She Wins Africa represents IFC’s ongoing commitment to promoting gender equality and empowering women entrepreneurs in emerging markets.
The 100 participants were chosen from a highly competitive pool of nearly 3,000 applicants.
These women entrepreneurs represent diverse sectors, encompassing fields like agriculture technology, climate technology, e-commerce, education technology, healthcare technology, and financial technology.
Beyond supporting the chosen 100 participants, She Wins Africa will launch additional initiatives:
– Bootcamp for pre-seed startups: This program will help 200 pre-seed women-led startups reach the acceleration phase.
– Expanding access to acceleration: This initiative aims to connect an additional 200 women-led startups with acceleration support in underserved regions.
– Building a coalition of investors: This program seeks to create collaboration among funds, venture capital firms, and gender-lens investors to improve access to finance for women-owned businesses across Africa.
“IFC’s She Wins Africa empowers women entrepreneurs through coaching, training, and financing, accelerating their growth and investment readiness throughout sub-Saharan Africa,” said Nathalie Akon Gabala, IFC’s Director of Gender and Economic Inclusion.
Dutch development finance institution FMO has announced a $10 million investment in the Regional MSME Investment Fund for Sub-Saharan Africa (REGMIFA).
Egypt-based B2B payment platform, SETTLE, has secured $2 million in a pre-seed funding round.
Okra, a solar technology company bringing solar power to grids in developing areas, has raised $12 million in Series A funding.
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