Nine Nigerian ladies are among 20 female-founded tech startups selected for the fourth edition of The Future is Female Mentorship Programme, a PR and communications mentorship programme dedicated exclusively to African female tech founders.
The 9 Nigerian female tech founders on the list are Al Hassan Keita, Founder of EtioneraPay – an escrow payment gateway built for online and e-commerce user, processing payment and enabling payment for users; Jennifer Echenim, Founder of Bloccpay – a crypto-powered payroll solution for global businesses and talents; and Gold Sylvester, Founder of Traddify – a global remittance platform that allows individuals and businesses to make cross-border payments seamlessly and instantly.
Others are Ngozi Nwabueze, Founder of PocketLawyers – a Nigerian legal tech startup that offers access to affordable premium legal services and solutions to SMEs and startups; Sarah Odiavbara, Founder of Craftmerce – a B2B e-commerce marketplace for African handcrafted enterprises; and Olawunmi Akalusi, Founder of Rísé NG – a digital platform that seamlessly connect artisans and vendors with consumers.
The list also includes Bibi Ikuemonisan, Founder of FarmCorps – an agritech platform providing smallholder farmers in Nigeria with end-to-end market access, loans and more; Joy Akparobore, Founder of VAMUZ – a Nigerian e-commerce and logistics platform aimed at the local market; and Kemi Ogunkoya, Founder of LeaderX – an innovative mobile application enabling African professional networks to bridge talent shortages, leadership gaps and more.
The programme is delivered virtually, and the mentees are invited to participate in masterclasses and sessions customized to the specific needs of their sector and business.
The 2023 edition has been supported by Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders Africa Programme, Salesforce Ventures Impact Fund, and F6S expanding the scale and reach of the initiative.
Launched on Africa Day in 2020, by Africa tech-focused PR agency C. Moore Media International PR, which was acquired by global agency Allison+Partners, The Future is Female Mentorship Programme is the first and only PR and communications programme dedicated exclusively to African women in tech.
In this fourth edition, 490 applications were received from 37 countries across Africa, a 42% increase in applications from the 2022 edition. The mentorship programme is complementary and supports the underserved market of African women and is one of the Continent’s fastest-growing community of African female tech founders.
The programme continues to gain international recognition and the 20 finalists for the fourth edition have been exclusively announced in the international business magazine, Forbes. This press coverage immediately provides these African female tech founders with international visibility to the global business community.
During the selection process led by judges; Salesforce’s investor, Enki Toto, Femi Agboola, Program Lead- Citi Productivity, Citi group, and Real Estate Investor Michelle Agbodohu, special consideration was given to startups focusing on health, education, finance, agriculture, and sustainability.
Startups that provide solutions and/or address African women’s and girls’ needs also received special consideration. The 20 selected finalists for 2023 come from North, South, East, and West African regions and will become mentees of the Programme, making up the #Classof2023.
For the fourth edition and for the first time, Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders Africa Programme, Salesforce Ventures Impact Fund, and F6S collaborated with The Future Is Female Mentorship Programme, joining TechCabal and, Africa Communications Week, long-term partners of the initiative.
The programme is now powered by Allison+Partners, one of the international PR industry’s fastest-growing and innovative global agencies.
As part of the collaboration, Salesforce Ventures Impact Fund, which has invested in some of Africa’s top tech startups including Flutterwave and Andela, will be hosting a masterclass on VC funding for the selected mentees of the programme.
The partnerships enable the Programme to provide additional perspectives, tools, and insights for the selected female founders and bring world-class and Pan-African PR insights from additional leading experts, complementing A+P’s global and African regional PR expertise.
