruptive and value-added projects developed by entrepreneurs in the areas of virtual reality and artificial intelligence. The event also aims to support the development and expansion of startups on stage by facilitating contact with investment agents.

Verónica Orvalho and the other 9 finalists will be given the stage to pitch their startups, in the hope to win the $50K in cash award and $35K in pro bono legal services. To choose the 10 finalists a panel of investors and tech experts had to judge more than 200 women-led startups who are at the front of VR and AI.

The MyDidimo technology automatically creates 3D virtual characters from a single photo. In just 2 minutes you have a lifelike avatar that can speak, move, and represent you in a 3D world. This technology, developed in IT by a multidisciplinary team led by Verónica Orvalho, can be used in games, social media, film, AR and VR. MyDidimo has already sign contracts with two companies and is close to sign deals with other four international companies (US and UK) from the fields of entertainment and advertising. Back in 2016, MyDidimo was already among the 1% chosen from over 1100 applications to the Techstars 2016 London Program, one of the best accelerators in the world.