The gap between men and women in STEM is still far from being bridged. Over the last decade, a lot of efforts have been put to bridge this gap and success has been slowly coming. One of the successes is that today we have a good number of tech startups started by women all over the world, which includes Africa.
To support the women who have taken the initiative to create tech startups in Africa particularly in Kenya, Ghana, and Nigeria, Tech By Her accelerator program powered by MEST and with support from the Tech Entrepreneurship Initiative, ‘Make-IT in Africa’ (implemented by Deutsche für Gesellschaft Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development) launched a 3-month industry-based program for ambitious female founders of early-stage tech companies in Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria and aims to fuel the growth of female-led businesses by recognizing and maximizing their unique strengths.
As the basis of empowering and accelerating the growth of women in the tech entrepreneurship space, the purpose of the Accelerator program is to develop a strong Pan African female entrepreneurship community while providing them with tools and resources to enable them to navigate their chosen fields. This will be done through mentoring and coaching of female founders and building an alumni network of successful Tech By Her Accelerator participants to become ambassadors for other upcoming founders.
The three-month accelerator program focuses on the advancement of women in technology entrepreneurship and supporting burgeoning female-led tech ventures to become globally competitive and sustainable brands.
According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Women’s Report (2019), Sub-Saharan Africa boasts of the highest growth rate of female-run businesses in the world. However, female entrepreneurs, specifically in the Tech space, continue to face daunting challenges such as restrictive social norms, limited access to funding, and working within male-dominated industries which limits their potential.
In that regard, the Tech By Her Accelerator program aims to address the unique challenges of the female tech entrepreneur by providing valuable and strong networking connections in the global start-up community.
To be eligible, an applicant must be a female and founder/co-founder of a technology organization and must have begun operations with a product or service on the market at least one (1) year before applying for the program.
They must also be an African national or resident and have registered a tech startup in one of the three operational countries (Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya) with evidence of revenue and potential to scale. Finally, it is essential that participants be willing ambassadors for the program and of tech entrepreneurship – encouraging and motivating other females in the entrepreneurial space. Applications are therefore invited from African female tech entrepreneurs who are eager to establish a firm foundation and explore new prospects and secure further guidance in their chosen fields.
How to Apply:
Interested applicants are encouraged to apply through Tech By Her online portal, (bit.ly/techbyher) create a profile and upload their pitch deck along with other requested details. Selected applicants will have access to dedicated business mentors, coaching for personal and
entrepreneurial growth and access to an expansive network of industry leaders and experts in the technology industry across Africa. Interested applicants have until 13th March 2020 to be part of a community of leading female entrepreneurs.
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