Empowering Women in Business: Open Growth Opportunities

The Aurora Tech Award is an annual global prize for women founders of tech startups. They believe in breaking down barriers and promoting equality in tech entrepreneurship.

Women entrepreneurs in IT face challenges like investor bias, stereotypes, and a lack of role models, limiting their representation.

Why Participate?

Fuel business growth with cash prizes for winners:

• First prize: $30,000
• Second prize: $20,000
• Third prize: $10,000
• Connect with a global community of women tech entrepreneurs
• Amplify brand visibility with PR support for finalists, attracting new audiences, partners, and investors
• Get valuable feedback from Venture Capital experts and jury members to improve your startup
• Receive guidance from inDrive’s C-level executives and industry experts with a finalist mentorship program
• Expand your network and gain recognition in the startup world.

Requirements

• Firstly, your application must meet the following criteria
  • Woman founder: The startup must be founded or co-founded and led by a woman entrepreneur
  • Funding stage: The startup should not have received investments exceeding $4 million in funding, including the seed round
  • Operation time: The startup must be no more than 5 years old
  • Minimum Viable Product (MVP): The startup should have a functional prototype. If you have only an idea, your application will not be considered
• Secondly, after meeting the initial criteria, analysts from their partner’s VC funds will evaluate the following aspects
  • Personal
    • Leadership skills: Assessing your ability to lead, inspire your team, and make strategic decisions.
    • Overcoming personal challenges: Understanding the challenges you faced as an entrepreneur and how you overcame them.
  • Startup
    • Potential market size: Examining the size and growth potential of your target market.
    • Scalability: Assessing the potential for your business model to scale efficiently.
    • Profit generation (unit economics): Analyzing your ability to generate profits.
    • Unique competitive advantage: Evaluating what sets your startup apart from competitors.
    • Product-market fit: Assessing how well your product meets market needs.
    • Go-to-market strategy: Reviewing your plan for effectively entering the market.
    • Team potential: Evaluating your team members’ expertise.
    • Social impact: Considering your startup’s positive impact on society.
• Lastly, their jury will evaluate the impact criteria, focusing on mission-driven startups that aim to make a positive differnce in people’s lives by challenging injustice.

For more information, visit Aurora Tech Award.

Are you ready to seize your moment and catapult your business to soaring heights? IgniteHER is your invitation to be part of something exceptional—a movement committed to empowering women entrepreneurs all across Africa.

The cohort should take place sometime between April 2024-April 2025. Each AWE cohort should include about 30 women meeting either online or in person. AWE cohorts may take place in any, all, or the following select countries: New Zealand, Niue, the Cook Islands, Tokelau, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Federated States of Micronesia.

Funding Information

• Length of performance period: Up to 12 months
• Award amounts: Up to $20,000 USD per country included
• Total available funding: Up to $20,000 USD per country included
• Anticipated project start date: April, 1 2023

Eligible Applicants

• U.S. Embassy New Zealand welcomes applications from non-profit organizations/non-government organizations (NGOs) and private, public, or state institutions of higher education. For-profit entities are not eligible to apply.

For more information, visit U.S. Embassy in New Zealand.

Funding Information

• Micro grants are $500 each.

Eligibility Criteria

• The micro grants are open to women of Caribbean and African descent, who are entrepreneurs, creatives and non-profit founders, based in their home countries or anywhere around the world. Applicants must demonstrate that their projects are positively impacting culture and community.
• They will be giving three women micro grants between October-December 2023.
• Micro grant funds will be sent via bank or wire transfer, depending on the country the recipient is based in.

For more information, visit About Her Culture.

Women of color business owners are often overlooked and underserved when it comes to access to business funding. They know it takes money to start and grow a thriving business. By investing in women of color entrepreneurs, they are helping the community of minority business owners gain economic power and build wealth.

Funding Information

The Corporate Counsel Women of Color Grant Program gives a $5,000 grant to each of the five (5) award recipients.

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria for the CCWC Women of Color Entrepreneur Grant:

• The business must operate in the United States.
• The business must be established as of January 1, 2020 with a EIN number.
• The business is a legal for-profit business.
• The business has generated over $25,000 in revenue since January 1, 2020.
• The applicant must be at least 18 years of age at the time of submitting this application.

For more information, visit CCWC.

The Public Diplomacy Section invites proposals from non-profit organizations, civil society organizations, and U.S. government alumni organizations to design and implement an entrepreneurship program that equips women entrepreneurs with skills and knowledge to grow their businesses and adapt to adverse economic situations while growing a local network of women-led businesses. The intended program should empower women entrepreneurs to realize their full economic potential.

Participants of the AWE program will take part in facilitated in-person and virtual sessions with established Namibian and American women entrepreneurs, alumni of U.S.-funded exchange programs, and other experts from different fields that enrich the AWE experience. Applicants must include the online interactive DreamBuilder course as part of the proposal. The DreamBuilder curriculum teaches the skills and knowledge needed to start and grow a business. Additionally, proposals should provide a detailed program and timelines for AWE participants.

The program may be held in several locations running cohorts of up to 30 participants and must have a strong American component.

Program Objectives

• Increase participants understanding of business planning, and scaling up operations
• Build a network of female entrepreneurs that is committed to supporting and promoting relationships that help grow businesses and drive local partnerships.
• Equip participants with skills and knowledge to build sustainable businesses.

Funding Information

• Length of performance period: 8 to 12 months
• Number of awards anticipated: One awards (dependent on amounts)
• Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $30,000 to a maximum of $40,000
• Total available funding: $40,000
• Anticipated program start date: March 1, 2024

Participants and Audiences

• The AWE program targets current or future women business owners in Namibia. AWE participants should commit to complete the program, have proven computer skills, and have access to the internet or a reliable data connection.
• Applicants are encouraged to develop programs for underrepresented populations, niche business sectors, or areas of potential growth.

Eligible Applicants

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

• Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations
• Public and private educational institutions
• Public International Organizations and Governmental institutions (U.S. organizations should partner with a local organization or expert.)

For more information, visit U.S. Embassy in Namibia.

This program is brought to Nigeria by the Young Africa Works-Mastercard Foundation in partnership with the Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University.

Objectives

The following are the core objectives of the program:

• To completely transform the mindset of youths in Nigeria to become more entrepreneurial, and to equip them to be self-employed or job creators.
• To create market access and provide support services to existing business owners especially those being run by young people.
• Change the way learning or information is received in Nigeria through EDC Beam.

Criteria

• EDC is teaming up with the Foundation to build the capacity of 40,000 MSMEs with special focus on agriculture and creative sectors especially women-led businesses in Nigeria.
• The training will be delivered via EDC’s online learning platform and IVR (Interactive Voice Response) to enable all learners to take part in the lessons on the go wherever they are.

For more information, visit Transforming Nigerian Youths.

Benefits

• Business Incubation
  • Three (3) months of learning experience in business management and operations in-person
• Personalised Mentorship
  • Personalised mentorship for all participants & their business needs
• Planning and Support
  • Access to legal, accounting, financial planning & tech support
• Networking & Expert help
  • Access to networking opportunities with fellow successful applicants and industry experts
• Alumni Opportunity
  • An opportunity to join BongoHive’s supportive Alumni Network
• Funding Opportunities
  • $10,000 equity-free grant seed funding for the top six (6) finalists from the incubation programme to assist with the implementation of technology in their businesses
• Continued Support
  • Six (6) months ongoing support from Standard Chartered, BongoHive & a network of coaches and mentors to assist with go-to-market strategies and scaling-up for the top six (6) finalists

Who can apply?

• They are seeking to recruit the best entrepreneurial minds of women-led startup teams using digital technology as a key driver of innovation in business.
  • The business owner must be a Zambian female founder or co-founder over 18 years of age and with an equal or majority stake
  • The business must be based and operating in Zambia
  • The business must already be using digital technology, or have a clear need to incorporate digital technology to enable their business to grow
  • The business owner must be of Zambian nationality
  • The business must have been registered with PACRA for at least 3 months
  • The business owner may be seeking support for customer, product, and/or business model development
  • Key persons of the business (preferably 2 founders) must be available to undertake the 3-month virtual incubation programme from March to May 2024
  • The top 6 winners of the incubation programme must be able to attend a 6-month acceleration programme from 3rd June 2024 to 3rd December 2024
  • The prize fund is primarily for building the digital technology and any balance to be used in the business.

For more information, visit Standard Chartered.