African Women Innovators Network: Improving Business Opportunities for African Women & Girls

Deadline: 2 December 2016

Applications are open for African Women Innovators Network’s (AWIN) Business Innovation Lab that will provide intensive training and mentorship for equipping young African women with the tools to develop innovative businesses that help to build a better future for African women & girls.

AWIN is an initiative developed and led by the Africa Technology Business Network (ATBN), funded by Comic Relief & DFID under the Common Ground Initiative and delivered in partnership with Women in Tech Africa and iSpace Ghana.

Programme Structure

2-Day Innovation Bootcamp: Building a better future FOR African Women BY African Women
- The innovation bootcamp brings together a selected group of ambitious and talented young African women to develop new innovative business ideas that help to build a better future for women and girls in Africa. Over the 2 days, participants are equipped with problem solving and innovation tools as well as supported to incorporate the use of technology to develop their solutions.
6-Weeks Mentorship: Turning ideas into real solutions
- Following the innovation bootcamp, participants are then challenged to take their ideas out into the real world. Over a 6-week period they are matched with dedicated mentors from around the world to support them in testing, refining and building on their ideas.
Demo Day: An exciting showcase of women-led innovation
- At the end of the programme, 10 selected finalists will be given an opportunity to pitch their innovative business ideas at our Demo Day. This is a great opportunity for all the finalists to gain valuable feedback on their ideas as well as generate support and build relationships to help them launch their businesses.

Prizes and Benefits

Free office space for 3 months
3-months of dedicated support and business mentorship
$1000 seed funding to help them develop their idea further
Gain the skills to test and develop your idea into a sustainable business
Broaden your network and access expert advice from our global pool of mentors to help you develop your idea further.
Build your confidence in communicating your ideas effectively to attract funding, clients and partners for your business.
Get the opportunity to pitch your business idea to potential investors at our demo day
Become part of our global community of social innovators to connect, share ideas and gain peer support in building your business.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Applicant will:

Be a young African or diasporan woman aged 18-35.
Be passionate about helping to build a better future for African women and girls.
Have a NEW and innovative IDEA for a business that has potential to positively impact the lives of African women and girls. (Do not worry if your idea is not fully formed. Over the course of the programme you will be supported to develop and refine your idea)
Already have an existing business, your idea must be a NEW and innovative solution that positively impacts the lives of women and girls.
Apply as an individual or team. (Please note that for teams, all members of the team must meet the application criteria.)

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted online via given website.

Eligible Country: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the, Cote d’Ivorie, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

For more information, please visit AWIN.