Women-led tech startups across Africa have until October 26 to apply for the second cohort of Her Startup, an accelerator designed to support early-stage female entrepreneurs through training, funding opportunities, and a monthly stipend.
The program plans to select 10 women founders, helping them develop their businesses to become investment-ready. It is jointly backed by KSH Foundation, Tomorrow Foundation, and EHA Impact Ventures, with training provided by the US-based pre-seed accelerator Founder Institute.
Her Startup aims to address a significant funding gap in the region. Although women constitute 58 percent of Africa’s self-employed population, they received less than one percent of the over $2 billion raised by African startups in 2025.
Participants will engage in a 12-week training program facilitated by the Founder Institute, during which all fees will be covered. They will also receive a monthly stipend to enable full-time participation. In addition, the selected founders will benefit from 12 months of sector-specific mentoring and the opportunity to pitch for funding from Her Startup’s investment committee.
This funding will be offered as convertible, revenue-based financing, where repayments are linked to the company’s revenue instead of adhering to a fixed repayment schedule. “It’s not enough to just give these companies financing. It’s about giving them financing that will truly help them succeed,” said Evelyn Castle, co-founder of Her Startup and EHA Impact Ventures. She emphasized the importance of using an innovative, founder-friendly funding mechanism.
Eligible applicants must be women founders or CEOs, aged 18 to 35, operating a tech-enabled business for at least six months and generating a minimum of $500 in monthly gross revenue. The program particularly encourages applications from Francophone Africa.
The inaugural cohort in 2024/25 attracted over 200 applications from 18 African countries. Ten founders were trained, and three ventures secured funding during a pitch day in Lagos in April 2025. Blessing Aniefiok, chief operating officer of Dynalimb Technologies and a participant in the pilot program, noted a significant increase in customer adoption and product sales for her company following their involvement in Her Startup.
Khalil Halilu, co-founder of Her Startup and KSH Foundation, remarked on the initiative’s intention to benefit women entrepreneurs beyond Nigeria. “Together, we can create a thriving ecosystem where women entrepreneurs are empowered to lead, innovate, and succeed,” he stated.
Maggie Gu, co-founder of Her Startup and president of Tomorrow Foundation, highlighted how technology creates unprecedented opportunities for women. “Today, intelligence, creativity and judgment can be amplified as never before, opening a historic opportunity for women to lead,” she said.
For more information about the application process, visit www.her-startup.com.
