Her Startup opens applications for second cohort targeting African women entrepreneurs

Her Startup, an accelerator supporting women-led technology businesses in Africa, has opened applications for its second cohort, offering 10 early-stage female founders training, mentorship and access to funding to help them build investment-ready ventures.

The initiative, spearheaded by KSH Foundation, Tomorrow Foundation and EHA Impact Ventures, will deliver a 12-week training programme in partnership with Founder Institute, a global pre-seed startup accelerator.

The programme seeks to address the persistent funding gap facing women entrepreneurs across Africa. Despite accounting for 58 per cent of the continent's self-employed population, women founders secured less than one per cent of the more than $2 billion raised by African startups in 2025, according to data cited by Her Startup.

The accelerator combines business training, financial support and access to investor networks in a single programme designed to help women entrepreneurs establish and grow sustainable technology businesses.

Selected founders will receive full coverage of their Founder Institute programme fees, a monthly stipend to support their participation, and 12 months of mentorship tailored to their business sectors.

They will also have access to Founder Institute's global network and an opportunity to pitch to Her Startup's Investment Committee for funding through convertible, revenue-based financing.

Applications are open to women founders or chief executive officers aged between 18 and 35 who run technology-enabled businesses that have operated for at least six months and generate a minimum of $500 in monthly gross revenue. Founders from Francophone Africa are particularly encouraged to apply for the 2026/2027 cohort.

Khalil Halilu, co-founder of Her Startup and founder of KSH Foundation, said the initiative was intended to create better opportunities for women entrepreneurs to develop and scale their businesses.

"Together, we can create a thriving ecosystem where women entrepreneurs are empowered to lead, innovate and succeed. I look forward to the incredible impact Her Startup will have, not just in Nigeria, but across Africa and around the world," Halilu said.

The second cohort follows a pilot programme conducted in 2024/2025, which attracted more than 200 applications from 18 African countries. Ten founders were selected for training, with three ventures securing funding during the programme's Pitch Day in Lagos in April 2025.

Since participating in the pilot, founders have secured grants and awards, attracted investor interest and gained increased visibility for their businesses.

Among them is Dynalimb Technologies, whose chief operating officer, Blessing Aniefiok, said the programme had contributed to the company's progress in expanding access to affordable prosthetics.

"Since Her Startup, we've seen a steady rise in customer adoption and product sales, as more amputees experience the comfort and mobility that Dynalimb's affordable 3D-printed prosthetics provide," Aniefiok said.

For Tomorrow Foundation, the initiative represents an opportunity to increase women's participation in shaping the future of technology and business.

Maggie Gu, co-founder of Her Startup and president of Tomorrow Foundation, said technological progress was creating new opportunities for women to overcome longstanding barriers to economic participation and leadership.

"Today, intelligence, creativity and judgment can be amplified as never before, opening a historic opportunity for women, not merely to participate in the future, but to stand at the forefront and help lead it. That is the deeper purpose of Her Startup," Gu said.

The programme's financing model is another distinguishing feature. Rather than relying solely on conventional lending, Her Startup offers convertible, revenue-based financing, with repayments linked to the revenue generated by participating businesses.

Evelyn Castle, co-founder of Her Startup and co-founder of EHA Impact Ventures, said the model was designed to give founders access to capital on terms that better reflect the realities of building early-stage businesses.

"It's not enough to just give these companies financing. It's about giving them financing that will truly help them succeed," Castle said, describing the approach as a founder-friendly mechanism that could support business growth.

The partners aim to use the second cohort to expand the programme's reach and strengthen support for women-led technology ventures across Africa.

Applications close on October 26, 2026. Interested founders can access the eligibility requirements, programme details and application form at https://www.her-startup.com