Standard Chartered Bank in partnership with iBizAfrica have unveiled the ten startups that will be joining a 12 week incubation program and a chance to secure $10,000 seed capital. During the incubation program, the startups will undergo mentorship training covering business idea conceptualisation, strategy and marketing.
At the end of the programme the top 5 startups will each be awarded $10,000 in seed capital. The programme, now in its fifth cohort, targets women-led startups looking to scale their businesses through technology. This year’s top 10 are:
Aurora Health Systems – A wearable medical device that uses wireless technology to continuously monitor heart rate and abnormal ECG findings. Data is generated in real-time and linked to smartphones for a period of 21 days thus preventing acute cardiac conditions.
DigiPath Africa – A Digital Marketing agency that helps organizations and individuals navigate their way online and take their products and services to existing/new customers using digital marketing.
GoBEBA Everything Ltd – GoBEBA offers online retail of household essentials delivered within an hour. They use technology to provide convenience, reduce costs as well as use machine learning for demand planning and delivery optimization.
Keyara Botanics – A skincare label that creates products that take care of your skin naturally with raw materials sourced from African farmers which are rich and of healing quality.
Learning Differently Limited– A learning intervention platform tailor-made to support students/learners with learning disabilities. The courses/training equips parents, teachers, and caregivers with practical learnings that they can incorporate to support their learners.
On My Mind – A Women’s startup supporting breastfeeding moms with low milk supply to meet their breastfeeding goals, while also promoting their health and wellness by value addition to organic and wholesome products i.e. (herbal teas and lactation cookies)
Pure Purple – A contemporary footwear and accessories brand based in Nairobi Kenya that adds premium value to locally sourced leather, thus creating communal impact.
Sello Designs – A social business that designs and makes sustainable, durable, and timeless bags using leather and kitenge fabric.
Siago – An e-commerce fashion store that makes and sells unique, luxury, free-size dresses targeting the 30+-year-old, plus-size, career woman.
SowPrecise – A farm management system tailor-made for the African farmers to communicate with farm labourers and help them keep track of farming activities.
The programme is designed to help address gender disparity in the technology sector and to use technology to tackle social challenges faced by communities. They are an important part of our entrepreneurship offering within Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, our global initiative to tackle inequality and promote economic inclusion and aligns with our stand to lift participation by creating opportunities for women to contribute to the society and economy
Joyce Kibe, Head Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing Kenya and EA
Mrs Joyce Kibe further added that over the last 4 years the program has successfully contributed to filling the gap through capacity building and financing with participants of the program registering sustained growth, job creation and innovation through technology.
Access to finance for women has been and still continues to remain a challenge, with a recent study indicating that 68 per cent of Women-led MSMEs in developing countries lack adequate access to finance, representing a 1.5 trillion financing gap. Women-led enterprises account for 48 per cent of all micro-small and Medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) which contribute 20 per cent to the overall GDP of Kenya
Diana Mutua, PR Manager @iBizAfrica- Strathmore University
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